Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet BIOMODULAR (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Motor control is a very important feature in the human brain for the performance of a motor skill. The biological basis of this feature can be better understood by emulating the cerebellar mechanisms of learning. The cerebellum plays a key role in implementing fine motor control, since it extracts the information from sensory-motor signals and uses it to respond to the environment. The purpose of this project is to benefit from the interplay between a body agent and an embodied artificial brain to understand the role of the first in the behavior of the latter and vice versa. The project aims to build a novel bio-inspired computational learning model for modular robots, and to incorporate it into a biologically plausible control scheme. The aforementioned model will merge machine learning techniques and a spiking modular cerebellum to develop a process that leads to the formation of long-term motor memories. Novel modular robots, such as Fable, will benefit from this adaptive predictive control system to perform desired, task-fulfilling behaviors. Exploiting this approach, the project pursues the discovery of important insights into the modular structure of the cerebellum, and its involvement in processing the sensory input for motor control tasks. The project will be developed at DTU with a run time of two years and will benefit from collaborations with other research groups (UGR and TUM). Their long expertise in neuromorphic computing and spiking networks will ensure that the candidate receives scientific training related to these fields (e.g. about cerebellar topology and cellular properties, and implementation of spiking networks in hardware). By providing multiple relevant contributions across the spectrum of the H2020 objectives in terms of its potential to advance robotic manufacturing, brain processing understanding, and novel computing paradigms, this project will enable the candidate to enhance her position at the forefront of advances in this fields.

Mots clés : motor control, learning, cerebellum, machine learning, modular, predictive control, feedback error learning, robot, spiking network, internal models, bio inspired control architecture

Participants :
- Technical University of Denmark (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212194.8 €
Projet INTERFACIAL REACTIONS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Much of our understanding of the evolution of the earth and other planets comes from analysis of minerals and rocks. In order to read the abundant information about the formation of these planets contained within them, the structure and composition of the minerals and rocks must be determined. Furthermore, the relationship between the mineral structure and the formation conditions needs to be corroborated via laboratory experiments. A typical case of mineral formation is reaction rim growth in which a new phase forms at the interface between two types of minerals. The phase resulting from the reaction of the minerals reflects the initial formation conditions. In the proposed research, MgO (periclase) will be deposited on Al2O3 (corundum) using pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and annealed at different temperatures. With this approach, the different growth stages of MgAl2O4 (spinel) phase formed at the reaction interfaces will be assessed. A combination of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), focused ion beam (FIB) and low kV argon-milling will be used to prepare site- and orientation- specific specimens for examination in an electron microscope. A state-of-the-art aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with sub-Å resolution will be employed to directly resolve the actual atomic structure of reaction interfaces for the first time. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the STEM will be used, also for the first time, to directly reveal the elemental distributions and bonding states across the interfaces, resolving the actual atomic scale sequence of phase changes. Furthermore, electron beam excitation allows the investigation of the dynamic processes at the reaction interface. Finally the interface structure in different growth stages will be compared, therefore the relationship between the interfacial reactions and the growth conditions will be fully understood.

Mots clés : reaction interface in mineral, aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, al2o3, mgo interface, atomic structure, interface diffusion, dynamic, defect physics

Participants :
- University of Vienna (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 166156.8 €
Projet ISaaC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The conversion of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into high-value chemicals and fuels by using solar-powered devices represents a promising and sustainable strategy to achieve the target of climate neutrality by 2050. The development of an efficient technology for photocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR) requires an in-depth knowledge of the reaction mechanism, which is, to date, still elusive. In particular, photocatalysts often consist of nanomaterials which are difficult to study at the single-entity level. In this context, ISaaC represents an effective solution to unlock the working principles of photocatalytic devices for CO2RR. To guide the design of future advanced photocatalysts with improved performances, this project proposes an in situ photochemical nanoscopy of CO2RR over low-dimensional semiconductors and plasmonic metal-semiconductor heterojunctions judiciously designed through top-down nanofabrication. Based on a unique nanoprobe, combining at-source photonic and electrochemical functionalities, ISaaC aims at realizing via light-assisted scanning electrochemical microscopy (Photo-SECM) in situ photochemical analysis of individual nanocatalyst entities, as well as mapping with unprecedented local illumination conditions (sub-100 nm). The collected nanoscale information will be correlated with data provided by operando Raman spectroscopy to confirm the role of the device towards CO2RR. ISaaC identifies three objectives to enable mechanistic insights into individual nanoscale photocatalysts for CO2RR: 1) development of a Photo-SECM plasmonic probe as an individual photocatalyst. Investigation of its plasmon-assisted photochemical response; 2) development of optimized Photo-SECM nanotip with nanoscale light irradiation. Demonstration of improved spatial mapping of nanostructured semiconductor photocatalysts; 3) investigation of CO2RR over nanoengineered photocatalysts via combined in situ Photo-SECM and operando Raman spectroscopy.

Mots clés : low dimensional semiconductors, plamsonic metal semiconductor nanohybrids, scanning electrochemical microscopy, in situ nanoscopy, operando raman spectroscopy

Participants :
- École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Suisse) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 388940.52 €
Projet MOBI-DIG (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The project aims to understand the society shaping capacities of digital technologies for mobility, investigate their effects on processes of spatial transformation and recognise social and political values that play a role in changing transportation infrastructures and urban travel through investigating Mobility as a Service [MaaS] platforms. Studying mobility platforms responds to challenges of digitalisation, sustainable transformation, urban modernisation and social equality. The research addresses the gaps in the studies on digital platforms, infrastructures and mobilities and responds to rapid socio-technological changes. It contributes to studies at the intersection of digitalisation and mobility justice. The research elucidates how platforms are set to operate (Objective1. Infrastructuring), how they interact with existing transportation systems (O2. Interaction), how they reinterpret the role of the user/citizen in the system (O3. User/Citizen) and how they shape future urban mobility (O4. Mobility Futures). Two MaaS systems operating in Berlin and Warsaw will be studied through the mixed methodology including sociological, visual, digital and mobile methods and techniques such as visualisation and mapping, interviews, mobility diaries, field visits, application analysis and workshops. The results of the project will be published in the form of academic articles and disseminated through workshops, lectures and teaching, creation of media content with the purpose of impacting mobility transformations for sustainability and increasing role of citizens in digitalisation of mobility. Leibniz-IfL supports the project through its international and interdisciplinary expertise, institutional networks and excellent research infrastructure. The researcher will achieve academic goals in the areas of research development, leadership and international profile, and acquire skills and knowledge necessary to take on permanent and leading senior roles in European academia.

Mots clés : mobilities, digitalisation, platforms, infrastructure, cities

Participants :
- Université de technologie d'Eindhoven (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet MAPLE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources is one of the main challenges of our time. Harvesting solar radiation is a possible solution, as the sunlight power reaching Earth is orders of magnitude larger than human consumption. However, the efficiency of photovoltaic solar cells is limited by dissipation of all the photons energy exceeding the semiconductor bandgap according to the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit. The bulk photovoltaic (BPV) effect arising in non-centrosymmetric crystals has attracted considerable attention as above-bandgap electrons are predicted to contribute to the photocurrent, thus breaking the SQ limit. To enhance BPV-device efficiencies the underlying tensorial light-matter interaction needs further attention. Until now, the contribution from the three-dimensional shape of the electromagnetic field has been neglected, while a greater emphasis has been placed on the effect of the in-plane field gradient. A comprehensive theoretical and experimental understanding of the vectorial coupling between the conductivity tensor and the three-dimensional field structure is thus far lacking. The goal of this proposal is to identify the mechanism governing this coupling through carefully engineered light beams and by nanoscale mapping of the photocurrent with a novel scanning probe technique. This knowledge will be used to develop an optimization algorithm to improve BPV-devices efficiency: given a target material it will return the light structuring which maximizes the photocurrent generation. During the project I will complement my skills in scanning probe techniques, optics and solid-state physics with methods in structured light and materials science/engineering. This unique set of skills will enable the progress of my career in the emerging field of structured light-matter interactions. At the same time, I will acquire the necessary transferrable skills (leadership, communication and grant writing) to become an independent group leader.

Mots clés : scanning probe techniques, structured light, numerical optimization

Participants :
- Italian Institute of Technology (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet FishAdapt (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Global change is threatening life at the seas by changing the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the environment. Thus, marine species will need to adapt to the new environmental conditions to thrive. This adaptation depends on the genetic variation within species, as it is the raw material on which natural selection works. Because environmental conditions at the sea are heterogeneous and most marine species are distributed across these diverse marine environments, it is likely that the genetic variation making possible the adaptation to changes in the environment is currently present within populations. Thus, the genetic flow among populations (or environments) can be one of the most important factors enabling adaptation to future environmental conditions in fish. However, harvesting fish populations is likely eroding their capacity to adapt to changes in the environment where they live. Thus, the goal of this study is to quantify the adaptive potential and likelihood of adaptation to environmental change in exploited fish populations, contributing with clear transferable knowledge to fisheries management strategies towards long-term sustainability. To do this we will use neutral and functional genetic variation data of two fish species from different environments presenting different degrees of exploitation. Potentially adaptive genetic variation will be revealed by looking for signals of both, adaptive and balancing selection among environments. Then, we will quantify the amount of potentially adaptive genetic variation and the effect of harvesting on it. Finally, we will investigate the strength of selection to get a likelihood of adaptation to future environmental change. Overall, the expected results of this study will set up theoretical and methodological frameworks for the evaluation of the current levels of adaptive potential for future environmental change in exploited fisheries.

Mots clés : adaptive fisheries, evolution, natural selection, climate change, global change, genomics, adaptation, climate change, global change, genetic diversity, balancing selection, 

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €
Projet KetoFAPIs (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine protease that is highly expressed on cancer-associated-fibroblasts (CAFs), in nearly all tumor types. Its limited presence in healthy tissues makes it an attractive diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker for cancer. UAMC1110, a potent and specific FAP inhibitor discovered by the host, opened the way for the development of the so-called ‘FAPIs’. These are tumor-targeting molecules composed of a UAMC1110 moiety and a radionuclide. The latter can either be a diagnostic radionuclide for PET imaging, or a more cytotoxic radionuclide for cancer therapy. Radiodiagnostic FAPIs are now entering clinical practice, but their therapeutic counterparts face challenges, related to the relatively short tumor residence time of currently available molecules. The latter leads to significant ‘leaking’ of toxic radioactivity from the tumor. To overcome this issue, we will develop ‘ketoFAPIs’ that form long-lived covalent bonds with FAP. This should already ensure significantly longer tumor residence. The ketoFAPIs will also be bound to the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The resulting constructs could have further increased tumor residence through the ‘multivalency’ effect. This interdisciplinary proposal covers 1) the chemical preparation of novel ketoFAPIs and derived AuNPs, 2) their in vitro characterization and 3) in vivo investigation in a mouse model of colorectal cancer. Overall, the project can lead to safer and more efficient FAPIs for radiotherapy applications. The status of FAP as a ‘pan-cancer’ biomarker entails that these FAPIs could be applied in nearly all cancer types.

Mots clés : fap, ketoamide, cancer, aunps, theranostics, radionuclide therapy

Participants :
- Université d'Anvers (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191760.0 €
Projet PRE-BIT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one the more prevalent respiratory allergic disease affecting 20-30% of the global population. The inflammatory process is mediated by eosinophil infiltration and IgE secreted by plasma cells. IgE is a key component in allergies so understanding IgE production and its inhibition is important for treating these diseases. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only treatment that targets the etiology of allergic diseases. However, the efficacy of the treatment reaches 70-80% in the best scenarios (lower for food allergy), it has a high cost, and most important, prediction of the effectiveness of the treatment is not possible with actual biomarkers. In this proposal the candidate seeks to better understand the phenotypes of B cells, key cells implicated in allergy that are modified with AIT. The knowledge generated by this study will provide biomarkers of AIT prognosis and even predict the outcome of the therapy by analyzing the B cell compartment in patients candidate for AIT. Using very innovative approaches, we will analyze the B cell repertoire involved in the resolution of AR through AIT. B cell repertoire will be analyzed in bulk before and after AIT. In addition, antigen specific B cells will be immortalized so the antibody sequence as well as reactivity can be studied. Moreover, we will perform an ex vivo class switch assay that could potentially predict the outcome of AIT using cytokine microenvironments like those produced by the therapy and or the pathogenic situations. B cell switching from IgD/M or IgG1 to IgG2/4 appears to be a critical step in the effectiveness in AIT because IgE memory resides in the IgG compartment. We will use AR to house dust mite patients as a model as it is one of the most prevalent allergic diseases.

Mots clés : allergy, allergic rhinitis, b cells, ige, immunotherapy, dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, tolerance, igg2, igg4

Participants :
- Andalusian Public Foundation for Health Research in Biomedicine and Malaga (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 185487.65 €
Projet GAPRIA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

GAPRIA aims to examine the gentrification of activism, which entails the ways radical activist neighbourhoods become gentrified leading to the eviction of emancipatory visions about city life. Although gentrification and eviction studies have thoroughly documented the social and material costs of gentrification policies on the urban poor, they have failed to document their political costs relating to the eviction of communities of activists that produce more emancipatory visions about city life. GAPRIA will fill this gap by examining such questions in the urban neighbourhood of Exarchia in Athens, Greece that has a long history of anti-authoritarian and direct democratic struggles. GAPRIA will examine the gentrification of activism along 4 levels of enquiry: (1) The conceptual level, whereby activists produce emancipatory ideas about city life. (2) The discursive level whereby GAPRIA will aim to substantiate the emerging concept of ‘evictability’ by exploring, through policy and media analysis how certain subjects are produced as evictable. (3) The level of praxis, whereby through ethnographic fieldwork with activists and residents, resistance to gentrification will be documented. (4) The comparative level, whereby the gentrification of activism will be explored in an inter-disciplinary manner through the organization of an International Conference engaging scholars from Anthropology, Urban Studies, Politics and Human Geography. GAPRIA will deliver a monograph, a Special Issue and a peer-reviewed journal article. Actions for networking and knowledge transfer include a website, a policy brief, a community event, a short film, the organization of an International Conference and a proposal for a European Research Council Starting Grant. Results will contribute directly to transnational debates on the costs of urban regeneration policies, their interconnection with recent attacks on autonomous activism and the worldwide rise of the Far Right.

Mots clés : gentrification, activism, eviction, biopolitics, youth, antiauthoritarianism, resistance, public space, regeneration, direct democracy, horizontal politics

Participants :
- Université Panteion de sciences sociales et politiques (Grèce) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 153486.72 €
Projet MultiCoop (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Catalysis is a key technology in the European economy, industry and sustainable growth for a resilient future. However, many catalytic methods in use today are not outstanding in fundamental aspects such as activity, selectivity, substrate scope, toxicity or even cost efficiency. The rich structural diversity and associated reactivity provided by heavy elements from the Main Group offer unique opportunities for the prospective substitution of traditional catalysts based on precious metals by less expensive, more abundant, and potentially less toxic Main Group compounds. Sub-valent Ge(II) and Sn(II) derivatives are particularly appealing due to their reduced HOMO-LUMO gaps and thus increased reactivity. Nevertheless, bond activation processes lead to very stable and unreactive products in higher oxidation states (+IV). As such, catalytic turnover via reductive regeneration of the active species is highly challenging. To address this problem, an interdisciplinary approach will be used combining fundamental aspects stemming from a priori independent areas of Chemistry. Rationally designed ambiphilic and bifunctional derivatives will be used as ligands for low-valent tetrylenes to induce cooperativity between Main Group elements and Transition Metals and promote novel reactivity in small molecule activation and functionalization. Another objective is to demonstrate that selective irradiation of well-designed mononuclear tetrylene will allow photoactivation of chemical bonds that are thermally inert towards many of these divalent species. However, we envision that the main advantage of using light will be in facilitating reductive elimination processes in the cases where thermal catalytic turnover is hampered by this rate-limiting step. For this reason, these studies will also be extended to our hybrid systems, in what constitutes a completely innovative research area, and where the possible synergies and cooperative mechanisms will be analyzed.

Mots clés : catalysis reversibility functionalization small molecule activation cooperativity photochemistry transition metal main group elements ambiphilic ligands bifunctional ligands

Participants :
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 165312.96 €