Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet EconCSA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Economic Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The South Asian countries are experiencing climate uncertainty and extremes which are disproportionally affecting agriculture, food security and livelihoods of small-scale farmers. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is undoubtedly important to deal with challenges through increasing productivity, adaptation and mitigation. Currently, some of the governments are working to promote CSA technologies to reduce the climate change effects on the agricultural sector and enhance the resilience of small-scale farmers. However, the economic effects of these practices have not been done yet. This research aims to assess the economic efficiency of CSA practices through cost and benefit analysis in the South Asian countries particularly in Nepal, India and Sri Lank (NIS). A thorough understanding of the costs and benefits of CSA options is urgently needed to identify the best adaptation options and their tradeoffs, to scale out the economically feasible technologies and to channel investments effectively and efficiently towards both short- and long-term interventions. The research assesses the cost-benefit of the CSA options into farm production systems. Indicators related to profitability and valuation of environmental and social externalities will be used to assess CSA options. Extended Net Present Value and Real Options Valuation method will be applied to address the uncertainty. The outcomes of the research would support for the farmers to make decisions on the most efficient option to establish the best-bet CSA investment portfolios and for policymakers to formulate effective climate change and agricultural policies and programs in South Asia. The research generates evidence-based knowledge material that fosters the links between science, practice and policy linkages for sustainable food security, small-scale farmers' resilience to climate change; and it is in line with the EU Agricultural Policy. Further, it will help to achieve the SDGs 1, 2 and 13 in the studied countries.

Mots clés : agricultural economy climate smart agriculture externalities cost benefit analysis food security

Participants :
- Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 188590.08 €
Projet Viroglimmage (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Neurotropic flaviviruses such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), West Nile Virus (WNV) and Zika Virus (ZIKV) can enter and infect the central nervous system, potentially leading to lethal encephalitis. Furthermore, survivors often suffer from chronic neurological complications, most likely due to virus-induced neuronal death and immune-related pathology. The past decade, the notion that neurotropic virus infections cause changes to specific neuronal populations, driving accelerated brain ageing and neurodegeneration has become an emerging concept. However, the interplay between virus infection, inflammation, neuronal death and neurodegeneration remains unravelled. In this project, I propose to investigate virus-induced neuroinflammation and its effect on pathways underlying neurodegeneration with frontline imaging techniques. To do so, I will optimise ex vivo optical projection tomography (OPT) and positron emission tomography (PET) for neuroinflammation and tau tangles and develop accurate image-based quantification pipelines for the proposed markers. These will thereafter be applied to study the neuroinflammatory course in acute flavivirus infection and, to unravel the specific role of the microglia in infection and neuroinflammation. Finally, I will investigate the effect of infection and virus-induced neuroinflammation on induction of neurodegeneration, reflected the induction of tauopathy. Taken together, this project will lead to the development of advanced ex vivo imaging techniques to visualise neuroinflammation and virus-induced neurodegeneration and, will improve our understanding on how neurotropic flaviviruses drive the brain into accelerated ageing, thereby priming neurodegeneration.

Mots clés : flavivirus, neurotropism, neuroinflammation, tau, optical projection tomography opt , postitron emission tomography pet

Participants :
- Université d'Umeå (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet SHAPE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Cardiovascular diseases (CDs) are the main cause of death in the European Union (EU) and they cost the EU €210 billion a year. Expanding the molecular knowledge on CDs is a key factor in the struggle against them. The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is one of the chief organelles involved in proper cardiomyocyte function due to its implication in calcium handling, and because of that, one of the principal therapeutic targets. SR comprises at least two different regions whose function is well known, however the molecular actors that profile it and how the correct arrangement of them is obtained remain unknown. In contrast, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping and how changes in its shape affects ER function have been recently described. Due to this shape/function relationship and considering the similarities between ER and SR, it is likely that SR shape modulators are fundamental also in maintaining proper SR function. In this scenario, it is tempting to speculate that ER shape alteration is involved in the development of CDs. The aim of this project is to study how the SR shape affects its function. This ambitious goal will be achieved by bringing together my expertise in cardiac physiology with the know-how of my supervisor in ER shape/function and my co-supervisor knowledge on calcium signalling, by using the powerful genetic model Drosophila melanogaster. The results of the project will impact the cardiac function knowledge and could provide possible new therapeutic targets against CDs. Moreover, the results of the project could impact other fields of research, as well as muscular research, by expanding the understanding of SR shape/function relationship.

Mots clés : heart, calcium, drosophila melanogaster, sarcoplasmic reticulum, endoplasmic reticulum

Participants :
- Conseil national de la recherche (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 188590.08 €
Projet EnteroInfection (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Enteroviruses (EVs) are positive-sense, single stranded RNA virus from the Picornaviridae family. With 106 types, they can cause mild to severe diseases in human, especially children, such as common cold (Rhinovirus), myocarditis (Coxsackievirus B3, CVB3) or poliomyelitis (Poliovirus, PV). EVs are known to remodel the cytoplasm of host cells to create replication organelles allowing efficient viral genome replication. They also hijack the secretory autophagy pathway for replication and viral release. Recent cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) work done in the Carlson lab has highlight that PV virions directly assemble on replication membrane through a tethering complex where the tether is thought to be viral ATPase 2C. Moreover, they were able to show one class of autophagosomes is carrying bundles of filament proteins, suspected as filamentous actin (F-actin). My project will address two questions in EV replication: (i) how does the viral protein 2C assist membrane-localized assembly? (ii) what is the identity and role of the filaments in virus-induced autophagy? I will use an integrative approach of cell biology, biochemistry and structural biology and PV and CVB3 will be used as model viruses for this project. I first aim to characterize the viral assembly complex by in vitro reconstitution of the interaction between model membranes, purified 2C, capsid proteins and RNA through cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) and cryo-ET. By combining focus-ion-beam (FIB) milling and cryo-ET to perform subtomogram averaging, I will study the structure of the tethering complex and the one of the filament proteins found in autophagosomes of infected cells. In parallel, to aid the identification of the filament, I will perform proteomic studies through MS study on isolated autophagosomes infected cells. Finally, combined with knock-out cells, I will be able to identify potential protein candidates and test their effect on EV infection through cryo-ET and live cell imaging.

Mots clés : enterovirus, poliovirus, coxsakievirus b3, cryo electron tomography, viral replication, viral release, subtomogram averaging, protein structure, fluorescence microscopy, autophagy

Participants :
- Université d'Umeå (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206887.68 €
Projet ShapeGels (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The growing demand for advanced soft and stimuli-responsive materials has generated interest in developing deformable micro- and nano-scale particles with programmable transformations. Colloidal microgels–cross-linked polymer networks that undergo reversible isotropic volume changes–stand out for their responsiveness to stimuli like temperature. However, despite innovations that have greatly extended their functionalities, architectures and shapes, their responses are typically limited to simple size changes. Expanding these capabilities to include complex, non-spherical deformations and anisotropic behaviours could significantly enhance their potential in applications such as photonics, microfluidics, biomedicine, and microrobotics.  To overcome these limitations, we propose developing Liquid-Crystal Microgels (LCMGs)–a novel class of soft colloidal particles combining the stimuli-responsive properties of microgels with the anisotropic behaviour of liquid crystals. By incorporating anisotropic mesogenic monomers, LCMGs will exhibit programmable, reversible shape and size transitions in response to external stimuli, providing enhanced design flexibility of their deformability and adaptive properties.  This research will employ a multi-scale modelling approach to understand how the interplay between the orientational order of liquid crystals and polymer connectivity and elasticity affects the physical properties and responsive behaviour of LCMGs. The goal is to develop a robust computational theoretical framework and simulation tools and models for predicting and designing the properties of LCMGs, and to explore the tailorable collective behaviour of these particles able to toggle between multiple shapes, sizes and inter-particle interactions. This will lay the basis for their experimental realisation and pave the way for multifunctional, reconfigurable materials with advanced applications, and ultimately stimulate new research in soft matter and biological physics.

Mots clés : microgels, liquid crystals, elasticity, coarse grained models, responsive materials

Participants :
- Conseil national de la recherche (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 193643.28 €
Projet PASS-DM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Much contemporary research on decision-making purports that the brain has two distinct systems which can be used: model-free or model-based. Model-free allows for fast and automatic choices, but with a higher likelihood of errors. Model-based allows for context-specific adaptability, but with greater cognitive computational costs. In contrast to the prominent accounts of model-based vs model-free decision-making, I propose that the brain has a single decision system, which can be tuned to be more or less precise by investing more or less cognitive resources. The degree of precision determines whether the system appears to be more "model-free" or more "model-based" for any given decision. If successful, this project will play a critical role in redirecting a large sub-field of important decision-making (and learning) research. If unsuccessful, this project will provide powerful evidence that the current paradigm is correct.

Mots clés : confidence certainty cost benefit tradeoff subjective value mental effort simulation memory attention

Participants :
- Conseil national de la recherche (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 172750.08 €
Projet LANDSCAPEforCHANGE (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

This proposal addresses cultural heritage conservation and management in the context of climate change. It goes beyond the traditional differentiation between tangible and intangible heritage and addresses the city as a living heritage. Accordingly, it seeks to develop a landscape people-centered methodological framework that acknowledges the active role of communities in co-producing local knowledge. The proposed framework integrates different perspectives from different disciplines noting the scientific, social and humanities approaches along with cultural and natural heritage perspectives. As a result, it is structured around several axes to address physical settings, landscape perceptions, cultural values, digital heritage practices, and vulnerability of cultural heritage to climate change. To address the complex nature of cultural heritage, the proposed method incorporates social media metadata and traditional data sources and integrates qualitative, quantitative, geographical, and visual analysis along with machine learning techniques. By doing so, it seeks to map how different stakeholder groups value heritage in the context of climate change and assess the vulnerability of heritage and its associated values to climate change. The novel aspect of this proposal is the use of digital technologies to engage local communities in heritage values assessment and heritage management recommendations to foster a sense of communal ownership in the local heritage landscape from the grassroots level. The innovation of this project lies in linking physical vulnerability and risk management concepts with a more general and multidimensional resilience approach focused on the singularities of cultural heritage resilience. Results are expected to draw recommendations for integrating policies and practices of heritage management, sustainable urban development, and climate governance.

Mots clés : landscape approach, co creation, climate change, climate resilience, heritage conservation, local community

Participants :
- Université de Liège (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191760.0 €
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet Waste2Space (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Establishing a sustainable supply chain for raw materials is a must for creating an industrial ecosystem aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal, which emphasizes energy conservation and reducing environmental costs in primary production. Elements such as Al, Si, Mg, Ce, La, Eu, Y, and Tb have been included in the EU's strategic and/or critical material lists due to their economic significance and high supply risk. The recycling rate of these strategic and/or critical materials is low because supplied scrap and End-of-Life (EoL) products, such as Zorba scrap, solar cells, light metal scraps/chips, Si-kerf, glass polishing powders, and fluorescent lamp waste, contain a mixture of various metals. Estimations show that the amount of Al scrap will rise to approximately 125,000 metric tons per year by 2035 and 246,000 metric tons per year by 2050. Additionally, projections anticipate that End-of-Life (EoL) solar panels will amount to 1.7 to 8 million tons by 2030, with this growth expected to increase to 60 to 77 million tons by 2050. However, the complex structures of scraps/EoL products, containing a wide range of elements, pose significant challenges for the recycling process of these metals. Waste2Space aims to develop a holistic recycling process for mixed scraps/EoL products, ensuring the mix to be a benefit rather than an obstacle. A straightforward and cost-effective approach to utilizing mixed scraps and EoL products will be developed with the aim of producing CCAs for the aerospace and automotive industries.

Mots clés : recycling, recovery, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, alloy production, critical strategic metals, metallothermic reduction, leaching, rare earth elements, silicon, solar cell, scrap, eol products, 

Participants :
- Université norvégienne de sciences et de technologie (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226751.04 €
Projet OSPT-CISM-SUNCS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Geological CO2 sequestration has gotten a lot of attention as a potential technical solution for decreasing human carbon emissions to the environment. Numerical reservoir simulation (NRS) has been conventionally used to model subsurface reservoirs and employed in uncertainty analysis, optimization, and decision-making. One of the challenges associated with NRS is the computational efforts required to model complex reservoir systems. Therefore, fast proxy models are suggested for quick predictions. Although several studies have been conducted about the CO2 injection & storage (CIS) process, there still exists a research gap in developing a fast tool for monitoring and performance prediction of a safe CIS project. This research project aims to develop an open-access smart tool to predict the performance of CIS with satisfactory accuracy in the mature fields of the Norwegian Continental Shelf, considering geochemical & geomechanical (GCGM) aspects. The uncertainty parameters will be the underground rock and fluid properties, operational constraints of the CO2 injection, and GCGM parameters. The target parameters include net CO2 storage, ultimate oil recovery from miscible CO2 injection, & cumulative production of gaseous CO2. The risk of CO2 leakage through induced fractures/faults should be considered by considering the effect of GCGM parameters on CIS. The effect of GCGM parameters on such processes will be useful in CO2 leakage risk quantification, making the proxy model more realistic. Machine learning tools, such as PINN, ANN, SVR, and XGBoost, will be applied to the simulated data set to digitalize the CIS process efficiently. The developed proxy model will be validated with a synthetic truth model. Lastly, the novel proxy model will be added as a separate module to MRST - an open-access software. This integration offers researchers and industry professionals an openly accessible, fast & accurate proxy model to streamline the initial evaluation of CIS projects.

Mots clés : machine learning, proxy modeling, geological carbon sequestration, co2 storage, co2 enhanced oil recovery, norwegian continental shelf

Participants :
- Fondation pour la recherche scientifique et industrielle (Norvège) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université norvégienne de sciences et de technologie (Norvège) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226751.04 €
Projet IMPROVIR (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

IMPROVIR is an interdisciplinary project combining nanotechnology, plant molecular biology, and plant virology to control two damaging and emerging plant viruses, Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCVY) via an environment-friendly approach called spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS). Currently, these two viruses are threatening production of tomato, pepper and cucurbits across the globe especially in Europe. SIGS approach is based on RNA-interference (RNAi) technology but it does not involve transgenic manipulation of the plants. The non-transgenic approach of SIGS is an innovative strategy that relies on topical spraying of double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) on plant surface that enter plant cells and tissues and eventually induce gene silencing by the RNAi mechanism against specific plant pathogens and pests. We will improve the dsRNAs molecules for SIGS by using a tRNAMet tag to enhance dsRNA mobility in the plant. Besides, the enhanced dsRNA molecules will be incorporated into either carbon dot or chitosan-derived nanoparticles in the form of nanocomposites to: (1) increase the stability of the dsRNAs on plant surfaces and (2) increase the delivery of dsRNAs into plants. This approach is fast (compared to time-consuming approaches such as plant breeding, genetic transformation and introduction of resistant varieties), environment-friendly (no residue in products and in environment as opposed to chemical pesticides) and publicly acceptable (no need for genetic transformation and modification). The performance of the dsRNA:NP nanocomposites in controlling those virus diseases will be assessed by evaluating disease progress, virus titers and siRNA production in treated vs. non-treated infected plants. In a non-academic placement at Kimitec, a private biotech company in Spain, the technologies developed at IFAPA (host institution) during the project will be applied to control another important plant pathogen, Phytophthora sp.

Mots clés : double stranded rnas, nanoparticles, nanocomposites, plant virus, sigs

Participants :
- Agroindustrial kimitec sl (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Instituto andaluz de investigaciony formacion agraria pesquera alimentaria y de la produccion ecologica (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242593.2 €