Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet PROMECA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Staff Exchanges
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

PROMECA strategic objective is to substantially contribute to the increase of knowledge, skills, and competitiveness in the European research area and industry, through the design and deployment of a thorough plan of research and secondment of researchers between top-level EU academia and industrial partners, contributing to the main European Policies on innovation. In line with the MSCA-RISE general objectives, the project will: • Support career development and training of 44 researchers through international and inter-sectoral mobility among 3 academia and 3 industrial partners in 4 European countries; • Promote sharing of knowledge and ideas from research to the market (and vice versa) in a systematic way, through the participation of researchers to 3 focused research groups where scientific and industrial mix of competences are ensured, and the organization of 8 project meetings, where research findings will be assessed and validated among groups. • Carry out a thorough training of researchers in 6 dedicated workshops, each with a different focus, also adding key entrepreneurial skills and innovation management. As an ultimate R&D goal, PROMECA will develop, test, and validate an innovative membrane reactor integrating new structured catalysts and selective membranes to improve the overall performance, durability, cost effectiveness, and sustainability over different industrially interesting processes, with distributed hydrogen production as the main focus of the project. The project will bring substantial impacts in terms of skills and knowledge development of the researchers, as well as higher R&I output, contributing to convert more ideas into products. Organizations involved will strongly boost their capacity to carry out R&I activities in multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial collaborations. Finally, the project will enhance the innovation potential and competitiveness of the EU industry, reinforcing its world leadership as a true knowledge-driven industry

Mots clés : computational engineering and computer aided design, energy collection, conversion and storage, renewable energy, sustainable design  for environment

Participants :
- University of Salerno (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 153000.0 €
- Eindhoven University of Technology (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 193500.0 €
- Maire Tecnimont (Italy) (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 108000.0 €
- Tecnalia (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 45000.0 €
- ICI Caldaie (Italy) (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 121500.0 €
- Air liquide (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 67500.0 €
Projet INITIATE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Paediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI) is a very common brain disorder that affects the brain during important developmental changes. The transition between childhood and adolescence (8-16 years of age) is characterised by profound changes in the brain structure and functioning. At this age period, the injury hits the still-developing brain regions underlying emotion, cognition, behaviour, and socialisation, and can result in significant long-term impairment in these functional domains. Each pmTBI is unique based on the individuality of brain injury (i.e., location and magnitude of injury) that is superimposed on the individuality of brain development (i.e., trajectory varies between children). However, the current “one size fits all” approach that consider all children with mTBI as a homogenous group, lacks the precision needed to capture these individualities. INITIATE proposes to combine, for the first-time, advanced neuroimaging techniques with an individualised and longitudinal approach to characterise the individual profile of injury and the changes in brain development following mTBI in children. This innovative approach will allow to capture the individuality of each child with mTBI and thereby to better understand the variability and complexity of the consequences of pmTBI. INITIATE findings have the potential to open new directions in research of pmTBI, and to move the field to a more individualised approach, a first step toward personalised medicine of pmTBI in the long-term. Furthermore, this fellowship will enable me to gain extensive knowledge in paediatric medicine, advanced neuroimaging and developmental neuroscience, thereby giving me the opportunity to develop into an independent researcher in the field of TBI and brain development and to lead my own research my own research group and to conduct high quality research at a European University.

Mots clés : brain disorder, traumatic brain injury, children, brain development, longitudinal cohort, individualised approach, diffusion mri, resting state functional mri

Participants :
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 162806.4 €
Projet EStoPARENTING (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Parenting is one of the strongest, most robust and consistent predictors of child development. Although parenting is important for all children, a substantial number of studies provide evidence that some children are more negatively affected by harsh parenting than other children. More recently, it has been shown that some of these “vulnerable” children also benefit more from supportive parenting: they are generally more sensitive to their rearing environment. However, these studies tend to rely on proxy markers of such Environmental Sensitivity (ES). Specifically designed measures of ES do currently not exist. We propose to develop a new observer-rated ES measure in early childhood and, applying this measure, investigate whether more sensitive children are more affected by both negative and positive parenting practices in middle childhood. Furthermore, we will explore associations between this new objective measure of ES and related temperament traits as well as gene variants, applying a multidisciplinary approach. The project is based on existing data from the on-going longitudinal Stony Brook Temperament Study. The Experienced Researcher, with extensive proficiency in parenting research and in the coding of child behaviour, will be trained to undertake this research with the support of the leading experts in the field. This project will significantly advance the field of developmental psychology by providing the first objective measure of sensitivity in early childhood which will allow for more precise empirical testing of Environmental Sensitivity. The findings of the proposed study will significantly deepen our understanding and insight into the interplay between individual difference in Environmental Sensitivity and parenting quality across childhood by applying a modern multidisciplinary approach which combines methods of developmental psychology with molecular genetics.

Mots clés : parenting, environmental sensitivity, sensory processing sensitivity, differential susceptibility, vulnerability

Participants :
- University of London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet IFNBetaMito (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Parkinson disease (PD) is the most common progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder. Two prominent pathological features are associated with the neurological lesions: the appearance of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies called Lewy bodies, and defective mitochondria. Despite recent progress in understanding the pathogenesis of PD, no curative treatments are available. The host laboratory has very recently found a novel mechanism leading to PD: mice lacking interferon (IFN)-β (Ifnb–/–) or its receptor (Ifnar–/–) display spontaneous neurodegeneration and experience behavioral deficits resembling PD. In particular, Ifnb–/– neurons show mitochondrial defects with accumulation of defective mitochondria. The overall goal of this proposal is to determine the molecular mechanisms of mitochondria homeostasis controlled by IFN-β and how this is involved in PD. 1. I will characterize precisely the mitochondrial defects found in Ifnb–/– mice using a combination of 3D and 4D microscopy and biochemistry analysis. 2. I will identify the protein dynamics involved in the IFN-β regulation of mitochondria homeostasis, using proteomic analysis complemented by microscopy and biochemical studies on engineered cells. 3. I will determine the importance of this pathway in the physiopathology of PD by studying the impact of IFN-β on mitochondria in murine brains and using engineered mitochondrial transfer. The accomplishment of this project will provide new insights into IFN-β regulation of neuronal homeostasis and highlight novel drug targets for future therapy development against PD. The project will be supervised by Pr Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas, a world-leading expert in the field of IFN-β signalling pathway. Through this work, I aim to broaden my scientific expertise by acquiring numerous technical and transferable skills and to establish myself as an independent researcher in the field of cell biology of proteinopathies.

Mots clés : interferon beta, mitochondria, parkinson disease

Participants :
- University of Copenhagen (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212194.8 €
Projet gaitDCODE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, affecting more than ten million people worldwide. Over the past decades, dopaminergic and surgical therapies have been optimized to treat upper-limb motor symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia or rigidity with remarkable outcomes. However, these interventions are poorly effective to alleviate gait and balance deficits, which remain amongst of the most incapacitating symptoms affecting everyday mobility and quality of life in subjects with PD. Alternative stimulation strategies and novel surgical targets showed promises to improve gait. However, the lack of mechanistic insights and reliable readouts capturing the relationships between neural activity and leg motor dysfunction have prevented the development of effective, evidence-based therapies. Project gaitDCODE seeks to address these limitations. The objective of gaitDCODE is (i) to uncover the relationships between detailed patterns of gait deficits and the corresponding neural activity recorded from cortical networks and subthalamus nucleus in subjects with PD, and (ii) to leverage this knowledge to develop decoding algorithms that automatically predict these impairments in real-time. To enable these discoveries, gaitDCODE will build on two key innovations. First, it will exploit the conceptual and methodological expertise that the candidate gained through his work on gait rehabilitation after spinal cord injury, including high-resolution statistical approaches to capture the multi-faceted and time-varying characteristics of gait. Second, it will leverage the latest developments in implantable technology to sense and decode brain activity remotely and in real-time over extensive periods of time. In the long term, gaitDCODE will open up important avenues for the design of patient-specific, closed-loop neuromodulation therapies that address gait and balance deficits in PD using evidence-based models of locomotor deficits.

Mots clés : locomotion, parkinson s disease, local field potential, real time decoding

Participants :
- University Hospital of Lausanne (Suisse) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 175419.6 €
Projet STOP-Beta (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Parkinson’s disease is a frequent and disabling neurological disorder, which heavily impairs patients’ ability to perform and control movements. Electrical stimulation of a deep-seated brain region, the subthalamic nucleus (STN), has been shown to significantly improve patients’ motor function and quality of life. Recent technological advances in deep brain stimulation (DBS) render it possible to adjust electrical stimulation of the STN to ongoing brain activity, referred to as closed-loop DBS. Here, the implanted electrodes do not only send signals to the brain but also read out neural signals generated by the brain. Closed-loop DBS offers the intriguing possibility to specifically suppress pathological brain activity while leaving physiological activity unaltered. We propose an innovative and ambitious project, which the researcher will conduct in the Experimental Neurology group headed by Prof. Peter Brown at the University of Oxford, a world-leading laboratory in closed-loop stimulation. In this project we aim to test the hypothesis that closed-loop DBS that selectively targets pathological synchronous firing of neurons at 13 – 30 Hz, the so-called beta-rhythm, will interrupt neural activity related to motor impairment, but not normal functions of the brain. To this end, Parkinson patients with implanted electrodes in the STN will perform two tasks probing different aspects of motor control whilst receiving closed loop stimulation. We will simultaneously record activity from the STN and areas localized on the surface of the brain. This will allow us to assess how suppression of the beta-rhythm affects motor-related activity and connectivity in the human brain revealing it’s causal effects on motor function. Selective suppression of abnormal brain function and preservation of physiological brain mechanisms could be the key to obtain the best possible clinical benefit, whilst avoiding unwanted side effects in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Mots clés : parkinson s disease, deep brain stimulation, closed loop stimulation, subthalamic nucleus, motor control, electroencephalography, local field potentials, neural connectivity

Participants :
- University of Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet SUPD (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Parkinson’s disease is the most common movement disorder caused by neurodegeneration, for which there is no cure, no way of modifying the disease and no clinically accepted diagnostic tool. In the brain, the intrinsically disordered monomeric protein α-synuclein misfolds, aggregates and accumulates to form proteinaceous inclusions termed Lewy bodies. This process forms ‘oligomers’, intermediates in the aggregation pathway that are strongly implicated in the cellular toxicity that causes the disease. Oligomers are exceedingly challenging to study with traditional biophysical techniques because of their low abundance and variability in size, structure and stability. My research proposal aims to develop a new method capable of measuring the size and structural properties of single oligomers in human cerebral spinal fluid. By employing technologies in the field of cavity-enhanced spectroscopy and combining these with existing tools in single-molecule fluorescence I will investigate how the properties of oligomers in cerebral spinal fluid differ between healthy and Parkinson’s disease patients. In order to determine the molecular origins of Parkinson’s disease we need a comprehensive understanding of these pathogenic species. Achieving this goal will enable us to develop an early diagnostic tool which in turn will generate opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Mots clés : single molecule methods

Participants :
- University of Wisconsin System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Cambridge (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 289732.8 €
Projet MICROPOLPAX (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Peace settlements are elite pacts that ignore the views of the population, those most affected by the conflict, which leads to a lack of buy-in for sustainable peace. The project “Micro-level Politics of Peace” (MICROPOLPAX) puts individuals at the centre of the focus and asks what peace means to individuals. The framework has universal relevance but will be tested in the timely case of Ukraine, a country currently undergoing conflict in the European Union’s near abroad and of geopolitical significance to the EU. The project is interdisciplinary and methodologically plural, using mixed methods of qualitative interviews and the rigorous methods of survey experiments. The action allows for the two-way transfer of knowledge, combining the experienced researcher’s learning on norm diffusion and political psychology with the supervisor’s expertise on micro-level dynamics of conflict. The training-through-research gained will enable the applicant to open up this new research area and become an independent and skilled researcher. The action will generate academic dissemination through conferences, articles, open-access data and a specialist seminar. The action will also provide policy exploitation for the EU, peace negotiators and for democracy activists in Ukraine. Throughout the action, the project will take advantage of many types of public engagement, such as blogs, web-based games, World Peace day and International Women’s Day.


Participants :
- University of Oslo (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 214158.72 €
Projet Volcanoes Night III (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : European Researchers' Night
Statut du projet : CLOSED

People have been fascinated by volcanoes ever since the dawn of mankind and treated them with utmost respect. The rapid development of converging technological areas, such as informatics, material science or space research multiplied our knowledge of earth processes and created some highly specialised fields within volcanology. At the same time a dramatic gap has formed between the professionals and the public. As a result, in today’s world, the work of volcanologists is nearly as mythical as the work of volcanoes in ancient times. The objective of this project is therefore to address this issue and bridge the gap between science and the general public of different ages. Participating scientists will not only talk about their field of research, but will also share their experience on how students can approach science and research institutions, providing perfect scenario to attract young people to science careers. During Volcanoes Night participants will be provided to access research facilities, and a complementary scheme of workshops, science cafés, excursions, presentations and challenge games will be arranged all to fuel the public’s curiosity, interest and understanding of research activities. As a backdrop to the Night volcanoes will be used not only to explain the work of volcanologists but also to explain what science is about and what scientists and researchers do during their daily work.

Mots clés : geosciences, geology, volcanology, environment, earth sciences, science communication, canary islands

Participants :
- La Palma Research Centre for Future Studies (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 32000.0 €
- Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 121000.0 €
Projet ASPIRATION (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Peptides are recognised for being highly selective and efficacious signalling molecules that bind to the specific cell surface receptors or ion channel where they trigger intracellular effects. They are relatively safe compared to small molecule-based drugs and are well tolerated in the human body. Peptide therapeutics exhibits an excellent opportunity in the pharmaceutical industry as their target specificity is much better than small molecules drugs, while the production cost and complexity are lower than protein-based biopharmaceuticals. In the past decade, peptide therapeutics have gained a wide range of applications in medicine and biotechnology. Currently, there are more than 60 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved peptides medicine on the market and this is expected to grow significantly with 140 peptide drugs in the clinical trials and more than 500 peptide drugs in pre-clinical phase. Despite several advantages of peptide drugs, poor physical and chemical stability, and a short circulating plasma half-life are major issues related to the peptide drugs. Furthermore, these issues could be easily resolved by determining and studying the crystal forms of the peptides. Crystalline peptide not only improves the physical and chemical stability of the peptides but also improves processability and reduces the production cost. This action aims to introduce a peptide crystallisation method based on a soft template strategy where peptide building blocks i.e. amino acids or other short peptides will act as templates for the crystallisation of peptide drugs. This will be a low cost and scalable approach for crystallising peptides and gaining insight into the structural determination of peptides. Also, an in-depth understanding of the thermodynamic and kinetic processes that drive the crystallization for a specific peptide is required before the critical process parameters can be altered to achieve control over nucleation and crystal growth.

Mots clés : peptide crystallisation, soft templates, cocrystallisation

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €