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

Today, most social media networks use automated tools to recommend content or products and to rank, curate and moderate posts. Recommender systems (RSs), and in particular Group recommender systems (GRSs), -a specific kind of RSs used to recommend items to a group of users-, are likely to become more ubiquitous, with expected market forecast to reach USD 16.13 billion by 2026. These automated content governance tools are receiving emerging interest as both algorithms and decision-making processes behind the platforms are not sufficiently transparent, with a negative impact on domains such as fair job opportunities, fair e-commerce or news exposure. Two of the key requirements that have to be fulfilled to build and keep users’ trust in AI systems while guaranteeing transparency are Fairness and Explainability. But, aside from some previous attempts to enhance both aspects in traditional-individual RS, they have hardly been explored in GRSs. FIDELITY addresses this challenge by developing novel algorithms and computational tools in GRS to boost explanation, fairness, and synergy between them through a disruptive multidisciplinary research approach that: 1) extensively brings SHAP and LIME, as state-of-the-art post-hoc explanation approaches in AI, into RS and GRS contexts, 2) bridges explanation and fairness in RS and GRS, introducing an explanation paradigm shift moving from “why are the recommendations generated?” to “how fair are the generated recommendations?” and, 3) transversally evaluates the new methods through real-world GRSs and user studies. The ultimate goal is to guarantee greater user trust, and independence of RS output from any of the sociodemographic characteristics of users. The training programme, designed with the aim to fill the existing gaps between computing science, social research and business development reality, will provide the candidate with a multidisciplinary background that will boost his innovation potential and career prospects.

Mots clés : group recommender systems explainability fairness personalization

Participants :
- Université de Maastricht (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Jaén (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 181152.96 €
- Emergya digital solutions sl (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Instituto andaluz interuniversitario en ciencia de datos e inteligencia computacional (dasci) (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet FlexiMOFs-2 (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Metal-organic frameworks, MOFs, are porous organic-inorganic hybrid materials that hold the potential for developing new technologies to tackle some of the pressing global challenges such as pollution, climate change and energy crisis. Their typical low mass densities, high internal surface area, large pore volumes and facile chemistry makes them suitable for application in gas storage, filtration, extraction, catalysis and so on. Some MOFs are known to show a substantial degree of structural flexibility wherein the framework reversibly expands/contracts when subjected to external stimuli like pressure/heat/light or during absorption/desorption. This structural flexibility, if fully understood, can be used to enable the technological development of MOF-based recyclable filters, switchable catalysts, threshold sensors, stimulus-induced drug delivery systems with integrated key-lock functionality, compressible gas tanks and so on. However, the origin of this flexibility has not yet been sufficiently understood to enable the rational design of flexible MOFs. This research project aims to provide a conceptual understanding on the origin of this flexibility at the atomic regime by analysing all unique building units, topologies, and frameworks of all published MOFs to design a universally robust metric for predicting flexibility and mechanical properties of MOFs with the overarching goal of providing a theoretical methodology for the crystal engineering of flexible MOFs.

Mots clés : metal organic frameworks mechanical properties flexibility machine learning judgement of energy distribution analysis prediction

Participants :
- Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université technologique de Dresde (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173847.36 €
Projet MYTUNETOOL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic fungi that improve plant productivity and plant survival in stress environments. AMF inocula are produced commercially and used to enhance plant growth and soil quality in agriculture and environmental restoration. A system is needed allowing AMF inocula to be tailor-made, providing AMF that are adapted or tolerant to given stressful environments. At present, this does not exist. It is also unknown how AMF can adapt to a given environment. The most advanced AMF mass production technique is an in vitro cultivation system. However, this system has not been developed into a tool allowing the production of AMF with a tolerance to a given environment. This project provides a novel way to build an in-vitro AMF adaptation TOOL that will adapt fungi to stress environments and that can then be mass produced for soil remediation. Increasing anthropogenic activities are the leading causes of soil damage. Soil is a precious resource and its renewal after contamination is extremely laborious and slow. In particular, many soils are heavy metal (HM) polluted. We will, therefore, adapt AMF to the most common heavy metal contaminants; namely, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn). This project focuses on adapting the AMF species Rhizophagus irregularis to HM contamination and understand the adaptation mechanisms at molecular levels. The results will not only allow us to fill the scientific gaps regarding AMF adaptation to HM environments, and whether it is associated with genetic and epigenetic change, but also provide a possibility to obtain HM tolerant AMF that will be of great environmental and commercial value. Furthermore, this project will immediately allow the possibility of scaling-up to mass production. Moreover, the AMF adaptation TOOL will allow further expansion and implementation of this novel technology to other environments for future applications in agriculture and soil remediation.

Mots clés : arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, adaptation, acclimation, in vitro, soil, contamination, heavy metal, mass production, environmental remediation

Participants :
- Université de Lausanne (Suisse) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Symvitro, s.r.o. (Rép. Tchèque) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Institute of Botany (Rép. Tchèque) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 351338.16 €
Projet NeuroNzyme (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The NeuroNzyme project represents a pioneering effort to develop a cutting-edge, self-powered, and non-invasive nanoplatform designed to enhance stroke recovery through electrical stimulation and neuroprotective therapy. At the heart of this innovation is a dual-function nanoparticle that combines the roles of both a nanoelectrode and a nano-enzymatic biofuel cell. The core of this novel approach lies in the nanoparticle's ability to generate microcurrents through a process involving the collective action of thousands of these particles surrounding neurons. This electrical stimulation activates voltage-gated ion channels on the neurons, which plays a critical role in promoting the regeneration of nervous tissue following a stroke. By continuously providing these microcurrents, the nanoparticles help facilitate the repair and rebuilding of damaged neural pathways. These nano-enzymatic biofuel cells are powered by physiological fluids within the body. As they operate, they also offer a neuroprotective antioxidant effect by regulating the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are highly reactive molecules that can contribute to further neuronal damage if not properly controlled. By managing ROS levels, the nanoparticles help to protect neurons from oxidative stress, thereby contributing to a more favorable environment for recovery. Moreover, the nanoparticles are engineered with a specific enzymatic tandem embedded within a specialized nanogel. This nanogel features a deep eutectic solvent interpenetrated network, which is crucial for maintaining high enzymatic activity over extended periods. The deep eutectic solvent enhances the stability and efficiency of the enzymes, ensuring that the nano-enzymatic biofuel cells remain effective in generating electrical stimulation and providing antioxidant protection.

Mots clés : nano enzimatic fuel cell stroke recovery electrical neurostimulation self powered nanoparticles

Participants :
- Université du Pays basque (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 194074.56 €
- Basque center for macromolecular design and engineering polymat fundazioa (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Missouri System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet ChillAnts (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The acquisition of cold-tolerance is one of the most ecologically relevant processes for ectotherms inhabiting temperate and boreal climates. Given the fundamental importance of cold-adaptation in shaping ectothermic species’ distribution, much effort has been put into deciphering the physiological mechanisms constraining the plasticity of their cold-tolerance. However, we still know little about how evolutionary pressures have shaped cold-tolerance acquisition in some key and ecologically relevant models for colder-ecosystems such as ants. Ants are among the most represented and abundant insects in temperate and boreal climates, providing unprecedented amounts of ecosystem services by their sheer biomass. Some higher-latitude species further display the striking ability to survive prolonged exposure to temperatures of -40°C, yet, to this day we still lack a clear and comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms supporting this impressive feat. Considering this central gap in our knowledge, we propose here to explore the molecular-level mechanisms associated with the temporal acquisition of cold-tolerance in ants inside a consistent study system made of groups of boreal, temperate, and Mediterranean closely related species. Using this phylogenetic framework, we will (i) compare species’ potential for cold-hardiness and link cold-tolerance acquisition with the (ii) genetic response and (iii) metabolomic reorganization in models. Overall, this project proposes to explore important yet unanswered aspects of insect cryobiology that are located at the frontier of our current understanding of ecophysiology. It will explore the comparative physiology of cold-acclimation in boreal ants, allow for the potential discovery of novel cold-tolerance mechanisms in insects, and ultimately, feed data into our integrated understanding of how from gene to organisms, the acquisition of cold-tolerance has shaped the success of insect life in colder environments.

Mots clés : insects, social insects, ants, cold tolerance, evolution, molecular adaptation to temperatures

Participants :
- Université de Namur (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
- Biology Centre (Rép. Tchèque) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet PRCretro (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), as one of the most well-described Polycomb group (PcG) complexes, catalyzes the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and represses transcription of target genes. It is a central regulator in multiple developmental processes and conserved across diverse eukaryotes. Recent results from the host lab suggested novel roles of A. thaliana PRC2 in retrograde signalling. To study retrograde signalling, chloroplast translation inhibitor lincomycin was revealed to affect plastid-encoded photosynthetic genes (PhAPGs) and nuclear-encoded photosynthetic genes (PhANGs). The mechanism of PhANGs repression depends on the optimal function of GENOMES-UNCOUPLED (GUN) genes and loss-of-function mutant gun1 fails to repress the PhANGs in response to lincomycin. Interestingly, I recently found that root growth of single mutants of clf-29, swn-3, double mutants of clf-29gun1-1, and swn-3gun1-1 is insensitive to lincomycin, and the mutants phenocopy gun1 upon lincomycin. However, how PRC2 involved in retrograde signalling remains unknown. Therefore, PRCretro project aims to understand the fundamental aspect of PRC2 in retrograde signalling by three WPs. PRCretro combines the applicant’s expertise in root-shoot communication and physiological studies with the host lab's expertise in developmental epigenetics. Together, PRCretro project will provide the first knowledge on epigenetic contribution and root-shoot communication to retrograde signalling. It will also establish the fundamentals for studying retrograde signalling and PRC2 in moss, laying the foundation for evolution studies. The research results of PRCretro project will be disseminated to the scientific community by submission of high-impact scientific articles and oral presentations.

Mots clés : epigenetics, prc2, retrograde signalling, transcriptomics, root shoot communication, h3k27me3

Participants :
- Biology Centre (Rép. Tchèque) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 207758.16 €
Projet HYDROAWARE AFRICA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Freshwater availability at and near the Earth’s surface is essential for sustaining human societies and ecosystems. However, predicting how water resources will evolve under the variable spatial and temporal patterns of global climate change remains a significant challenge. This challenge is further exacerbated by increasing human pressures on water resources due to population growth and economic development. The situation is particularly dire in regions already facing water scarcity, limited water management infrastructure, and insufficient data—such as much of the African continent, home to approximately 1.5 billion people and many of the world’s least developed countries. A critical aspect of this challenge is our limited understanding of how climatic and anthropogenic forces translate into changes in freshwater fluxes and storage. These responses in the hydrological cycle are generally nonlinear and nonlocal, varying across different timescales. Accurately capturing these dynamics requires a modeling approach that includes all main fluxes and stores across the landscape. Unfortunately, large-scale hydrological models often fail to faithfully represent these processes. To address this, I propose the development of a state-of-the-art, parsimonious hydrological model at the continental scale for Africa. This high-resolution (1 km) model will accurately represent the influence of climate on all hydrological components, enabling analysis at relevant spatial and temporal scales. By improving our understanding of groundwater-surface water interactions and their impact on water availability, the model will support analyses of future climate and water demand scenarios. These insights can be translated into actionable plans and policies to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of evolving water resources and climatic hazards across Africa.

Mots clés : climate change, modelling, water availability, africa, water balance

Participants :
- Université de Cardiff (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 430343.4 €
- University of California System (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes publics (hors enseignement & recherche), subvention : 0.0 €
Projet AlgaeSphere (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss and a rapidly growing population, global food security relies on improving agriculture production. However, it is equally crucial to limit or mitigate the environmental impact by developing sustainable and regenerative practices. Plant health strongly depends on plant-associated microbial communities, known as the microbiome, which can increase plant nutrient acquisition, tolerance to environmental stress, and resistance to diseases. Whereas most studies have focused exclusively on bacteria and, to a lesser extent, fungi, other plant-associated microbes like algae remain largely underappreciated in the plant microbiome. However, recent reports support that algae are ubiquitous in plant microbiomes and that (living) algae can improve plant fitness by promoting growth and increasing resistance against pathogens and abiotic stress. However, the underlying mechanisms of beneficial algal-plant interactions remain mostly unknown. Land plants evolved from a green algal ancestor and both, plants and algae, have co-evolved with interacting bacteria using similar mechanisms. Thus, algae, through their interactions with plant-associated bacteria, have the potential to influence the assembly and function of the microbiome itself. The AlgaeSphere project aims to uncover the overlooked potential of algal-bacterial interactions within the plant microbiome to improve plant growth in a circular bioeconomy model. By understanding the underpinnings of algal-bacterial interactions within the context of the plant microbiome, this project aims to reveal new players and emergent functions to improve the design of stable and higher-performing microbial consortia for sustainable agriculture and biotechnological applications for biofuel production and wastewater bioremediation.

Mots clés : algae plant microbiome synthetic ecology synthetic microbial communities microbial consortia algae bacteria biotechnology biofertilization wastewater treatment hydrogen production

Participants :
- University of Córdoba (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209914.56 €
Projet GLIA-ReprObesity (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and a serious public health threat since it greatly increases the risk of highly morbid chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. A growing body of literature has suggested that obesity is associated with hypogonadism, (defined in males as low levels of endogenous testosterone) a reproductive disorder that substantially elevates metabolic risk. The mechanisms linking reproductive function to metabolism are not fully understood, but emerging evidence from clinical and preclinical studies suggests the potential role of hypothalamic gliosis. Recent data support a model in which microglia (brain macrophages) and astrocytes mediate the effects of a Western-type diet to induce obesity, and that hypogonadism synergizes with an obesogenic diet to profoundly activate hypothalamic gliosis. In this context, we propose a multidisciplinary approach to unveil the potential role of hypothalamic gliosis as a central node linking metabolic dysregulation and reproductive dysfunction. The studies described herein will use astrocyte- and microglia-specific mouse models of increased or reduced inflammatory signaling to determine whether gliosis is proximal to hypogonadism, hypogonadism causes gliosis, or they establish a vicious cycle together. These studies will potentially provide cellular targets for new therapies to offset the long-term metabolic harm from hypogonadism and to improve reproductive function in obese patients. Beyond its translational value, the project will provide a solid foundation for the scientific career of the fellow and help her achieve the long-term goal of becoming an independent scientist.

Mots clés : reproductive health, obesity, hypogonadism, astrocytes, microglia, kiss1

Participants :
- Université de Washington (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Córdoba (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 285140.64 €
Projet iMPACt-erosion (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Soil erosion represents a serious challenge for agricultural production and for the environment. Soil erosion impacts, such as reduction of fertile soil, alteration of the carbon cycle and pollution and eutrophication of water bodies, represent a significant management concern for the European Union. Modelling approaches can deliver indicators on the state of soil erosion impacts and its trends, and scenarios in relation to climate and land use change. This can help define efficient and targeted mitigation strategies by identifying the long-term controlling factors and the areas where, and periods during which, soil is at high risk of erosion. However, to define such strategies, there remains a lack of modelling approaches a) able to provide with longer term baseline information which to measure the success or otherwise of mitigation strategies at the catchment scale and b) accessible and robust enough to be used, understood and trusted by users with more or less expertise, including researchers, land managers and policy makers. In response, this project will improve improve the robustness and accessibility of quantitative methods for supporting agricultural land management. The objectives of this project are: (i) to develop an accessible soil erosion model, iMPACt-erosion, to support agricultural land management in Europe at the catchment scale, (ii) to apply a robust and multi-disciplinary model evaluation approach to achieve greater confidence in the iMPACt-erosion model predictions and (iii) to identify the soil erosion controlling processes and vulnerable areas and periods to define targeted and effective mitigation strategies until 2100.

Mots clés : knowledge transfer model reproducibility global sensitivity analysis

Participants :
- Université de Bristol (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- European conservation agriculture federation-spanish delegation (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Córdoba (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 231534.67 €