Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet MNSWLGM (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) describe distinct populations of small (30-200 nm) and large (500 nm-2 μm) microvesicles actively or passively secreted by cells. Whilst, they are recognized as promising biomarkers for diseases diagnosis, prognosis and therapy, their purification, selective enrichment, and characterization remains immensely challenging. The goal of the current proposal is to develop an optofluidic platform able to manipulate and characterize single EVs and facilitate their efficient purification and quantitation from biological samples. The optofluidic platform will incorporate a dynamically reconfigurable optical lattice (constructed from a liquid gradient refractive index - L-GRIN microlens) for separation followed by a viscoelastic focusing module for single EV imaging. The strength of the interaction between a nanoparticle and the optical lattice will depend on the optical polarizability of the particle, thus providing a size selection criterion to allow identification and isolation. Put simply, we aim to develop a size-selective optofluidic platform integrated for non-invasive EVs sorting and fractionation that can be applied to a wide range of biological matrices and addresses the most challenging technological bottleneck in EVs research.

Mots clés : optofluidics, liquid gradient refractive index microlenses, integrated optics, flow cytometer, extracellular vesicles

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187419.6 €
Projet IntEL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Extreme climatic events, such as storms, floods, and heat waves, can have a major influence on lake ecosystems. Evidence is now growing that the frequency and severity of extreme weather events are increasing as a result of directional climate change, and there is a growing realization that predicting the effects of future climatic conditions on lake ecosystems must explicitly incorporate extreme events. Understanding the impact of extreme weather is important because of the negative effects they can have on ecosystem services that lakes provide, such as the provision of safe water for drinking and irrigation, and economic benefits such as fisheries and tourism. As a result of EU funding initiatives, Europe has been at the forefront of high-frequency lake monitoring in recent decades and there now exists a globally unique long-term lake data archive of key parameters needed to investigate how extreme climatic events are critically altering freshwater resources across the continent. Using globally unique data, combined with sophisticated lake modelling tools, developed within the EU funded PROGNOS (Predicting in-lake responses to change using near real time models) Water JPI, IntEL will improve our understanding of how lakes are responding to the increased occurrence of extreme events, and will provide the first systematic detailed study of lake responses to extreme weather. The ability to investigate the influence of climatic extremes in lakes across Europe will result in a fundamental change in our understanding of the consequences of climatic extremes, and will produce a step-change in the scale of investigation that has previously been possible. IntEL will have positive impacts on society by providing improved knowledge on how climate extremes influence ecosystem functioning, water quality, and thus will provide economic benefits through safeguarding clean water for future generations.

Mots clés : lake, extreme weather events, limnology, monitoring, modelling

Participants :
- Dundalk Institute of Technology (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175866.0 €
Projet PLICO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Extremely low temperatures influence plant development and crop productivity. Therefore, plants have evolved mechanisms to enhance tolerance to freezing (cold acclimation) involving physiological and biochemical modifications. A key side of this process is the biosynthesis and delivery mechanisms of the newly synthesized lipid species towards the appropriate subcellular membranes. Previous studies in Prof Botella´s lab (supervisor) have demonstrated that Arabidopsis SYT1 (Synaptotagmin 1) is an ER-PM (endoplasmic reticulum – plasma membrane) tether component essential for freezing tolerance, and they have characterized SYT3, a novel component of cold-acclimation. The research objective of this proposal is to determine the role that SYT1 and SYT3 have on lipid homeostasis related to cold acclimation at the cellular level, using a combination of mutant analysis, cellular biology, lipidomics and biochemical approaches. Additionally, the findings could have future applications since freezing temperatures are limiting the geographical locations for growing crop plants and periodically account for significant losses in plant productivity in Europe. Dr Ruiz-Lopez (researcher) has wide experience in Plant Lipids. In recent years she has successfully worked in the UK, in one of the world’s leading groups for plant lipids research. Moreover, the host group is one of the world-leading groups in plant responses to abiotic stress research. Their collective expertise represents a very strong team with a proven track-record to conduct world-class research. In addition, secondments are planned to carry out the most advanced lipidomic analysis. This inter-disciplinary Fellowship will exploit the complementary competencies and technologies available at the host to broaden the skills of the researcher, particularly in microscopy, proteomics and management skills, and will also increase the sharing of knowledge and technology transfer between the participant institutions.

Mots clés : plant membranes, cold acclimatation, syt1, syt3, synaptotagmins, arabidopsis, lipidomics, lipid transfer

Participants :
- Universidad de Málaga (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet FHBMicro (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

FHBMicro aims to train a talented young researcher through an interdisciplinary research focused on investigating the microscopic mechanisms of fatigue damage and healing of bituminous materials (BMs) to fundamentally extend the materials’ service life. The main deliverables resulting from the FHBMicro include a better understanding of the microscopic mechanisms of the BMs’ fatigue damage and healing, a trans-scale performance prediction framework and evaluation protocol of the fatigue and healing of the BMs, and an implementation of anti-fatigue and self-healing BMs and technologies in durable and sustainable road construction. Through the project, the Fellow will receive intensive scientific knowledge training in multidisciplinary field of chemistry (TUD), material science (TUD), computational modelling (TUD and RWTH), experimental characterisation (UoN) and industrial applications (Nynas and Duro Vermeer). The Fellow will also receive inter-sectoral complementary skills training in project management, intellectual property protection, teaching and supervision, and networking. The benefits brought by FHBMicro are represented by strengthening the EU scientific excellence and industry leadership in the innovation, evaluation and engineering application of the durable and sustainable road materials. The implementation of anti-fatigue and self-healing BMs and technologies in road infrastructures will extend the road service life and ultimately save natural resources like petroleum bitumen and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Uniquely, the project will enable the Fellow to obtain interdisciplinary knowledge and inter-sectoral complementary skills by building a new and exciting research field, which will pave a solid foundation for the Fellow towards his career of being an independent leading researcher in the area of durable and sustainable infrastructure materials in a top European university, with a Europe-linked collaborative network.

Mots clés : road infrastructures, construction materials, bitumen, asphalt, fatigue, healing, trans scale modelling

Participants :
- Delft University of Technology (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187572.48 €
Projet FAMPOT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Family policies impact upon many aspects of people’s lives such as couples’ income dynamics, engagement in childcare activities or labour market participation. However, the degree to which these mechanisms vary between people with different socio-economic statuses is not well understood. Consequently, we don’t know who benefits from these policies and who is losing out on support. A policy measurement tool capable of recognising the family policy entitlements of each individual would provide an unprecedented insight into how well specific populations are protected against various social risks. Not only that, it would allow researchers to map the generosity of family policies across countries with greater accuracy and to test the effect of family policies on human behaviour with greater precision. Insufficient knowledge of the mechanisms through which policies influence people’s lives and the potentially differential effect of various family policies on people’s income and living conditions considerably limit our ability to provide effective policy recommendations that would lead to desirable outcomes. This MSCA Fellowship aims to create such a measurement tool and use it in the investigation of gender and socio-economic inequality in access to family policy support for families with young children (maternity, paternity, parental and childcare leave, child-related cash benefits, and childcare allowances). The main objectives of this MSCA Fellowship are (1) to improve existing policy measurement tools to advance our ability to recognise and analyse structural inequalities in access to family policy support, (2) to investigate gender and socio-economic inequalities in access to family policies across EU and EEA countries, and (3) to explore gender and socio-economic differences in awareness about family policy entitlements and preferences for uptake.

Mots clés : family policy, gender inequality, fatherhood, child related leave policies

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet WIDE-Synergies (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Farming without pesticides is a major challenge for agriculture today. A promising approach is to design agroecosystems that favour pest regulating processes. Weeds, insect herbivores and pathogens are the main pests in cropping systems, and, so far, they have been mostly studied separately. The WIDE-Synergies project will consider them together by hypothesising that there are synergies in simultaneous management of Weeds, Insect herbivores, Diseases, and their natural Enemies (i.e. WIDE) in agroecosystems. The WIDE-Synergies project aims to (i) quantify the effect of pesticide-free farming practices on these pests and their enemies, (ii) identify the synergies and/or trade-offs in their simultaneous management and (iii) assess the effects on crop yield. Two field experiments with cereals will be conducted in parallel at the Wiesengut experimental farm of the University of Bonn, Germany. Both experiments will compare farming practices aimed at controlling weeds without herbicides, and known to also affect insects and diseases: mechanical weeding, intercropping and under-sowing with a living mulch, in addition to two control treatments (i.e. five treatments repeated four times in a randomised block design). One experiment will contain wildflower strips at plot margins as a semi-natural habitat for biodiversity and the other will have bare soil between plots. The abundance and regulation of weeds, insect herbivores and diseases, as well as of their natural enemies, will be monitored in the fields over two consecutive years. Crop yield will be measured at harvest. Treatments will be compared within and between field experiments. The results are expected to be scientifically highly innovative, and of high interest to farmers and their advisers who will be invited to follow the research project and discuss its output. Communication channels will also be developed to inform non-specialists of the research that aims to develop safe and healthy agriculture in Europe.

Mots clés : agroecology, organic farming, conservation biological control, mechanical weeding, intercropping, living mulch, wildflower strip, weed, insect, pathogen, competition, predation, field experiment

Participants :
- University of Bonn (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 174806.4 €
Projet FADAMES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Fatigue is the primary damage mechanisms of structural components that usually occurs in three stages: crack initiation, growth of short cracks and growth of long cracks. At macroscopic level, the fatigue damage of materials and respectively failure of structural components, is influenced by the loading mode, geometry, material properties and environment. There are many factors to be taken into account and implicitelly this falls upon the prediction level. Passing to mesoscopic level, the loading mode and geometry effects are included on the stress and strain state and the prediction of fatigue damage depends by the interaction between the stress and strain state and respectively the crystallographic characteristics of material grains. Therefore, it is expected that the prediction level of fatigue damage to be higher and this is confirmed by the studies already initiated. This project proposes an extension of mesoscopic level studies for real loading cases characterized by multiaxial stress and strain states. To analyze the interaction between the multiaxil stress and strain state and crystallographic characteristics of material grain, the project involves both numerical analyzes using submodeling technique and experimental techniques for monitoring the fatigue damage. Acoustic emission technique will be primarily used and simultaneously deeply explored. The purpose of using this technique is to establish clear connections between the mechanisms that generate acoustic signals and the fatigue damage at mesoscopic scale. As the results of this interdisciplinary research consists on the one hand the development of a new concept for fatigue life prediction based on the physical degradation mechanisms of the materials. On the other hand, the investigation results in the development and improvement of the acoustic emission technique, already known as one of the most promising techniques of Structural Health Monitoring.

Mots clés : fatigue damage, acoustic emission, multiaxial loading, crystallographic characteristics, numerical simulation

Participants :
- Cardiff University (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet FACADE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Façades play crucial roles in the building safety, comfort, and aesthetics. As an envelope for buildings, they are in constant interaction with outside environment. Ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation absorbed by lignin – constituting up to 40% of wood – initiates the weathering of wood. The weathering process induces colour changes, surface fibres to loosen and erode, allowing humidity to penetrate in depth in wood, and causing checks and a raised grain. It is therefore crucial to limit the weathering effects that can then lead to deterioration of wood by using coatings to protect its surface. UV absorbers enhance the durability of wood outdoors by absorbing incident radiation and by converting it into heat, which is then dissipated. Carbon-based materials are potential UV stabilizers thanks to combined effects of physical screen, UV absorbance, and radical trap. Bio-carbon is a carbon-based product obtained from thermal decomposition of organic materials at elevated temperatures. Organic materials can be wastes from the agricultural or forest industries, with currently little or no economic value. Bio-carbon presents a wide range of properties that can be tailored by the manufacturing process. To the best knowledge of the Experienced Researcher (ER), no prior research on using bio-carbon for UV stabilization has been reported. The FACADE project proposes to develop a competitive sustainable bio-sourced anti-UV coating to protect wooden façades, using bio-carbon as UV-stabilizer. The FACADE project tackles challenging concepts with innovative solutions and is expected to provide breakthroughs for advancing the use of bio-carbon in new applications and proving a fundamental understanding of the UV protection mechanisms of nanoscale carbon particles. Through the MSCA program activities, particularly mentoring young researchers, organizing events and managing projects, the ER will make a significant step in her career by gaining professional maturity and independence.

Mots clés : bio carbon, carbonized biomass, sustainable carbon, ultraviolet, weathering, facade, wood protection

Participants :
- Innorenew coe center odlicnosti za raziskave in inovacije na podrocju obnovljivih materialov in zdravega bivanjskega okolja (Slovénie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 150040.32 €
Projet RuZn (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Fedor Miloserdov (FMM, the fellow) alongside Prof. Mike Whittlesey (MKW, University of Bath, UK) designed the RuZn proposal that deals with heterobimetallic late transition metal – Lewis acidic metal complexes, particularly ones featuring an unsupported Ru–Zn bond. Having similar properties with other Pt-group metals, Ru is more than order of magnitude cheaper. The cooperativity between Ru and Lewis acidic metal (Zn) can enhance the stability, selectivity and reactivity of the catalytic system and lead to new catalytic applications of ruthenium complexes, making them more appealing for both academia and industry. The rationale for the RuZn project is the 2016 report by MKW on the convenient approach to a novel complex with an unsupported Ru–Zn bond. FMM is going to synthesize a family of new Ru–Zn complexes with different ligand environments and systematically study their reactivity and stability in order to find suitable catalytic applications. The RuZn proposal aims not only at developing a new range of ruthenium catalysts, but will also provide FMM a unique opportunity to work on the cutting edge of science, as well as improve his skills in leadership, teaching, mentoring and grant-management. As an interdisciplinary part of the program, FMM will have a secondment with Prof. Stuart Macgregor (SAM) at Heriot-Watt university (Edinburgh, UK), where he will acquire knowledge in computational chemistry while studying the Ru–Zn bonding and reactivity.

Mots clés : heterobimetallic complexes, complexes of ruthenium, homogeneous catalysis, organozinc compounds, mechanistic studies, hydride complexes of transition metals

Participants :
- University of Bath (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet FRAMING_EFFECTS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Fellowship objective is to explain influences of descriptive context on individual decisions, i.e. framing effects, by observing processes of making-sense (of representation/interpretation/rationalization). Experimental Economics ignores effects of framing on this “black-box” of decision-making processes, and instead theorizes framing by observing only choices & using fixed preference structures. This not only limits our understanding of these effects but weakens real-world applicability of experimental results & leads to inefficient use of public funds; e.g., it is well-established that descriptions used in policy tools, e.g. contingent valuation (CV) & nudging, significantly affect results, yet it is unknown why or how. To unpack this box, fellowship at U. of Nottingham’s Centre for Decision Research & Experimental Economics (CeDEx) will combine Dr.Isler’s background in methodology research with training/research on framing to develop 2 new experiment designs. Secondment at Leeds U. Centre for Decision Research will enable training on Process Tracing Methods (PTMs) & Mouselab software to provide capacity for process observations. Using PTMs/Mouselab in experiments at CeDEx, 1st design will isolate framing effects that choice/preference-based conventional theories cannot explain; 2nd design will analyse these effects in CV-like public good setting to develop probabilistic/structural model to forecast & PTM-based nonconventional theory to explain the effects. To allow sector/policy applications of lab results (e.g., to CV), designs will be used in field experiments at health/fundraising SME secondments, where training on patient/donor interaction & gender/ethics issues will prepare proper implementation. Fellowship’s training-through-research will thus launch a career in PTM-based framing research leading to innovations in Horizon 2020 health/efficiency/gender priorities that save public/private funds via appropriate reframing of customer relations & policy tools.

Mots clés : framing effects, experimental economics, cognitive psychology, experimental methodology, process tracing methods, field experiments, external validity, cv analysis, gender equality

Participants :
- University of Nottingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €