Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet NITROGENIOUS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

NITROGENIOUS is an interdisciplinary project that will provide unprecedented knowledge on the genetics and metabolism of the green seaweed Ulva compressa for a sustainable and thriving aquaculture. Seaweed is the most rapidly expanding aquaculture sector with a potential to reduce the environmental impacts of terrestrial agriculture, to contribute to climate change mitigation and provide ecosystem services. The main application for the cosmopolitan Ulva compressa, with a high growth rate under various environmental conditions, are food, feed, bioremediation. However, its domestication and breeding are still in their infancy and companies are largely relying on wild harvest. NITROGENIOUS aims to elucidate genes and biochemical processes involved in nitrogen uptake and assimilation and to understand how they are impacted by increasing temperature, to improve yield and bioremediation capacity and to decrease the environmental impact of its farming. More specifically it will a) clone and characterize genes for nitrogen uptake, assimilation and regulation to open the way to modern breeding; b) advance the knowledge of U. compressa nitrogen metabolism under optimal conditions and determine how it is affected by increased temperatures and c) test at pilot scale the most promising strains obtained in the lab for bioremediation potential and biomass yield. Advanced methodologies will be employed in collaboration with the host lab scientific partners: chemically-induced mutagenesis, high-throughput phenotyping, whole genome sequencing, genome editing (in a secondment) and metabolic fluxes via liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Based on the results of the project, advantageous alleles could be selected from natural populations, and the physiological understanding gained will help optimizing N nutrition and cultivation techniques, to increase the production without increasing external input of fertilizers.

Mots clés : macroalgae, ulva compressa, nitrogen uptake, nitrogen assimilation, seaweed aquaculture, bioremediation

Participants :
- Université nationale d'Irlande à Galway (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 215534.4 €
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet SEACOVERY (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Current degradation of marine ecosystems, worsen by global change processes, have triggered scientific and public awareness for environmental conservation. That is the case of seagrass meadows, unique coastal habitats which provide a variety of ecosystem services, play essential roles in coastal ecology and biogeochemistry and are endangered by human development. Even though seagrass restoration might be locally helpful with some species, in the case of the iconic Mediterranean species Posidonia oceanica, conservation and recovery of the existing meadows is the most urgent topic to be addressed. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the active strategies which could be applied to enhance present meadow's tolerance and future resilience to environmental stressors. Through an interdisciplinary approach based on assisted genetic migration, active priming strategies, assisted ecological succession and science communication, SEACOVERY project will explore new insights into assisted recovery techniques and increase awareness in local communities. My experience in seagrass ecotoxicology and population dynamics will be complemented with the recognised expertise on assisted evolution and transcriptomic responses of Dr. Gabriele Procaccini (SZN, Italy), combined with the essential knowledge on seagrass physiological and ecological responses to environmental stressors of Dr. Lázaro Marín-Guirao (IEO-CSIC, Spain). The outreach of this research will be augmented thanks to the placement with the CSI Gaiola onlus, which will support science communication and education events. SEACOVERY will provide an urgently needed knowledge on assisted natural recovery of P. oceanica meadows, with the potential of being a cost-effective climate change mitigation strategy.

Mots clés : posidonia oceanica restoration assisted recovery priming transcriptomics

Participants :
- Centro studi interdisciplinari gaiola onlus (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Autres, subvention : 0.0 €
- Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 242054.1 €
Projet ABACUSS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Age-related loss of physical ability and balance control are important predictors for falls in older people. Activities of daily life, such as stair negotiation, are challenging as they require older people to operate close to their functional limits. This makes stair negotiation performance a good candidate to detect early-onset deterioration before a fall occurs, as well as a good task-specific exercise modality. To investigate these assumptions, I will first assess the sensitivity of linear and non-linear analyses of data from body-worn inertial measurement units (IMUs) to detect age-related and training-induced changes in balance control of older people (65+ years). These findings will then be applied to assess improvements of balance control and the underlying changes in neuromuscular organisation following a 1-year home-based stair climbing exercise program in older people. Finally, I aim to elucidate the role of cortical involvement in neuromuscular organisation during stair negotiation in older people using electroencephalograms and analyses of muscle synergies obtain from electromyographic signals of the lower limb muscles. This will allow me to assess the level of cortico-synergy coherence and the plastic changes associated with training-induced adaptations in kinematic profiles during stair negotiation. The findings from this project will contribute to a better understanding of age-related and training-induced adaptations in balance control, neuromuscular organisation, and the role of cortical involvement in task-specific adaptations. In addition, the assessments of sensitivity of current and novel analyses of inertial data will help to improve detection of early-onset deterioration of balance performance to better target training interventions at individuals with increased fall risk.

Mots clés : biomechanics

Participants :
- Université libre d'Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 270829.44 €
- Neuroscience research asutralia (Australie) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet H2SOUTH (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Green hydrogen is increasingly seen as a critical pillar of the global energy transition. Its appeal is also felt in the Global South, where countries seek to benefit from export opportunities, new infrastructures, and technological innovations. Yet, green hydrogen is predominantly discussed from technical and financial angles, prioritizing the experiences and interests of the Global North. Its political, societal, and spatial implications, particularly in more unequal Global South contexts, remain neglected and poorly understood. H2SOUTH addresses these insufficiencies by investigating the governance and spatial dimensions of green hydrogen's incipient deployment in the Global South, focusing on Brazil and India. Drawing on the interdisciplinary field of political geography, it conceptualizes green hydrogen systems as inherently political and spatial processes, embedded in prevailing–often uneven –power structures. H2SOUTH pursues two research objectives. The first investigates the ways in which green hydrogen governance is articulated in official political discourses, approaching the role of overall power relations. The second examines the making of green hydrogen spaces through specific investment sites, exploring their ground-level implications to host societies.  H2SOUTH adopts an innovative multimethodological approach that aggregates topic modeling-based discourse analysis, social cartography, and qualitative techniques. It combines the study of governance frameworks with experiences and practices at the ground-level to further new, more complete understandings of green hydrogen, capturing its multifaceted, differentiated, and controversial consequences in and for the Global South.  H2SOUTH’s impact will go beyond academia through dialogues with civil society, practitioners, and policymakers, raising awareness about the political and geographical implications of green hydrogen and offering policy directions towards more just energy transitions.

Mots clés : green hydrogen energy transition global south political geography decarbonization sustainable development

Participants :
- Federal University of Ceará (Brésil) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 216240.0 €
Projet RAINBOW (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The RAINBOW project addresses the pressing issue of stereotypes and biases directed at LGBTQIA+ individuals online. In an era where digital discourse shapes societal attitudes, it is imperative to address the rising tide of stereotypes targeting queer people. These stereotypes can escalate into hate speech and violence, perpetuating discrimination. RAINBOW's objective is to preemptively counteract these stereotypes, fostering a more inclusive and tolerant online environment.  While much research exists on hate speech detection, there is a significant scarcity of initiatives that focus on early intervention to prevent stereotypes from evolving into hate speech and violence. The project seeks to fill this gap by pioneering advanced Multilingual Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques specifically tailored to recognize and counteract emerging stereotypes and biased narratives (in English, Spanish and Italian). This proactive approach, combined with collaboration across linguistics, NLP, sociology, and LGBTQIA+ studies, offers a comprehensive understanding of the issue and the development of tools to address it effectively.  Furthermore, the findings of this project will play a pivotal role in the development of an Educational Toolkit specifically designed to raise awareness about stereotypes and biases directed at LGBTQIA+ individuals. This tool will be tailored for the age group that spends the most time online (16-24 years old), ensuring that the next generation is equipped with the knowledge and understanding needed to foster inclusivity and combat stereotypes in the digital realm.  Essentially, the RAINBOW project aligns closely with the objectives of the Work Programme, aiming to establish a safer online environment for LGBTQIA+ individuals while advancing the frontiers of Multilingual NLP technology to combat online discrimination. This research endeavor bears substantial potential in shaping a digital future characterized by greater equity and inclusivity.

Mots clés : computational linguistics, natural language processing, social media processing, multilingual, lgbtqia , stereotypes, education

Participants :
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
Projet TeaGre (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Schedography is a Byzantine method of teaching Greek grammar that was popular from the eleventh century to the early modern period. The study of this method enables a better understanding of 1) which kind of Greek was taught and how its teaching was conducted in medieval schools; 2) the influence of school curriculum on writing and reading practices in Byzantium; 3) the purposes of Byzantine education and cultural politics. The existent studies offer sound, but general, overviews and several schedographic sources are unedited. Furthermore, there is the lack of a consistent approach to the study of the edited schedographic sources. My project addresses this issue by looking at the eleventh century, when this method began to spread. I will frame schedography within the context of eleventh-century Byzantine culture and of contemporary school practices. Furthermore, I will examine the most relevant source for this period, the handbook by Longibardos, to describe its teaching method through a linguistic and stylistic analysis. My project will also lead to a critical edition of Longibardos’ handbook and other unedited eleventh-century schedographic remnants. TeaGre will offer both the first study of schedography and its early evolution as well as a consistent linguistic and stylistic approach to schedographic sources. The simultaneous presence of the ERC-funded projects MELA and EVWRIT at Ghent University places my MSCA Fellowship within a context of substantial and innovative research on Classical, Late Antique and Medieval Greek language and education. The edition of Longibardos and eleventh-century schedographic texts will also expand the database for the study of Greek literature and language that is currently being developed at Ghent University. Through this fellowship, I will improve my professional profile into a more complete Greek scholar and my project will provide me with the proof of concept for my further research on this topic.

Mots clés : byzantine literature greek linguistics greek philology teaching in middle age

Participants :
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
Projet INTDKIN (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

C1 Chemistry plays a crucial role in providing energy and chemical supplies while meeting environmental requirements, such as carbon neutrality to mitigate global warming and the gradual shift in the supply chain from crude oil to biomass, and other alternative carbon sources. Zeolites, as one kind of important heterogeneous catalysts, create a perfect environment to selectively and effectively convert C1 molecules to chemicals with high economic value, as for instance the transformation of methanol to olefins (MTO) or the methanol carbonylation process. However, the understanding of the reaction mechanisms of these methanol conversions in zeolites is lacking. Up till now the diffusion process of reactants, intermediates, and products in the confined spaces of zeolites has not been considered in the free energy landscape of the catalytic cycle, which leads to a discrepancy between experiments and calculations. Therefore, the proposed integrated diffusion/reaction kinetics model is an essential keystone to understand the high selectivity of zeolites in C1 chemistry. In this project, ab initio molecular dynamic (AIMD) simulations accelerated with different enhanced sampling methods will be employed to study the complete kinetics of methanol conversion in zeolites, including the processes of reactants adsorption/diffusion, reaction, and product diffusion/desorption. This should result in a complete free energy landscape, by which the parameters of zeolites that influence the selectivity of C1 chemistry will be uncovered. The final affinity of this model is to guide the modification, design, and screening of highly effective zeolite catalysts for C1 chemistry in an efficient and adequate manner.

Mots clés : zeolite, diffusion, free energy profile, methanol conversion, c1 chemistry

Participants :
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 191760.0 €
Projet SBS-microbe (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a severe intestinal disorder that occurs in patients upon small bowel resection. While rare in prevalence, SBS severely affects the patient’s quality of life. SBS-microbe is a multidisciplinary translational project aimed at expanding our knowledge on SBS pathogenesis and the mechanisms for resection-induced physiological adaptations, through the identification of microbial, metabolic and cellular hallmarks. It integrates a combination of SHIME, as dynamic gastrointestinal (GI) model, with epithelial cellular models and in vivo patients’ data, to gain a better mechanistic insight in disease progression, severity and the interplay with the microbiota. It may additionally propose attractive therapeutic strategies and provide valuable tools to address physiological aspects for both healthy and pathological conditions, without the recourse to animal models. Hosted in the Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology at Ghent University, this proposal includes a secondment with SBS medical and metagenomics experts at KULeuven. The applicant’s microbiology and cell biology expertise will be expanded with reactor engineering skills, facilitating the development of novel in vitro models to address host-microbiota interactions in a simulated SBS environment. The secondment at KULeuven offers the opportunity to gain a better insight in cohort composition and identify determinants that potentially underlie the patient’s clinical condition, which is crucial for the mechanistic in vitro work. Through the development of a GI and epithelial cellular models, SBS-microbe aims at identifying key microbial and cellular signatures occurring after intestinal resection. Additionally, this will enable the proof-of-concept that targeting specific microbial and metabolic markers may significantly empower the intestinal homeostasis in SBS and ameliorate the quality of life of these patients.

Mots clés : short bowel syndrome, shime, host microbiota interaction

Participants :
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €
Projet HI-LANDeS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2021)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

HI-LANDeS develops a conceptually innovative and empirically grounded historicising approach to the transformation and governance of rural landscapes. In the face of planetary-wide anthropogenic change, new knowledge and methods are required to better grasp how human and nonhuman lives co-produce socio-environmental transformations through “more-than-human” histories. Strategic sites for carbon storage, water sources, and biodiversity, as well as home to resilient indigenous communities, Andean wetlands offer a unique case-study to examine “more-than-human” landscape histories, and how these can inform contemporary socio-environmental challenges. The main objective of HI-LANDeS is to construct and apply an analytical framework that integrates a historicising, systemic, and more-than-human perspective on rural landscapes to investigate the role of communal practices and knowledge production around water and land in the transformation and governance of rural landscapes. HI-LANDeS departs from two case studies in indigenous communities of the Bolivian-Chilean highlands, based on archival research, fieldwork, and community workshops, analysed within a global framework and a transdisciplinary collaboration. HI-LANDeS will produce new empirical knowledge, critical theoretical insights, and innovative co-creational methods that can contribute to more inclusive conservation and rural development policies, in the Andes, Europe but also more globally. This global fellowship facilitates a three-way transfer of knowledge between expertise in rural history, world-ecology, and rural development at UGent (Belgium), a strong tradition in Andean historical anthropology at UTA (Chile), and the fellow’s trajectory in environmental humanities. Through an intersectoral secondment at NGO Agua Sustentable (Bolivia), the fellow will enable a knowledge transfer between historical research and environmental governance.

Mots clés : environmental humanities, rural history, andes, landscape, historical anthropology, indigenous communities, environmental governance, 19th century, 20th century, bolivia, chile

Participants :
- Université de Tarapacá (Chili) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Centro de apoyo a la gesti0n sustentable del agua y medio ambiente (Bolivie) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 226694.4 €
Projet ITACOMICS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Comics are a powerful means through which American values reached Italy in the 1930s and became part of its culture. With their formative potential influence on younger readers and wide distribution, comics provide a unique line of enquiry for exploring cultural changes, as both a reflection of and a contributor to such changes. My project explores the evolution of Italian comics from the 1930s to the 1960s, focusing on gender discourse and transnational exchange to offer a novel perspective on modern Italian culture. By examining comics in the Fascist era, the post-war era, and the economic boom era, ITACOMICS examines the impact of the American model in shaping Italian comics and assesses their impact in gender representation while taking into account the sociopolitical context which influenced comics production. This approach will show how such cultural dialogue produced a cross-cultural product that reflected transnational influences and contributed to shaping the Italian popular imaginary. Italy’s peculiar political history enables me to use comics to examine how society developed from an authoritarian regime to democracy from a perspective still largely unexplored. The project examines popular comics in Italy in the years between 1934, when the first American adventure comics were published, and 1965, when Valentina appeared, a female-focused comic that revolutionised the image of womanhood portrayed in comics. This analysis highlights changes in Italian culture and society and challenges the centrality of American comics in the English-speaking scholarship. By posing broader questions about interconnected cultures, showing how cultural specificities coexist with foreign models, and how foreign gender models adapt to a specific context, my research project will provide ground-breaking perspectives on comics’ reinterpretation and incorporation of American culture in the Italian context, showing how the two cultures are deeply intertwined.

Mots clés : americanisation popular culture children s periodicals popular press gender representation femininity masculinity transnational modern comics italian studies

Participants :
- Trinity College (Irlande) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Gand (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 175920.0 €