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

Twilight zone (TLZ) hosts the largest and least exploited fish stocks of the world’s oceans. These fishes play a key role in ecosystem services, such as sustaining other relevant marine species and global carbon cycle. The TLZ research is still in its infancy, but the high biomass has raised interest in its exploitation, mainly as fish meal, but also as nutra-pharmaceutical compounds. Moreover, climate change is altering the environmental conditions in ways, of which we do not know how life in TLZ will be affected. It is alarming that this vast ocean domain is at risk even before any of the potential consequences of fishing are fully understood. One of the most threaten and less studied aspects of the TLZ is the early life stage of its fishes. PLEASE project aims to fill this gap of knowledge. The first objective is to set background information about basic biology of the embryonic and larval development of different TLZ fishes. It will be achieved by establishing a suitable methodology for assisted reproductive technology in laboratory conditions, since the wild TLZ fishes are vulnerable to captivity. The reproductive methodology will be transferred to the non-academic partner, for developing pioneered aquarium exhibitions. The second objective is to examine the developmental responses of the embryos and larvae due to ocean warming and acidification under climate change scenarios. It will be monitored via the developmental variability, metabolism, physiology, morphometry, and mortality rates of the specimens. The outcomes of the project will be of paramount importance to forecast the impact of climate change on the community of TLZ fishes and will open a new era for more investigation in this pristine and vulnerable zone of the planet. Finally, a range of interactions with stakeholders and public will ensure the project exploitation and improve the decision-making capacity of the policymakers related with climate change and fishing activities in the TLZ.

Mots clés : twilight zone, fish, embryos, larvae, climate change, temperature, acidification

Participants :
- Fundacion loro parque (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Las Palmas de Grande Canarie (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226441.2 €
Projet VIBREAC (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The aim of the VIBREAC project is to develop a new computational tool based on a quasi-classical statistical model for the state-to-state treatment of molecular interactions. Recent conferences and commission reports of leading astronomical networks have emphasised that rovibrationally state-resolved collisional data for molecules are essential for future observational astronomy, as the number of detections of new, complex molecules has increased rapidly in recent years. In interstellar environments where local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions are not fulfilled, collisional and radiative processes compete to populate the rovibrational levels, which should be taken into account in proper astrophysical models. The accurate interpretation of the observations, which allows the relative abundance of particular molecules to be inferred, therefore requires a proper knowledge of both their collisional and radiative properties upon their interaction with the most abundant interstellar species such as H2, He or H. In the project, we will develop a significantly improved quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) molecular scattering model that will be reliable for both reactive and inelastic collisions involving polyatomic species, with full a state-selective resolution of the rotational-vibrational levels of the reactants and products, which is currently beyond the state-of-the-art. Although the fellow already has extensive knowledge in this field, the VIBREAC project will provide him with additional training, new skills and expertise in scattering dynamics and statistical modelling at HUN-REN ATOMKI (Debrecen, Hungary), as well as in computational chemistry and automated potential energy surface calculations during secondments to the University of Szeged (Hungary). Overall, this will consolidate his scientific and transferable skills and allow him to become an independent researcher with the aim of obtaining a permanent academic position at a leading European research centre.

Mots clés : molecular collisions, reaction dynamics, rate coefficients, scattering cross sections, rovibrational structure, astrochemistry

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Szeged (Hongrie) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut de recherche nucléaire (Hongrie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 182743.92 €
Projet Supply chain (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The COVID-19 Pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian War and other global crises have caused significant global disturbances in supply networks, especially in the agri-food industry. These events have greatly changed the traditional supply chain models, making it apparent that innovative approaches are needed to increase the resilience of Agri-food supply chains (AFSC). To overcome the major hurdle of shocks to which AFSCs tend to be vulnerable, this study attempts a holistic framework that integrates supply chain resilience (SCR) with sustainability objectives aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly: SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; and SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. The project aims to bridge the knowledge gap regarding the intricate impacts of global crises on AFSCs by focusing on key areas like assessing AFSC transitions following a disruption, analysing diversification strategies, assessing workforce readiness, developing a solid framework for risk management, and leveraging the full potential of data-driven technologies like blockchain and data analytics. The study will assess how these components can work together to improve resilience, which will ultimately result in a robust AFSC framework. By analysing AFSC in Eurozone countries, the study will identify significant potential and issues, leading to the development of actionable policies and solutions. This interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research integrates data science, supply chain management, economics, information technology, and agriculture science to address a complex global challenge. The fellowship will expand the researcher's supply chain management knowledge and give the host institution useful research results that can influence industry standards. The research is expected to contribute substantially to the potential influence on global food security, AFSC management improvement and sustainable economic practices.

Mots clés : agri food supply chain, resilience, data driven technologies, risk management, supply chain diversification, workforce readiness

Participants :
- Université de Vilnius (Lituanie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196976.16 €
Projet METAFUN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The high mortality rates and healthcare costs associated with severe fungal infections highlight the urgent need to unveil their pathogenetic mechanisms and develop more effective diagnosis and treatment measures. Innate immunity has a key role in host response to fungal infection, by mediating fungal recognition and elimination, and modulating adaptive immune responses. The long pentraxin PTX3 is a soluble pattern recognition receptor that is involved in the recognition and opsonisation of Aspergillus fumigatus. Metabolism is a central regulator of immune cell function. Phagocytosis of A. fumigatus conidia elicits enhanced glycolysis in macrophages and is essential for optimal antifungal effector functions. Preliminary data from the host lab indicate that PTX3 deficiency, by compromising the metabolic reprogramming of macrophages, impairs phagocytosis, but also their conidiacidal capacity upon infection. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanistic bases linking the functional activity of PTX3 and immune cell metabolism in the pathogenesis of fungal infection. In METAFUN, we propose to (i) define the molecular and cellular mechanisms whereby PTX3 regulates immune cell metabolism, (ii) dissect the spatiotemporal contribution of PTX3 to intracellular mechanisms of fungal clearance, and (iii) evaluate the contribution of PTX3 to fungicidal mechanisms in a human disease-relevant context using lung-on-a-chip systems. This original and interdisciplinary project will reveal previously unanticipated functions of PTX3 in antifungal immunity and will lay the foundations for the identification of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for fungal disease.

Mots clés : pentraxin 3, macrophages, aspergillus fumigatus, lung on a chip, immunometabolism, immunogenetics

Participants :
- Jena University Hospital (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université du Minho (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 156778.56 €
Projet PHANTOM (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Pentaquarks, recently discovered in LHCb at CERN became one of the most important discoveries of the last century. Quarks combine in threes to make up protons and neutrons, a quark and an antiquark form a meson. It was long hypothesized that other multiquark states should exist in Nature, among those - tetraquarks, made of four quarks, and pentaquarks - made of five quarks. Only in 2015 the LHCb experiment yielded a discovery of such states. Because of the complexity of Quantum Chromodynamics, theoretical predictions are very difficult to make. Input from the experiment is needed to steer the field toward understanding the interactions between quarks mediated by the strong force. During this project, the data analysis will be carried out using the latest and most extensive LHCb data set. It will be focused on a new and unstudied channel where pentaquarks are predicted to appear. Novel methods of particle reconstruction and reproducible analysis techniques will be employed which enable an analysis of a much larger scale and complexity. A kinematic over-constraint method called Extended Cone Closure, which was developed by myself will be used to look for pentaquarks in a channel inaccessible before. With the new Run3 LHCb dataset, improved particle identification efficiency and higher luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider, PHANTOM promises to provide much-needed input to the theory community. The results of this pentaquark search will be published in high-impact journals such as Nature Physics. The methods used in this analysis will be made available to the scientific community. Many aspects of such data analysis can be used in other fields of Physics and neighbouring fields of science. This will ensure the extensive transfer of knowledge between myself and the host institute - Vilnius University. A vast infrastructure is available in Vilnius to undertake such a project.

Mots clés : spectroscopy hadron pentaquark quark quantum chromodynamics data analysis

Participants :
- Université de Vilnius (Lituanie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196976.16 €
Projet FIRSA (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The growth and spread of FinTech has created complex challenges that have placed a significant burden on current regulatory frameworks. In response to the need to balance the promotion of innovation with the maintenance of financial stability and the protection of consumers, one institutional innovation – the FinTech regulatory sandbox (FRSB) – has gained traction to meet these challenges. However, the trajectories of adoption and the level of development of FRSBs vary significantly among EU countries in ways that remain underexplored. The FIRSA project aims to fill this gap by offering a multidimensional measurement framework of FRSBs in the EU to develop a greater understanding of their differences, relative strengths and weaknesses, and the mechanisms that lead to their implementation. Whereas existing comparative studies on FRSBs have focused on their de jure characteristics, this project will include de facto measures and will be organized in three interlocked stages. Stage one will output a measurement framework of FRSB development in the EU. Stage two will create a typology of FRSBs and validate it through qualitative case studies. Finally, stage three will apply qualitative comparative analysis to explain the trajectories of the adoption of FRSBs and factors influencing them. All project results will be disseminated through a project-specific website, which will serve as a hub for all related activities and materials, such as a dashboard on FinTech Regulatory Sandboxes in the EU, academic publications, a webinar series and a policy brief. Its innovative framework and dataset will be made available for policymakers, businesses and researchers, and will improve market efficiency by offering a centralized information hub on regulatory sandbox practices and characteristics that can be used by innovative firms to inform their decisions on if, where and how to enroll in these programs.

Mots clés : fintech regulatory sandbox european union

Participants :
- Université de Vilnius (Lituanie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 142757.76 €
Projet UnveilGBD (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

According to Feminist theories that have approached GBV, social changes related to globalization intersect with etiologies of Violence Against Women (VAW); the causes of VAW no longer stop at national borders. For more than 15 years, the integrated social-ecological theory has evolved as a theoretical model for exploring the factors associated with VAW. The primary research will investigate the relationship between basic cognitive functions (decision-making and emotion regulation), Need for Cognitive Closure, sexist beliefs, and acceptance of gender stereotypes, taking into consideration the “Culture in Mind” theoretical framework, on adherence to and perpetuation of Gender-Based Discrimination (GBD) through its implicit stereotypical manifestations. VAW is one of the major public health problems worldwide: World Health Organization data reported that approximately one in three women worldwide has been a victim of violence. The research project will be structured around four overarching objectives: 1)explore adherence to gender stereotypes in the reference sample; 2)identify the relationship between cognitive variables that lead to stereotypical thinking, to understand which relationships are strongest; 3)investigate which models explain the relationships between cognitive variables and stereotypical thinking; 4)make a comparison between Italy and Lithuania to investigate possible cultural differences. Although the patterns of GBV differ across cultures, the fact that it is a worldwide phenomenon leads to the hypothesis that there are factors that outweigh the cultural aspects that allow discriminatory stereotypes to persist. Therefore, the project aims to integrate into a single theoretical and innovative model the factors that most seem to be related to adherence to gender stereotypes. A policy recommendation will be prepared based on research findings. The innovative aspect of the project lies in an inclusive approach to gender equality seeking prevention of GBD.

Mots clés : gender based discrimination social ecological theory gender based violence social psychology

Participants :
- Université de Vilnius (Lituanie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 142757.76 €
Projet ORIGIN4MB (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : TERMINATED

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant paediatric brain tumour, affecting mostly infants and children, and to a lesser extent adults. It originates from neuronal stem or progenitor cell populations on the cerebellum or brainstem during development and/or childhood, comprising around 60% of childhood intracranial embryonal tumours. The main risk factors associated with this condition are heritable factors, including germline mutations in genes that regulate developmental signaling pathways in the cerebellum. MB are classified in 4 subgroups (Wnt, Sonic Hedgeghog (SHH), Group 3 and Group 4) according to their gene expression, cell of origin, methylation patterns and clinical features. Group 4 MB is the most common subgroup of MB, affecting approximately 40% of the patients with this condition. The cellular origins of Group 4 MB are still under debate; however, recent papers using single cell RNA sequencing showed that Group 4 MBs are characterized by the expression of transcription factors such as Eomesodermin(EOMES) and LIM/Homeobox protein 2(LHX2) genes expressed by granule upper rhombic lip progenitors, more specifically Unipolar Brush Cells(UBCs) that are born during cerebellar morphogenesis. Therefore, one can hypothesize that Group 4 MB originates from UBCs progenitors. The main goals of the ORIGIN4MB project are to uncover the cell of origin of Group 4 MB and to develop the first pre-clinical model of Group 4 MB, revealing unprecendented insights in MB biology. To this end we will use lineage tracing techniques, lentiviral in utero infection, in vivo imaging and post-mortem analysis. We will also validate if the generated mouse model is able to recapitulate the human disease. This validation will determine if this model could be used to develop new treatments for Group 4 MB, opening the door to new therapeutic avenues for those pedeatric patients, ultimately improving their quality of life.

Mots clés : medulloblastoma, cell of origin, mouse model, lentiviral infection, unipolar brush cells

Participants :
- Champalimaud Foundation (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 156778.56 €
Projet Cocco-Next (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Human CO2 emissions are critically poisoning the earth's climate. However, sedimentation by marine primary producers contributes greatly to carbon sequestration, with coccolithophores, unicellular marine algae with cell envelopes composed of CaCO3, being the key contributors. Nevertheless, the extent of the biogeochemical impact of coccolithophores is largely unknown. They have a dual life cycle and can grow as both haploids and diploids, but past research has focused mainly on the diploid phase. Moreover, knowledge of coccolithophores is almost exclusively limited to a single species that is distributed worldwide, and can form blooms visible from space. However, this species is peculiar in many biological aspects and does not calcify in the haploid phase, therefore we need to develop more model organisms to represent impact of coccolithophores on the carbon cycle. In this action, my objective is to understand how the physiological acclimations of the coccolithophore life cycle phases allow them to inhabit different ecological niches. I will implement a multidisciplinary approach to investigate two levels of complexity: how environmental factors influence physiology and which genes contribute to distinct genetic programs. To this end, I will work on a widespread coccolithophore species that calcifies at both life cycle phases. I will characterize for the first time how photosynthesis (light-driven CO2 fixation) and photoprotection (dissipation of excess energy) differ between the two phases, and determine which environmental conditions trigger ploidy transitions. To investigate the underlying genetic factors, I will then sequence the genome and, in both phases, the transcriptome. Overall, the ambition of the Cocco-Next project is to provide important insights into the interplay between life cycles, ecological niches, and biological CO2 sequestration and beyond, create novel, interconnected and open datasets that will be invaluable to the oceanographic community.

Mots clés : coccolithophores, photosynthesis, life cycle, haplodiplontic, genomics, transcriptomics, environmental conditions

Participants :
- Institut Ruđer Bošković (Croatie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 161889.6 €
Projet TopRooT (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

The proposal TopRooT (“Towards TOPological insulator-based electronic devices for ROOm Temperature operation”) aims at providing a route to novel electronic devices based on topological insulators. Nowadays, most of the research on topological insulators is for cryogenic (quantum)-electronics, but they also show huge potential for room temperature applications. To this end, a crucial technology is the integration of topological insulators (TIs) with topologically-trivial materials, such as ferromagnets (FM), enabling applications in spintronics and beyond. The proposal focuses on the study and optimization of TI/FM heterostructures and their application in spin-orbit torque magnetoresistive random access memories (SOT-MRAM). SOT-MRAM is at the forefront of the emerging technologies that enable a new generation of brain-inspired and energy-efficient computing, extremely relevant to drastically decrease the energy consumption of information and communication technologies, as stated in the European Commission’s strategy on “Shaping Europe’s digital future”. State-of-the-art implementation of SOT in TI/FM heterostructures is achieved at the microscale, which is not enough to achieve the needed high density of devices. Therefore, the proposal will specifically target the fabrication of nanoscale TI/FM heterostructures and pursue their implementation in full nanoscale magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices for SOT-MRAM, addressing the integration and efficiency challenges that arise. This will be achieved by growing Bi2Se3 (the chosen TI system) by molecular beam epitaxy and by sputtering the FM and MgO layers for the MTJs. Nanoscale fabrication will be achieved by electron beam lithography and auxiliary techniques. The efficiency of the SOT in TI/FM heterostructures will be accurately quantified via Harmonic Hall Voltage measurements at room temperature, while full MTJ devices will be subjected to electrical transport measurements to obtain the relevant device metrics.

Mots clés : topological insulators

Participants :
- Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (France) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 156778.56 €