Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet PERSONA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Neurodegenerative diseases are a global epidemic with significant health, social and economic implications and despite intensive research, there is still no cure for them. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurological disorder having symptoms of the progressive memory loss, neuronal cell death, loss of immune response and cognitive function, eventually leading to patient death. Amyloid-β (Aβ) protein is the main neuropathic agent in AD and aggregation of Aβ plaques are found in the brain tissue of patients suffering from this disease. The application of nanomaterials has emerged as a new frontier in nanomedicine for the treatment of AD. Among various nanomaterials, ultrasmall gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) may serve as a promising choice for the diagnosis and treatment of AD from the very early stage which can be well justified by the advantages of Au NCs in terms of their diverse physicochemical properties, biocompatibility and biodistribution, high surface to volume ratio, ease for functionalisation and drug loading, blood–brain barrier (BBB) translocation and the possibility of two-photon excitation. The main objective of our research is to advance in the development of new, biocompatible multifunctional nanomaterials for the detection of amyloids with high spatial resolution and the subsequent degradation of amyloid aggregates using a non-invasive approach. In this regard, the blinking and non-linear optical properties of the Au NCs enable its potential for nanoscopic imaging of amyloid and two-photon photothermal ablation of amyloid aggregates. Another advantage of the proposed multifunctional nanomaterials is that they can also be used as drug delivery vehicles to penetrate the cell membrane and BBB to deliver anti-amyloid drugs that exhibit effective imaging-guided photothermal efficacy. This research will use state-of-the-art technology to develop a multifunctional phototheranostic nanomedicine for the detection and treatment of amyloid diseases.

Mots clés : gold nanoclusters, two photon excitation, super resolution imaging, amyloid, photothermal treatment

Participants :
- Lyon-I université (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Grenoble Alpes (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet A Land of Joiners (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This project looks at East Central European (ECE) history by focusing on non-state actors and particularly on voluntary associations. Challenging the received view that Western Europe (WE) and the Atlantic World are the authentic cradle of associations and of an appropriate and healthy civil society, e.g. the USA often epitomised as the “nation of joiners”, this project interprets voluntary associations in ECE as variation of and not deviation from a unique-but-universalized WE and Atlantic model. New studies on associational life in ECE suggest that well-established theoretical dichotomies like state/non-state, governmental/civil, public/private need to be overcome and argue that voluntary associations always actively interacted with the political context and contributed to shaping it (Giomi/Petrungaro 2019). This research seeks to revisit these theses by focusing on a particular voluntary association, Voluntary Fire Departments (VFD), which in ECE exists almost uninterruptedly since the mid-19th century under democratic, authoritarian or dictatorial regimes alike. Focusing on social history from below and transnational connections, this research will interrogate the question in what way did political ruptures from the end of the First World War until the end of the Cold War in ECE alter membership structure and gender policies of VFDs as well as how did VFDs interact and react with the political ruptures in regard to social inclusion and exclusion along the lines of gender? The project covers the territories of today's Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia, but more specifically three regions: Burgenland, Vas, and Prekmurje, where the concentration of VFD is the largest worldwide. By seeking to counter the marginalisation of volunteering within the social histories of ECE, and of ECE within the global histories of voluntary associations, the project contributes to the current debates about gender equality and equal participation in the European Union.

Mots clés : voluntary associations, east central europe, contemporary, social and gender history, democratisation, border region, volunteer firefighters

Participants :
- Université de Graz (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 190728.96 €
Projet DISCULTHER (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Digitalization of Cultural Heritage as Discursive Practice: Mapping the Museums and Citizens-led Initiatives in Graz and Novi Sad (DISCULTHER) examine how the process of digitalization of cultural heritage (DCH), identified on a discursive level, manifests in two kinds of settings: institutional (museums) and activist (citizens-led initiatives). The main objective of the project is to investigate the plurality of discursive practices of DCH within mentioned settings, the innovativeness, discrepancies and tensions in these practices, as well as the capacity of DCH to make accessible, mobilize and critically engage citizens in opening the space for intercultural dialogue. It is a project with comparative dimension on two levels: it compares the institutional with non-institutional practices of DCH, but also the processes in two cities, Novi Sad (Serbia) and Graz (Austria). They share in part the common history, culture and heritage. In contemporary framework, comparison aims to highlight social and cultural experience of the cities of which one belongs to the state member of European Union and one is in the process of Europeanization. It is also interdisciplinary research that transcends the boundaries in Social Sciences between Sociology, Heritage Studies and Digital Humanities and foregrounds hitherto neglected aspects of the process of digitalization of cultural heritage.

Mots clés : digitalization, cultural heritage, discourse, museum, activism, europeanization

Participants :
- Université de Graz (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 199440.96 €
Projet MBraiS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Sensory experiences are a vital aspect of human existence. In everyday life, our senses are flooded with input, constantly picking up multiple unisensory signals at once. In our brain, these incoming signals are either processed separately or integrated into one unitary percept – a process known as "multisensory integration". Intriguingly, this integration process can be affected by the social context people find themselves in, for example such that people perceive certain perceptual illusions more intensely when experiencing them jointly with another person. To date, this effect has been observed on a behavioral level yet it is not clear what happens in the human brain – on a neurophysiological and computational level. Thus, in the proposed research I will investigate the interplay between multisensory and social processes from a neuroscientific perspective. I aim to (1) identify when the social context affects multisensory processing, (2) localize where in the brain the social context affects multisensory processing, and (3) model how the social context affects multisensory processing. To this end, I will conduct experimental studies, using a combination of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), complemented by a cognitive modeling approach. I will use EEG to address the temporal (when) and fMRI to address the spatial processing dimension (where). To address the third objective (how), I will fit a Bayesian causal inference model to the behavioural data. The overarching goal of my research is to extend the current view on multisensory processing by a social component, thereby contributing to a more holistic account of human perceptual processing.

Mots clés : multisensory perception social cognition, joint action

Participants :
- Université Radboud de Nimègue (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université d'Europe centrale (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183600.96 €
Projet Th17 tissue metab (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Autoimmune diseases affect an estimated 3-9% of the population and cause major personal and socio-economic consequences. IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells (Th17) are recruited to inflamed tissues and involved in autoimmune pathogenesis but were recently also shown to have homeostatic function in tissues. Preliminary data from the outgoing host indicate that Th17 cells are transcriptionally distinct in different tissues. How tissue Th17 cells acquire such specialized characteristics remains elusive. Based on recent findings from the lab that a metabolic manipulation affects Th17 cells, we hypothesize that metabolic cues from the target tissue dictate Th17 phenotypes. To address this, we will apply scRNAseq and the host lab developed Compass metabolic flux tool in 9 tissues. Hits from this analysis will undergo a novel screening approach, CHIME, to reveal effects on Th17 function. In autoimmunity, Th17 cells reside within different tissues before migrating to the inflamed tissue. Identifying a tissue metabolic switch for Th17 cell pathogenicity might thus pave the way for novel treatments. To study this, I will use a mouse model for the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) for target validation. During the return phase, the findings will be set into context of tissue niche immunology and human biology. In healthy versus inflamed human tissue, spatial RNAseq will directly reveal metabolism related differences in a natural tissue niche context. The project will be performed in a world-renowned Th17 lab. The fellow brings extensive experience with tissue immune cell extractions and MS mouse models, enabling immediate project progression. The fellow will then bring back novel techniques and experience (scRNAseq, CHIME) to the return host, where she will acquire skills in human tissue niche immunology and spatial RNAseq. This project will enhance her expertise, research and transferable skills and allow to build a network to follow her goal of becoming an independent PI.

Mots clés : th17 cells, autoimmunity, immunometabolism, autoimmune disease, tissue immunology

Participants :
- Université de Wurtzbourg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 265647.84 €
- Mass General Brigham (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ReMolDS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The rise of moiré materials based on twisted layers of two-dimensional (2D) crystals constitutes arguably one of the most exciting opportunities in the manipulation of synthetic quantum materials. Moiré materials provide an unprecedented ability to create highly tunable lattices of strongly correlated fermions with energy scales and interaction strengths that have previously been unobtainable in ‘conventional’ or other synthetic quantum materials. These properties endow moiré materials with the ability to realize experimental implementations of quantum Hamiltonians such as the Hubbard model and provide new insights into regimes not accessible by the current theoretical approaches. However, to unlock the true potential of moiré materials and navigate their rich quantum phase diagrams, a new functionality needs to be added: a wide-ranging in-situ tunability of the moiré lattice geometry and Hubbard energy scales at cryogenic temperature.  ReMolDS aims to address this challenge by introducing cryogenic in-situ strain engineering to moiré heterostructures. Our project will focus on semiconducting twisted bilayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as a prototype system. The superlubricity and robust mechanical properties of 2D materials will be leveraged to achieve extensive in-situ heterostrain at cryogenic temperatures. This innovative approach will enable precise control over the moiré geometry and periodicity, significantly expanding the tunability of these materials. We will employ optical techniques to investigate the emergent quantum phase diagrams as the moiré geometry transitions between different lattice structures, from triangular to anisotropic triangular, rectangular, and even quasi-1D configurations. Our unprecedented ability to in-situ tune and optically readout the energy scales of moiré materials with reconfigurable lattice geometries at cryogenic temperatures will guide the quest for novel exotic and technologically relevant phases of matter.

Mots clés : moir heterostructures, strain engineering, twisted bilayer tmds, quantum simulators, in situ, cryogenic temperatures

Participants :
- Université Heriot-Watt (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet SOLCORL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas, exacerbates global warming and climate change, presenting significant challenges to human health, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. In response to the urgent 2030 climate goals, the "SOLCORL" project aims to halt the relentless rise in global temperatures by advancing low-carbon solutions and catalyzing new markets for carbon-neutral technologies. This project focuses on the catalytic conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals through an innovative photocatalysis process that mimics natural photosynthesis using sunlight and semiconductors. "SOLCORL" proposes a multifaceted strategy encompassing the development of advanced photocatalytic materials and reactors essential for large-scale CO2 conversion. The project will exploit two-dimensional layered hydroxides (LDHs) coated onto bio-derived carbon substrates from brewery and distillery waste—an estimated 300 million tons are produced globally each year. These materials will be integrated into a solar concentrator system designed to enhance sunlight concentration, significantly boosting the photocatalytic conversion rates of CO2. The project's key deliverables include synthesising and characterising innovative photocatalysts, developing a scalable photocatalytic reactor, and disseminating results through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences. Additionally, the project offers extensive intersectoral and multidisciplinary training opportunities, equipping researchers with the skills to innovate and lead in the fields of materials science, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability. These training modules foster expertise in advanced photocatalytic processes and their application in industrial settings, enhancing the Researcher's career prospects. Through these efforts, "SOLCORL" aims to provide scalable, sustainable solutions to CO2 emissions, contributing to global net-zero goals.

Mots clés : layered double hydroxide co2 capture and utilization biomass derived carbon waste to wealth reactor scale up solar energy utilization circular economy

Participants :
- Université Heriot-Watt (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet RNA-top (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

In “RNA-top”, I will investigate the precise location(s) and quantity of RNA associated with extracellular vesicles (e.g. EV-RNA topology). To achieve this goal, I will set-up innovative liposome-based synthetic vesicle models (herafter referred to as test samples), resembling EVs, with a known RNA topology. I will use these test samples to create workflows for super resolution microscopy (SRM) and spectral flow cytometry (sFCM) to study RNA topology. These workflows will be extrapolated to EV samples, to define EV-RNA topology of single EVs for the first time. The research will be conducted in the Amsterdam UMC under the supervision of Dr. Rienk Nieuwland. Nieuwland and his team have the knowledge, experience and technical infrastructure to perform SRM and sFCM to study EVs. Therefore, RNA-top will allow me to deepen my knowledge on EVs and gain skills to perform SRM and sFCM. Conversely, I will bring my expertise in liquid biopsies and RNA, obtained during my PhD in Pangaea Oncology in Barcelona (H2020-MSCA-ITN). I will carry out a secondment in the lab of Dr. Zoltán Varga (Research Center for Natural Sciences in Budapest), an expert in the field of creating test samples, to get hands-on training. At the end of the project, I will join Exometry, supervised by Dr. Edwin van der Pol (CSO), for a 6-month non-academic placement to (1) develop an analysis software to process RNA topology data and (2) gain commercialization skills. The unique interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral combination of the participating organizations and myself, unites all the expertise and infrastructure required to reach the objectives of RNA-top.

Mots clés : extracellular vesicles, extracellular vesicle rna, rna topology, liposome based test samples, liquid biopsy biomarker, super resolution microscopy, spectral flow cytometry

Participants :
- Centre de recherche ensciences naturelles (Hongrie) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- Exometry b.v. (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 234530.4 €
Projet ATACAMA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. It is essential to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We need more and better photovoltacis (PV) to drastically reduce the CO2 emissions. PV will need to be widely distributed to be able to replace the enormous (and growing) amounts of conventional electrical energy. Availability of surface areas allocated to PV, preferably close to the end use of the electricity, will become an issue. Reliability and a high energy yield per area will become important for the success of PV products. Europe presents higher complexity than other regions, because of its limited space and high-density population. Current Silicon technology is basically limited by its single junction (one semiconductor bandgap) to efficiencies below 30%. Multi-junctions/Tandems using more than one semiconductor diode (aiming at different energies in the spectrum) are the demonstrated path to overpass this limit and achieve efficiencies close to 40%, as done for three junctions (3J) on III-V and with 35% achievable by using a Si bottom junction (3J GaInP/GaAs/Si). Two tandems technologies have emerged as promising to upgrade the current Si technology: perovskites/Si and III-V/Si. III-V/Si presents the highest efficiency and stability (20-30years) but two orders of magnitude higher cost. The ATACAMA project will develop the top junction for a III-V/Si tandem (AlGaAs/Si), with a drastic reduction in cost for the III-Vs by (1) ultra-thin absorbers using low-cost nanostructuring and (2) substrate multi-thin-epitaxial enable by a novel epitaxial lift-off process. Furthermore, the III-V/Si tandem has to attain a high efficiency (>30%)(3), that will ensure a cost-effective solution. Nevertheless, the tandem must ensure circularity (recyclable path) to split the Si from the III-V, by gluing with transparent polymers, with a melting point of 200°C, ensuring the possibility of easily recycling in the future the AlGaAs cell from the Si cell.

Mots clés : quasirandom, hyperuniform, tandem, epitaxial lift off, iii v, silicon

Participants :
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 211754.88 €
Projet INVASIION (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The societal burden of brain disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is enormous and is considered one of the world’s most important health challenges. They affect millions of people worldwide and the annual healthcare costs are high and are increasing with the aging population. There is an immediate need to better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of these disorders. Inflammation is widely recognized to play an important role in many neurological disorders. Next to the response of microglia, the resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), infiltration of monocytes from the blood occurs, but the exact role of monocyte infiltration and the interplay between microglia and monocytes in vivo is still largely unknown. Clinical trials with chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) antagonists, aiming to reduce recruitment of monocytes and thereby reducing neuroinflammation, do not show clinical efficacy. Together, this emphasizes the need to unravel the role of infiltrating monocytes in human disease in vivo. Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging technique well suited to serve this purpose. I propose to develop new PET tracers targeting CCR2 as a tool to visualize infiltration of monocytes in the CNS in vivo to help elucidate their role in disease. Newly developed tracers will be evaluated in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo in an animal model of MS. A successful PET tracer will contribute to a better understanding of monocyte infiltration in disease in vivo and could ultimately serve as an important tool to guide drug development and evaluate novel disease-modifying therapies and therapies inhibiting monocyte infiltration. On a personal level, the proposed project will have a significant impact on my career, as new skills in neuroimaging, computer-aided drug design and in vitro target validation techniques will complement my previous expertise in organic chemistry, radiochemistry and PET tracer development.

Mots clés : pet imaging, infiltrating monocytes, neuroinflammation, multiple sclerosis, ccr2 antagonist

Participants :
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 203464.32 €