Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet TwinsRail (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Railway networks in Europe are one of the world's most developed and dense rail transport networks, spanning over 201,000 kilometers. However, as European railway infrastructure ages and the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, the challenges associated with the operations and maintenance of the infrastructure are increasing, for example, recent reports have highlighted delays and service disruptions on the rail network caused by extreme weather events such as heavy rain, snow, and heatwave. The root of these challenges lies in the monitoring and maintenance of the wheel-rail contact conditions.  TwinsRail will revolutionize the rail infrastructure operation and maintenance for climate change adaptation by uniquely integrating state-of-the-art developments in on-board & real-time monitoring solutions, advanced surrogate modelling, physics-informed AI models, and cutting-edge digital twin technologies. The Experienced Researcher (ER), Dr Ruihua Liang, will utilise his unique background in railway dynamics surrogate modelling, in combination of railway-domain expertise with experienced supervisors, to develop a digital twin framework to achieve real-time assessment of wheel-rail contact conditions (including rail adhesion, rail roughness, etc.), enhance safe, stable, comfortable, resource-efficient, and low-carbon transport for over 10 billion passengers and 400 billion tons of goods annually in the EU. TwinsRail substantially offers a reliable solution to minimize operational failures and reduce manual inspection costs for dense rail transport networks. Furthermore, the action will serve as a scalable model for global adoption, driving innovation in the operation, management, and maintenance of infrastructure, while contributing to global efforts in climate change adaptation. Ultimately, the ER will gain unique multi-disciplinary core competencies to create actionable climate solutions and make a positive impact to the railway industry globally.

Mots clés : digital twins, railways, wheel rail contact condition, adhesion, friction, climate change impact

Participants :
- Université de technologie de Delft (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Railway Technical Research Institute (Japon) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Birmingham (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet WOODSTOC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cultural heritage (CH) is highly valued by 84% of European citizens as it reflects both national and European identities, contributing significantly to the economy through tourism, cultural and preservation activities. However, stone and wood objects of CH value can suffer from severe deterioration, mostly decohesion and biodeterioration, which are predicted to be worsened by climate change. Currently, available methods often fail to meet the requirements that conservation treatments must fulfil. To address this, WOODSTOC will develop novel nanocomposites that, for the first time, simultaneously strengthen both stone and wood objects while offering antimicrobial protection in a manner that is both compatible with the materials and highly durable. This will be achieved by combining three types of nanoparticles (ZnO, Ag2O, carbon quantum dots), having different colours and antimicrobial abilities, with two types of matrices (hydroxyapatite formed in situ for stone, hydroxypropyl cellulose for wood) which are more sustainable compared to existing alternatives. The project outcomes will enable a more efficient and sustainable preservation of our cultural heritage, thus significantly contributing to UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11.4 (“Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”). The development of new composites in Europe, as opposed to competing countries where research is ongoing, will also increase European competitiveness. Most importantly, WOODSTOC will give the Postdoctoral Researcher the opportunity to deepen and diversify her scientific knowledge and technical competence, thanks to the research and training provided by the two host institutions (one university and one museum, having complementary fields of expertise, mind-sets and facilities), thus achieving the PR’s career development goal to fortify her independence as a researcher.

Mots clés : wood, stone, conservation, nanoparticles, antimicrobial ability, sustainable materials

Participants :
- Université d'Oslo (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Bologne (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 209483.28 €
Projet DIGIMONEY (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Over the last decade, digital innovations have transformed a fundamental aspect of our societies: money. These innovations have brought new actors to the realm of issuing currencies, leading to what some have defined as the end of an era in which money was defined by the state. DIGIMONEY will study two of these developments. On one hand, cryptocurrencies. Thanks to blockchain technology, these would allow a decentralized and state-independent access to money. On the other hand, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). These would serve to reaffirm state regulatory power in the face of private and anti-state monetary initiatives. In short, while CBDCs seek to uphold the nation-state political structures, cryptocurrencies aim to transcend them. Through an anthropological approach, DIGIMONEY main objective is to study the critical role of digital money in shaping both established and emerging forms of political collectivities. Instead of treating money as a purely market catalyst (as orthodox economic theory often does), project’s originality lies in its analysis of money as a battleground where diverse political collectivities attempt to reaffirm their power and trace the boundaries of their presence and sovereignty. To achieve this, DIGIMONEY research will be developed in two countries that constitute paradigmatic cases in relation to each digital currency: Mexico (where the state is on the verge of launching its CBDC) and Venezuela (the third country in the world with the highest volume of cryptocurrencies transactions). By integrating an outstanding international research environment and developing an adapted training program, the candidate will qualify as a leading researcher in a new and promising field of research at the crossroads of anthropology of money and political economy of money. Furthermore, he will acquire new writing, communicative, and management skills that will allow him to reach a position of professional excellence and independence.

Mots clés : money, digital technologies, anthropology, state, political collectivities

Participants :
- Institut de recherche pour le développement (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 225475.2 €
- Centro de Investigación y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (Mexique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet IDAM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Active matter (AM) represents a fascinating class of non-equilibrium systems whereby continuous energy dissipation generates unique, dynamic behavior. For instance, when active systems like self-propelling particles (SPP) interact in large numbers they can spontaneously align and form collective phases resembling swarms or flocks of birds. In this project, we seek to inverse design (ID) i.e. to target and stabilize such spontaneous, collective phase transitions via the development of a novel ID framework. We will achieve this by combining recent developments in large deviation theory (LDT) and stochastic many-body optimization which allow us to discover and promote desired phase behavior in a general, systematic way. Chiefly, LDT allows us to exploit the natural tendencies of the system via the quantification of rare events linking the disordered to collective phase. Control forces can then be introduced and optimized to make such rare events typical. For example, in SPPs this would involve tuning torque parameters to stabilize flocking. We will apply this strategy to some representative AM models: i) deformable particle systems reproducing compression-waves in epithelium cells, and ii) field theories yielding arrested phase separation and fluid turbulence akin to those reported in assemblies of biological swimmers. We will further provide a unified picture of phase transition in AM by introducing and analyzing energetically consistent models using stochastic thermodynamics. Overall, the proposal presents an ambitious, interdisciplinary route to reveal novel strategies for ID in AM with technology implications in soft-matter systems, and to explore how energy consumption inevitably constrains the emergence of collective states in AM. This project thus combines the skills in AM from the host with the numerical and analytical experience from the fellow, setting a definitive path for the fellow to rise as an established independent researcher in statistical mechanics.

Mots clés : non equilibrium systems active matter inverse design large deviation

Participants :
- Université du Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
Projet FraQCon (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

3D-printed concrete (3DPC) mitigates CO2 emissions, provides architectural design with higher degrees of freedom and decreases both labor costs and energy consumption. However, its layer-by-layer build-up process results in weaker and more porous interlayers, thereby significantly decreasing the integrity and durability of 3DPC structures and limiting the versatility of this technology. To overcome this major drawback, FraQCon aims to develop a computationally efficient framework to understand how porosity affects interlayer bond strength and to enhance 3DPC. For this purpose, FraQCon will apply numerical beam lattice models to 3DPC because they accurately predict fracture in heterogeneous materials such as concrete and rock. Although microscale porosity analysis based on simulations of engineering-sized 3DPC structures remains computationally unfeasible, the multiscale QuasiContinuum (QC) method has efficiently reduced computational costs for lattice systems. Its current form is not yet applicable to 3DPC beam lattices, but FraQCon will develop a novel QC methodology for fracture in 3DPC beam lattice models to predict failure in a computationally feasible way while accounting for porosity on a microscale and accurately representing the complex air void morphology in 3DPC interlayers. Moreover, this QC methodology will be validated with experimental tests. By identifying key parameters that cause interlayer weakness, FraQCon will significantly improve 3DPC technologies and increase the integrity, safety, and durability of 3DPC structures. The FraQCon QC framework and the knowledge gained during this project will be transferred to a 3DPC start-up in a non-academic placement to accelerate the adoption and foster the market impact of this technology. Therefore, FraQCon will not only demonstrate the applicability of the QC method for 3DPC design but may also transform the construction sector towards automation.

Mots clés : quasicontinuum method, discrete lattice systems, 3d printed concrete, multiscale modelling

Participants :
- Université de technologie d'Eindhoven (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 234530.4 €
- Xtreee (France) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université du Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet E-Health Management (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

People have extensively used digital technologies to manage personal health and practice sustainable dietary consumption. The recent emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) provides a more convenient way.  The main objective of this project is to address the critical gaps in our understanding of the interplay of AI-powered information presentation, AI interaction (i.e., feedback mechanism), and healthy and sustainable dietary behaviors.  Health management has long been a central focus of academic inquiry. While digital health interventions have been extensively studied, there is limited research on the long-term effects of information presentation on user sustainable dietary behaviours from the intelligent system design perspective. To fill these gaps, this project investigates how to use AI-powered applications to guide individuals towards a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in a way that feels natural and unobtrusive, building upon the nudge literature and relevant psychological theories. The project comprises four work packages (WPs).  This project will apply a mixed-method approach (i.e., qualitative and quantitative methods) by using experimental methods primarily (i.e., laboratory, online, and field experiments), and employing surveys and interviews as secondary supplementary methods. By collecting data from diverse countries (i.e., Denmark and China), this research can introduce new cross-cultural perspectives (i.e., European and Asian cultures).  Understanding how AI can effectively promote behavior change in this context is a novel and impactful area with substantial implications for public health and environmental sustainability. The findings enriches the academic community's understanding of the interaction between digital health management systems and users. It has significant economic implications by promoting the consumption of organic foods, reducing the choices of unhealthy foods, and cutting down the incidence of diet-related diseases.

Mots clés : information presentation, ai interaction, user healthy and sustainable dietary behavior, digital health management, green consumer behavior transition, self regulation theory, experiments

Participants :
- École de commerce de Copenhague (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 263393.28 €
Projet FOODRED (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

FOODRED examines whether food systems can be rethought and activities that lead to oversupply and overproduction reduced or refused. This would require boards of major food companies to direct their businesses to make substantial changes, which is difficult when profit margins are very narrow in many food businesses. This would require leadership from Boards and Executive Officers, and so there is a need to understand how Boards and Executives might influence the adoption of more radical 'reduce' and 'refuse' principles in their corporations, and which persons in those roles have the greater influence to drive change. Unless businesses are prepared to consider changing the prevailing business models, the food systems will be vulnerable to collapse in supply even more damaging than that seen in Europe during the 2019-21 Covid pandemic. We ask what it would take for corporations to explore the potential for increased profits through savings and for enhanced corporate responsibility through reducing wasteful activities, and which members of the Board are likely to drive that change. There is also the question of whether better Economic and Social Governance (ESG) would enhance the reputation and therefore drive customer growth, if these more difficult steps were taken. Furthermore, FOODRED would examine the role of women board members and executives in the drive for CE principles within firms, investigating whether there are links between SDG12 and SDG5.5.2. This also tests whether the OECD findings on the roles of women in achieving a CE are evident at the highest levels in corporations. There are very few studies that currently address these questions and as well as contributing to academic knowledge, our work has high potential for making a contribution to policy making in corporations, government and supra-international level for those looking for how to persuade corporations to do business for purpose rather than profit.

Mots clés : food supply chain, sustainability, strategic management, diversity, gender

Participants :
- Université de Portsmouth (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet HifCAT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite significant advancements in understanding CRC pathogenesis, the clinical prognosis of CRC patients is still poor due to metastasis dissemination. Cancer progression is often associated with the presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment that regulate processes such as extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and repression of the immune response. The establishment of a hypoxic environment and activation of its main effector, the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), are common features of advanced cancers. HIF-1α is a transcription factor, which regulates several genes that are exploited by tumor cells to escape from a nutrient-deprived environment and to survive as well as resist to treatment. However, the role of HIF-1α in CAFs has not be addressed so far in CRC. This research seeks to elucidate the effects of hypoxia on different aspects of CAFs' function , using in vitro functional assays and innovative co-culture models with patient-derived CAFs and matching tumor organoids. Furthermore, the study aims to unveil the role of HIF-1α expression in CAFs during tumor initiation and progression using a colitis-associated carcinogenesis model and pinpoint the origin of HIF-1α+ CAFs employing a lineage tracing model. Finally, in silico analysis of scRNAseq data will allow to detect the subset of CAFs that are responsive to hypoxia in different stages of carcinogenesis and in metastatic dissemination. Overall, this project will study the unappreciated role of HIF-1α in CAFs in the context of CRC with the ultimate goal to pave the way to new therapeutic strategies.

Mots clés : colorectal cancer cancer associated fibroblasts tumor microenvironment, cafs tumor cells cross talk hypoxia, hif 1a, scrna sequencing, human derived cafs and matching tumor organoids culture

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université du Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
Projet CRITICL (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The CRITICL (Critical Race and Intersectional Theory In (Comparative) Criminal Law) Project proposes to undertake an interdisciplinary European study of hidden biases and veiled discrimination in criminal justice, through the lens of critical race theory and intersectionality. Criminal law, like all legal disciplines, has long assumed a “universality” of function: that the law itself is neutral, capable of equal and indiscriminate application. Lady Justice, blindfolded and impartial, is figurative example, while the work of the European Union assumes neutrality as a key factor to promote integration. Yet, as Critical Race and Intersectional Theories (“CRIT”) show, the law itself may entrench and reinforce structures of subordination, inferiority and discrimination against particular (especially, minority and vulnerable) groups. Likewise, while modern legal systems may recognise different grounds for discrimination, such as race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability and neurodiversity, these are based on the social and historical processes that have shaped the constitutional traditions of each country. To date, however, neither CRIT nor discrimination within the criminal law have received much attention in either European or comparative legal scholarship. Through an analysis of procedural rights, CRITICL intends to fill this lacuna, both in the context of criminal law, and by adapting CRIT to the European (EU) (procedural right) context, through proffering European and national policy recommendations and guidelines by which the law’s current procedural rights inequalities can be eliminated.

Mots clés : defence rights, right to a fair trial, criminal justice, critical race theory, intersectionality, procedural rights, legal inequality, hidden biases, comparative criminal law

Participants :
- Université du Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 216240.0 €