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

The aim of this proposal is to explore new and innovative routes to confine and cool trapped microparticles in vacuum. The elegance of trapping such microparticles in vacuum arises from the absence of any physical contact with the environment leading to any routes of dissipation. The challenge is to hold such particles in strong, highly localised traps, cool them and explore physics at the classical-quantum boundary. The present proposal aims to address these issues with a number of clear routes to address acknowledged bottlenecks in the field. (i) Firstly the use of light propagation in complex media (such as a multimode fibre) combined with vacuum studies leads to an innovative route for trapping, confining and addressing microparticles in complex vacuum systems without the need for ‘bulk’ microscope objectives or conventional optics. This also facilitates trapping in such geometries and creating with ease loading and 'science' chambers for the proposed research. (ii) A further advance will be the use of nanostructures such as double nanohole arrays for trapping that, due to their strong light confinement lead to ultra-high trap stiffnesses. In turn this means the very high resultant oscillator frequency reduces the cooling needed to achieve the quantum ground state. (iii) Finally a third strand will look at loading antireflection coated particles into such traps. This can result in trap stiffnesses up to one to two orders of magnitude higher than currently seen, again allowing cooling to the ground state. These ideas are disruptive and unconventional and unique to the applicant and host institute to the best of our knowledge. They will result in a step change in the field and internationally leading results. In addition the programme will allow a comprehensive and positive training package for the applicant as a basis for his future career in academia.

Mots clés : optical manipulation, optical cooling, mesoscopic quantum state, complex optical media

Participants :
- University of St Andrews (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 195454.8 €
Projet ID4 (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The aim of this proposal is to propose a scientific research project and a training plan for Dr. Brenda Rocamonde. The scientific research project aims to understand the function of the transcriptional regulator Id4 in the adult subventricular zone (SVZ) under physiological and pathological conditions. The SVZ is one of the largest neurogenic niches of the adult brain, generating new neurons from neural stem and progenitor cells, throughout adulthood. This region is activated after brain injury, such as ischemic stroke. Inhibitor of DNA binding 4 (Id4) is a transcriptional regulator that acts by antagonizing transcription factors. In the developing brain, Id4 is required for neural progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the function of Id4 in the adult SVZ has not been reported. We have observed that Id4 is expressed in neural stem cells and cells of the neuronal lineage in the adult SVZ. We propose to use in vivo approaches to (i) determine Id4 function in the SVZ by loss and gain of function approaches, and (ii) evaluate its role in the response of the SVZ to ischemic stroke, a major cause of disability in Europe. This project, undertaken in an international research center and carried out by a talented fellow will provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of adult neurogenesis in the normal and injured brain. In addition, we are proposing a career development plan for Dr. Rocamonde that includes training on scientific and transferable skills. This plan will widen Dr. Rocamonde’s competences and provide her with the tools to become a leading independent researcher.

Mots clés : subventricular zone, brain injury, transcription factor

Participants :
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 173076.0 €
Projet MinSol-PDEs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Mathematics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The aim of this proposal is to provide a systematic study of minimal solutions for a large class of nonlinear systems of PDE. Namely we will construct minimal solutions with predefined characteristics and investigate their qualitative properties, addressing the fundamental challenges that appear in the case of systems and which cannot be tackled with tools from the scalar case. The first part focuses on phase transition problems described by the Allen-Cahn system. This is a hot and difficult topic linking PDE with the theory of minimal surfaces. The main idea is to reduce the Allen-Cahn system to a Hamiltonian system in order to construct new classes of minimal solutions, and understand the conditions implying the reduction of variables (vector analog of the celebrated De Giorgi conjecture). In the second part, our focus is on the Painlevé equation which plays a crucial role in areas as diverse as random matrices, integrable systems, and superconductivity. The objective is to classify and investigate the minimal solutions of Painlevé-type systems in low dimensions. These have direct applications in the study of vortices in liquid crystals and Bose-Einstein condensates. The proposed approach connects the Painlevé equation with a singular problem, easier to study. The fellow has a strong research record on the Allen-Cahn system (a book + 6 papers), and has also worked on the Ginzburg-Landau model of liquid crystals. On the one hand, he will develop his own innovative approaches to the proposed problems, and transfer his expertise to the host. On the other hand, at BCAM and through a secondment, he will link his previous research on liquid crystals to other alternative models (for which the supervisor is a world-leading expert), and to the theory of Bose-Einstein condensates. He will also acquire new skills in simulation and computation. The achievement of this project will reinforce Fellow's reputation and support him in obtaining a strong academic position.

Mots clés : allen cahn systems, vectorial de giorgi conjecture, vectorial painlev  equation, calculus of variations, minimizers, phase transition problems, liquid crystals

Participants :
- Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet QUABODYP (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The aim of this proposal is to tackle the implementation of dynamics in quantum gravity in the context of a black hole geometry in order to address long-standing fundamental theoretical issues, and study the possibility that related quantum effects could be observable by next-generation detectors. The research methodology is based on two approaches to be carried out in parallel since complementary. The first line of research is more closely related to the Loop Quantum Gravity framework and it relies on a novel approach to implement symmetry reduction at the quantum level, yielding a more tractable quantum dynamics for a spherical black hole geometry, while none of the fundamental structures of the full theory are lost. The second line is based on the investigation of the new physical degrees of freedom that arise in presence of a boundary and the central role of conformal field theory in their description, and it is related to field theory techniques employed in the context of gauge/gravity duality. We shall apply and combine these new ideas and methods to investigate the black hole evaporation process, the fate of classical singularities and to extract phenomenology through gravitational waves physics techniques. Since the most energetic astrophysical events in the universe might carry the signature of quantum gravity effects, the potential theoretical and observational implications of the project outcomes will contribute to enhance EU scientific excellence in the field. The proposed programme requires a cross-fertilization of expertise from several areas of theoretical physics and will thereby diversify the competences of both the researcher and the host groups, as well as expand their respective networks of collaborators. This action prepares the fellow for a more permanent position by endowing him with crucial opportunities to train his mentoring, communication and networking skills and, ultimately, by allowing him to develop his own research programme.

Mots clés : non perturbative quantum gravity, quantum black hole, information paradox, quantum gravity phenomenology

Participants :
- Perimeter Institute (Canada) — Partner, organization partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- University of Udine (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 255768.0 €
Projet DNSVCFA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The aim of this research project is to develop, in line with the Work Programme 2014-2015 of Horizon 2020 “Smart, green and integrated transport-mobility for growth”, a novel servovalve prototype for aerospace applications having lower complexity and number of parts, lower manufacturing costs and weight, and greater reliability and efficiency compared to common valve configurations. The fellow’s activity alongside the research group at the Centre for Power Transmission and Motion Control (University of Bath) will focus on the optimization of an existing valve prototype (which was recently conceived at the Centre) with the aim of allowing the safe and effective implementation of the new valve concept in aircraft. The research objectives will be reached thanks to the fellow’s unique expertise in optimization and computational fluiddynamic analysis applied to hydraulic valves and experimental testing of hydraulic components, combined with the host’s expertise in designing novel control techniques. The fellow, who will undertake high level training both at Bath and at the Aircraft Group of Moog Controls Ltd (5 month secondment), will utilize new approaches such as a reliable and flexible optimization process based on numerical models coupled to genetic algorithms; the technical solutions resulting from the numerical activity will be constructed through innovative manufacturing techniques, such as Additive Manufacturing, so as to allow the realization of non-conventional geometries. The outcomes of the latter phase will be tested experimentally on a hydraulic test bench. The new servovalve concept, which is expected to outperform commonly used configurations, has the potential to save costs and time across the whole life cycle of aircraft and to reduce power consumption and emissions of aircraft, with great impact on European economy and society.

Mots clés : aircraft, servovalves, piezoelectric, actuator

Participants :
- University of Bath (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 183454.8 €
Projet Entero3D (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2017)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The aim of this study is to gain structural insights into the genome replication of human enteroviruses (EVs), specifically Coxsackievirus B3 which is the leading cause of viral myocarditis. EVs drastically reorganize the internal membranes of a cell within hours of infection, generating replication complexes (RCs), which are the sites of viral genome replication. Some molecular determinants of RC morphogenesis have been identified, and resin-embedding EM has indicated the drastic membrane remodeling involved in RC formation. However, such approaches fail to reveal the macromolecular structural organization of RCs in cells. To further our understanding of RC assembly and activity, I propose to use cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to determine 3D structures of enteroviral RCs in infected cells. Human cells will be infected on EM grids and the recently developed cryo-focused ion beam milling technology will be used to make RCs inside infected cells accessible to structural studies using cryo-ET. The determined structures will reveal the supramolecular organization of viral proteins and RNA at EV RCs. The findings will clarify the long-standing question regarding the relation between membrane topology and the RNA synthesis machinery. Subtomogram averaging methods will be used to reveal how the viral polymerase assembles into higher-order structures on the RCs membrane, and obtain high resolution structures of these assemblies. Assemblies of purified EV polymerases will be imaged by cryo-ET and compared to structures found in cells. Additionally, the effect on the Golgi apparatus of the viral proteins thought to initiate the membrane remodelling will be studied by cryo-ET. Taken together, this project will determine the first high-resolution structures of viral RCs in cells, providing critical insights into the genome replication of the highly medically relevant EVs, and potentially generating new concepts for virus inhibitor design.

Mots clés : cryo electron tomography, focus ion beam, enteroviruses, replication complex, membrane remodeling

Participants :
- Umeå University (Suède) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 173857.2 €
Projet DataProMat (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The ambition of this fellowship, hosted by Professor S.P.A. Bordas (UL), is to propose a nonlinear manifold learning framework, in particular to implement the Diffusion Maps methodology, enabled by “equation-free” calculations and Artificial Neural Networks, in the context of multi-scale materials and process modeling and design. The goal is to push the boundaries of the “Digital Twins” paradigm beyond the current-state-of-the-art and to establish a methodological framework that links macro-scale process parameters and conditions to properties of complex materials, in an effort to meet the current market-driven demands for efficiency, scalability, safety, sustainability and innovation. The proposed approach is based on the current trends in materials and process modeling, on which the host is in the best possible position to advise as a world leading expert. Effectively, the fellowship sets the stage for interdisciplinary integration: Starting from the requirement for a specific set of properties, we must be able to predict the appropriate material structure, its capabilities and limitations and to propose ideal processing steps that will enable large-scale production. In this context, machine learning in the form of Diffusion Maps will be implemented for dimensionality reduction aiming to the reach the maximum possible size compression. The equation-free approach will be integrated with Diffusion Maps, in order to efficiently explore the, typically large, parameter space and Artificial Neural Networks will be applied as a means of leveraging the abundantly available digitized images to “learn” the long-term dynamics of the material behavior.


Participants :
- University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 178320.0 €
Projet IMPEL (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The amount of solar energy received onto the earth in single hour is estimated to be more than the entire annual world energy usage, but at present the implementation and efficiency commercially available of solar cells does not make adequate use of this renewable energy source. It is estimated that 10% of energy usage in the average home, and 20-40% in commercial premises. Furthermore it is predicted that the world will need 30 terawatts (TW) of energy by 2050 which must come from renewables. The EU Renewable Energy Directive in conjunction with the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive has set targets to increase energy efficiency in excess of 32.5% by 2030. In answer to these challenges there is a need to develop new materials for solar energy conversion (photovoltaics) and low energy lighting. The three key challenges in developing new photovoltaics for the conversion of solar energy to electricity are: high efficiency, low cost and long life. In this context, this project aims to develop and study of new multifunctional materials to act as hosts for semiconductor quantum dots and nanoparticles, and to use them in the manufacture and study of solar cells and LEDs. It combines the experience of the PI, Prof Gary Hix, in photonic materials and that of the fellow, Dr Konstantinos Papathanasiou in synthesis of porous materials, to deliver materials which will contribute to global and European Clean Energy objectives. The project will provide a vehicle for a two-way knowledge exchange between the host and fellow, providing the basis for a successful multidisciplinary project spanning chemistry and physics which will also generate data and outcomes that will be of interest to materials scientists and physicists and the wider scientific community in general. The training regime provided for the fellow enable him to establish himself as an independent researcher in his home country, Greece, and in the wider international scientific community.

Mots clés : mofs, metal phosphonates, halides perovskites, photovoltaics, leds

Participants :
- University of Wolverhampton (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 212933.76 €
Projet UbiBranch (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The anaphase promoting complex/ cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that controls the cell division cycle by targeting main cell cycle regulators for proteasomal degradation, thereby ensuring error-free cell division and safeguarding genome stability. Its foremost activity is during cell division, or mitosis, when two sets of sister chromatids are equally divided over two newly formed daughter cells. Intriguingly, APC/C substrates that are degraded at the metaphase-to-anaphase transition have binding partners, which are not degraded. It remains a mystery how the APC/C controls degradation of the substrates and leaves the binding partners undisturbed. My objective is to clarify the molecular mechanism of substrate-binding partner disengagement, and determine the impact of disengagement on substrate degradation, to ensure controlled sister chromatid separation and genome integrity. First, I propose to identify the precise timing of disengagement during the process of ubiquitination, at the molecular level: this will give fundamental insight into disengagement control (Objective 1). Next, I will study ubiquitination at the proteomics level, by unraveling how Lysine-choice, and ubiquitin chain topology affect disengagement (Objective 2). Finally, I will combine conventional molecular biology methods with advanced microscopy techniques to investigate the importance of controlled substrate-binding partner disengagement for substrate degradation and genome stability (Objective 3). I will employ a multi-disciplinary approach, combining molecular biology, proteomics, and in vivo cell biology approaches to resolve this fundamental biological question. The identified mechanism may provide insights into ternary complex formation of the APC/C and its substrates, which will enable translation to develop targeted-protein-degradation drugs.

Mots clés : ubiquitination, cell cycle, cyclin b1, securin, geminin, protein degradation, ubiquitin proteasome system, cell biology, fluorescence imaging, mass spectrometry

Participants :
- Leiden University Medical Center (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 187572.48 €
Projet BRYOMICS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2015)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The anthropogenic emission of heavy metals (HM) into the atmosphere constitutes a major social and environmental concern. Poor air quality is a major health risk (in 2010, more than 420,000 people were estimated to have died prematurely from air pollution in the EU) and has also considerable economic and environmental impacts, affecting the quality of fresh water, soil, and ecosystems [http://ec.europa.eu/environment/pubs/pdf/factsheets/air/en.pdf]. Though several regulatory steps have been implemented within the EU to reduce or restrict the release of pollutants in the air, e.g. [Council Directive 96/62/EC], and also to monitor/model them [Council Directive 2004/107/EC], more work is needed to progress in the characterization of the relationship between living organisms and environmental pollution. Therefore, BRY“O”MICS will provide a deep understanding of the mechanisms underlying the existence of phenotypic variability for heavy metals tolerance and hyperaccumulation in mosses (which differ from those in higher plants), as well as the necessary background knowledge to subsequently develop high potential biotechnological tools for air quality remediation (focusing mainly in urban and indoor environments). This will be achieved by means of the integrated use of various tools from several biological disciplines such as ecophysiology, chemistry, microscopy, transcriptomics, epigenomics and bioinformatics. The most innovative part of this project lies in the application of the “omics” technologies to a novel and under-researched context: wild populations of terrestrial mosses growing in heavy metal enriched areas. Additionally, the integration of the results obtained from the former disciplines will highly improve the conclusions achieved with this project.

Mots clés : bryophytes, terrestrial mosses, heavy metal pollution, local adaptation, plant evolution, response to environmental changes

Participants :
- State University System of Florida (Etats-Unis) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 239191.2 €