Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet SWATCH (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The aim of SWATCH is to develop a unique information system for quantifying savanna water use and biomass production on a regional scale, with the ultimate objective of supporting decision-making processes. This effort directly addresses the European H2020 priorities of sustainable rural development and food security. Savannas are among the most complex, variable and extensive agrosilvopastoral systems on Earth (~20%). One fifth of the world's population depend upon them, although they are extremely vulnerable to changes in land use and climate. These changes affect not only ecosystem functioning, but also the land-atmosphere linkages and regional carbon cycle, in ways still unknown. Since savannas are greatly influenced by human activities, private/institutional practices play a key role in their conservation. The integration of Earth Observation data into process-based models will enable us to map the evolution of the ecosystem health, improving their management, productivity and resilience. However, to map savanna fluxes, besides the mechanistic understanding of how the climate (dry periods) and the canopy structure (patched multiple canopy layers) interact with land-atmospheric processes, robust techniques to upscale the ecosystem parameters and fluxes over space and time are needed. This project intends to bridge this gap and contribute to: 1) a better mechanistic understanding of savanna water/energy/carbon fluxes, using long-term eddy covariance and ground measurements 2) more accurately modelling these fluxes on a regional scale with different-scale EO data 3) the development of an operational information system to be integrated into decision-making processes, evaluating a pilot experience located over dehesa (Spanish productive savanna).The outgoing phase with Prof. Baldocchi's group (UC Berkeley, USA) intends to cover first and second objectives, while the third one will be address on the return phase, with Dr. Gonzalez-Dugo's group (IFAPA, Spain).

Mots clés : environmental science, ecosystem modelling, water and carbon fluxes, savanna ecosystem, food security

Participants :
- Instituto andaluz de investigaciony formacion agraria pesquera alimentaria y de la produccion ecologica (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 239191.2 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet TUMLA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The aim of TUMLA is to provide the experienced fellow Dr. Marie Gueguen, expert in philosophy of science, additional training, skills and knowledge in the field of the philosophy of astrochemistry and model evaluation at UR1 (University of Rennes 1, France) and, through a secondment, in uncertainty management procedures in astrochemistry at the Astrophysics Laboratory of Bordeaux (LAB). This will consolidate her scientific expertise and maturity with the goal of holding a permanent academic position in France. TUMLA proposes a philosophical account of model evaluation in context of high uncertainties. The research aims to conduct an unprecedented study of the methods developed by astrochemists to assess the reliability of astrochemical models, aiming at computing the abundance of molecules in the interstellar medium or in planetary atmosphere as a function of time, despite the fact that the models and the observations against which they must be validated are highly uncertain. These uncertainties, the multiplicity of tasks that models must fill, their different phases of development—from young models that need improvement to mature ones, ready to get confronted to observations—, the strong interdisciplinarity of the field make astrochemistry unique in terms of the challenges that astrochemists must face in evaluating the accuracy of their models. Such an exceptional epistemic situation represents a huge opportunity for philosophers both to refine their understanding of model evaluation and to contribute to developing new methods for assessing the adequacy of a model. Philosophers have not addressed the epistemic challenges generated by uncertainties in science other than climate science. Considering other sciences such as astrochemistry could considerably help broaden their perspective on this topic. The aim of TUMLA is to fill this gap, such as to contribute to an overall philosophical account of model evaluation based on the contemporary practice of scientists.

Mots clés : astrochemistry, model adequacy, uncertainty management, sensitivity analysis, interdisciplinary facilitation

Participants :
- Université de Rennes (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 184707.84 €
Projet MANGANOXI (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The catalytic oxidation of alkenes to give epoxides and syn-diols, as well as the hydroxylation of C-H bonds in alkanes using environmentally benign reagents and conditions remains an area of significant challenge in contemporary synthetic chemistry and highly effective catalytic systems remains elusive. In the “MANGANOXI’ project a novel and ecologically friendly approach towards the development and application of manganese-based catalytic systems is proposed. The project first focuses on the use of a known manganese complex (MnTMTACN) together with Lewis Acids and hydrogen peroxide as a stoichiometric oxidant, generated using a co-catalyst from dioxygen, in the epoxidation of alkenes. The project will then develop analogues of other ligand systems to integrate ‘click’ generated 1,2,3-triazoles as pyridine surrogates, which should result in modular ligand systems which can be readily tuned. In addition, in order to obtain easier isolation of products and enable catalyst recycling, the most effective ligand systems will be anchored onto selected support using ‘click’ chemistry. The use of the copper-catalysed [3+2] ‘click’ Huisgen cycloaddition of an alkyne and azide is indispensable, as it facilitates both the anchoring of the ligand on the support and the incorporation of the pyridine surrogate into the ligand architecture. The catalytic oxidation reactions using the immobilized metal-ligand complex will then be conducted in a flow reactor, which will result in enormous potential of application in industry, by virtue of estimated high reproducibility and unrestrained scale-up of reactions. The “MANGANOXI’ project will not only contribute to European excellence and competiveness, but also reflects the principles of Green Chemistry and Technology for Sustainable Development.

Mots clés : epoxidation, cis dihydroxylation, c h oxidation, manganese complexes, catalysis, tmtacn, click chemistry, metal organic framework  mof

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet NORAMID SE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The catastrophic impact of infectious diseases including the recent coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic on global health cannot be over emphasized. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based techniques are the most sensitive and reliable diagnostic tools for infectious diseases but are time-consuming and labour-intensive. This project aims to develop a simple, rapid and cost-effective novel nucleic acid (NA) isolation microchip and integrate it in the FASTGENE PCR microfluidics device for point of care (POC) diagnosis of infectious diseases. The project will exploit the competence of the experience researcher (ER) on the theoretical and practical knowledge of medical biotechnology and molecular epidemiology while implementing the expertise of BforCure team in microfluidics design to develop this new microchip. The ER will develop a new NA isolation microchip based on silica gel solid phase extraction system and integrate it in the FASTGENE PCR microfluidics device of BforCure to become a closed system device that automatically extracts NA and amplifies it to detect infectious diseases. After the design and production, the device will be tested for its efficiency. Once satisfied, positive control bacteria and viral samples will be used to assess the performance of the device and the results will be compared with that of standard commercially available NA extraction and PCR kits. The device is expected to have high sensitive compared to other microfluidics devices, reliable and can detect pathogens in less than 20 minutes. A patent will be secured for the product while the findings of the research will be made public and commercialized. This novel device will be suitable for POC diagnosis to promptly detect and manage infectious diseases. This project will develop the ER’s potential to transform research ideas to products and build up his industrial experience. It will make the ER gain expertise in the design and fabrication of microfluidics tools and develop his entrepreneuri

Mots clés : infectious diseases, microfluidics, lab on a chip, point of care diagnosis, microchip, microfabrication

Participants :
- Bforcure (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 196707.84 €
Projet BALTIC (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The cellular life cycle, or cell cycle (CC), is the fundamental backbone of the cellular machinery: it orchestrates processes over multiple scales, in space and time. In bacteria, it consists of an internal clock associated with, for instance, cell-size homeostasis at a population level. Although some analytical tools dedicated to characterizing CC are available for eukaryotic cells, such approaches are still lacking when it comes to bacteria cells study. Moreover, existing eukaryotic cell cyclers are highly limited in terms of both resolution (spatial or temporal) and applications. However, with the rise of antibiotic resistance, there is a real need for reliable quantitative platforms dedicated to bacteria CC and allowing for high throughput comparison studies. This research proposal aims at producing a novel approach for bacteria CC investigation, whilst over-passing the drawbacks associated with existing tools. The developed methodology will rely on cutting edge high throughput super resolution microscopy. We will firstly explore proteins contribution to characterizing CC at the nano-scale, taking a step back from the unreliable and limited size or time dependent estimation. Relying on state of the art machine learning strategies and the identified CC reporting features, I will develop tactics to circumvent the trade-off between temporal and spatial resolution constraining fluorescence nanoscopy when it comes to the study of dynamic processes such as CC. I will implement a methodology to extract, for the first time, dynamic models of bacteria CC from fixed cells super resolved images. It is a considerable step forward: enabling to benefit from a spatial resolution around 10 nm, whilst inferring live-cell akin quantitative information. The highly innovative approaches to bacteria CC quantification developed here will be made generalizable across cell types and applications, providing a unique platform for complex studies, and therapeutics development.

Mots clés : super resolution microscopy, machine learning, analysis tools, cell cycle

Participants :
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191149.44 €
Projet M-TRAIT (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The changes in precipitation patterns that are projected for the coming decades are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts. Despite the potentially dramatic impacts on wood and forest-based ecosystem services, the effect of these changes in the hydrological cycle on European forests is still highly uncertain. One reason for this gap in the knowledge is the inadequacy of the tools currently used to address large-scale land-atmosphere processes at continental scales, the land surface models (LSMs). Indeed, the predictive power of LSMs is hampered by their heavy parameterization of empirical hydrological modules, with parameters fixed per broad plant type irrespective of the environmental conditions. This representation is contradictory to the ecological processes of acclimation and selection and makes the LSMs unsuitable outside of their calibration range especially under extreme conditions. Ecologists have now made progress in describing traits – tree characteristics that define plant growth strategies. Plant traits vary as much within species as between species, as individuals and communities adapt to their environmental conditions. M-TRAIT will bring the latest ecological findings together with a state-of-the-art LSM to model large-scale forest response to droughts. The trait determinants to the drought response of trees will be determined from analysis of worldwide trait databases. The relationships between traits and with the environment will be formulated. The key traits will then be integrated into a forestry-enhanced LSM with an individuals-sampling approach in which a large number of plant growth strategies are initialized and allowed to interact with environmental conditions. The outcome of M-TRAIT will be 100-year simulations of the drought effect on forests under different climate change scenarios, as well as an analysis of the consequences for forest-based ecosystem services based on proxy ecological variables.

Mots clés : forest, drought, model, climate change, europe, traits, eco physiology

Participants :
- CERCA Institution (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet CANALS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The changing climate is disrupting fresh water infrastructures. Dominant technocratic systems of knowledge and practice supporting water infrastructures in Europe are being undermined by rapid changes, which introduce new uncertainties and contest old securities. We need novel ways of mobilising knowledge for water infrastructures that readmits communities’ diverse cultural interactions with water to promote adaptive decision-making. The CANALS project begins from three claims; (i) that current understandings of water, climate and infrastructures struggle to address emerging uncertainties due to climate change; (ii) that a proper regard for water cultures is needed to overcome these obstacles; particularly by (iii) extending the ‘peer communities’ of diverse knowledge-holders. CANALS’ water culture perspective understands cultures as both practices and systems of symbols and meanings. It recognises the hybrid character of water, which exists independently of humans and at the same time is culturally enacted through human practices. It also sees infrastructures as social practices connecting people and objects in the world in socio-material relations. A water-cultural perspective thus better captures the complex processes around water infrastructures in the context of challenges posed by climate change. Adopting an innovative water culture perspective, CANALS will first make visible the spectrum of knowledges and practices used by different social groups for maintaining infrastructures. Going further, the project will develop transdisciplinary ways of convening an ‘extended peer community’ of water stakeholders, to together appraise the quality of their water knowledges for policy-making. CANALS creates the conditions for me to advance the scholarship on water infrastructures; and expand my expertise and experience with the empirical social science concepts and methods crucial for unlocking these insights and developing my future academic career in this field.

Mots clés : water ethics, water cultures, heterogeneous  water infrastructures

Participants :
- University of Bergen (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 202158.72 €
Projet MIDAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The complex pool of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the oceans is almost exclusively accessible to diverse members of microbial community carrying out different types of metabolism thereby, affecting biogeochemical state of the ocean. To predict the response of the marine ecosystem to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, a mechanistic understanding on the relation between the organic matter (OM) field and the metabolic network operated by the microbial community needs to be refined. One largely overlooked, but significant source of DOM are jellyfish. Regardless the debate over the accuracy of their reported global increase and on the true cause of the observed jellyfish fluctuations, the increase in their population size can have serious ecological and socio-economic consequences. As jellyfish blooms decay, sinking carcasses represent large quantities of detrital OM (jelly-OM), rich in proteins and hence, a high quality substrate for the ambient bacterial community. However, the exact processes and mechanisms of bacterial jelly-OM degradation remain unknown. In the MIDAS project, an integrated interdisciplinary approach will be applied to characterize the composition of jelly-OM at the molecular level and the metabolic network operated by jelly-OM degrading bacterial communities using state-of-the-art analytical tools (ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry) and cutting edge –omics techniques combining emerging fields of marine metaproteomics and exoproteomics. This knowledge will enable us understanding the implications of jellyfish blooms on biogeochemical cycles in coastal seas.

Mots clés : jellyfish blooms, dissolved organic matter, marine microbial community, biodegradation, metaproteomics, exoproteomics, ultra high resolution mass spectrometry, biogeochemical cycles

Participants :
- University of Vienna (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178156.8 €
Projet COSMO (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The conformational dynamics of proteins are essential for their proper functioning, and impaired dynamics can lead to disease. However, it remains difficult to experimentally determine the multitude of conformations adopted by proteins, their lifetimes and the transitions between them. Single-molecule FRET (smFRET) is probably the most suitable technique available due to its ability to operate under ambient conditions while avoiding ensemble averaging. Yet the technique is limited by the short observation times (a few seconds) and the difficulty of measuring more than one molecular distance at the same time. The goal of this proposal is to develop an innovative correlative approach that can extend smFRET observations to much longer timescales, while also providing a way to integrate multiple measurements into a coherent molecular picture. I will do so by combining smFRET measurements with nanopore-based electrophysiological experiments that have a high temporal resolution and are also sensitive to conformational changes. Our corelative system will thus combine the speed and the sensitivity of electrical readout with the direct observation of molecular distances using smFRET. We will apply this methodology to map conformational dynamics of the biologically-important Ras proteins. We expect that this project will allow us to develop our innovative methodology and claim the novelty of the concept. This new methodology should open entirely new opportunities to monitor fast and long-term conformational dynamics of proteins or assembly processes of macromolecules.

Mots clés : single molecule fret, nanopore, electrophysiology, protein dynamics

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166320.0 €
Projet Ultra-LightCon-3D (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The construction industry does not follow the same enlightened path as other fields of science and has thus suffered a technology bypass, relying on centuries-old processes and procedures to manage complex modern projects. In conventional concrete construction projects, more than 60% of the total cost is spent on the formwork. One of the technologies which can revolutionize our perception and approach to construction, is 3D printing of concrete. 3D printing, also referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM), is a technology which builds solid parts via a layer-by-layer process. Since in 3D printing, no formwork is required, and a short project time is required due to continuous work done by the printer, a dramatic reduction in the project cost and improvement of workers’ safety can be achieved. Up to date, much research has been conducted in the field of printing technique, while design of proper insulation of printed walls has gathered little attention. Although, this issue is highly important due to gradually tightening EU regulations. Therefore, proposed project is aiming to fill the gap in knowledge and introduce for the first-time insulating ultra-lightweight concrete (ULWC) material for AM. By proposed interdisciplinary methodology, based on the experimental and numerical methods, in micro- and macro-scales technology, a multi-scale tool enabling to produce advanced 3D printed wall systems. Multi-scale tool will allow to develop 3D models of ULWCs with optimized mechanical and insulating properties. Hence, limited amount of required field and labor works will be necessary, thus further decrement of the final concrete cost and waste production will be achieved. Through the interdisciplinary approach and establishing industrial cooperation, this project will contribute towards development and production of energy saving constructions in accordance with EU Energy Efficiency Strategy.

Mots clés : light weight concrete, 3d printing, additive manufacturing, concrete, nanomaterials, micro computed tomography

Participants :
- Technische Universität Berlin (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 162806.4 €