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

Situated at the intersection of colonial history and sociotechnical analyses of AI, COLONAILISM investigates the apparent degradation of the doctrine of (digital) consent, specifically as it pertains to data collection by AI labs for the development of large-scale AI systems. Its analysis excavates the strong and instructive analogy with the period in colonial history during which the very same concept was subject to scrutiny because critics came to argue that Indigenous actors lacked the capacity to give verifiable consent in treaties involving the cession of sovereign rights. Such a revision resulted in conditions that caused 75% of the world's people to become subject to colonial powers. The analogy suggests the same power concentration/alienation has the potential to recur (if it hasn’t already) following rather similar dynamics in the scramble for user data that is accompanying the development of new foundation models. Importantly, COLONAILISM makes interventions not only in the academic discourse, but also in policy formation (at the municipal and global levels), and industry by developing new decolonial ethics, safety, and governance toolkits AI labs can use to identify and mitigate practices that are harmful to human systems or exploit their value unfairly.

Mots clés : artificial intelligence digital inequality digital colonialism internet geography data ethics and governance ai ethics and society data collection practices data sovereignty

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €
Projet POLARCROSS (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This fellowship project aims to establish a new suite of photocatalytic reductive coupling methodologies using feedstock starting materials that will allow the efficient synthesis of important value-added compounds. Key to this proposal is the design and development of a reductive photocatalytic system comprising a suitable organic reductant and a photocatalyst that upon photoexcitation becomes simultaneously strongly Brønsted acidic and strongly reducing. Under appropriate reaction conditions the novel photon-controlled acidity would catalyse alcohol dehydration and concomitant single electron transfer (SET) to the arising carbocation would generate the free-radical capable of undergoing a broad range of synthetically useful intermolecular and intramolecular carbon-carbon bond forming processes The chemistry is particularly suited for generating fully substituted carbon atoms in a process where only water is the by-product. Based on these results, a new strategy for the synthesis of bioactive complex (alkaloid) natural products will also be developed. We anticipate that further advancement of these findings will revolutionize the synthesis of complex bioactive molecules using feedstock starting materials, and more broadly influence the way chemists design and access such intricate motifs. The POLARCROSS fellowship offers a high-quality and cutting-edge research platform that will enhance the state-of-the-art in European Commission funded research and will complement Dr. Wang's existing skills set. This fellowship will serve as a catalyst for enhancing the competencies needed to realize his career aspiration of securing an academic position at a top-tier institution and embarking on an independent research journey. Furthermore, it will nurture him into a seasoned, versatile researcher equipped with the diverse skill set required for the advancement of science and the betterment of society.

Mots clés : new methodology development, polar radical crossover, carbon carbon bond formation, natural product synthesis

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet REBET (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The planet is experiencing an accelerated loss of biodiversity. Why are the actions undertaken with the intention of mitigating the loss of biodiversity so conspicuously inefficient? One of the root causes lies in the weak capacity of modern ethics to deal with the dynamic and relational concept of biodiversity. The concept of biodiversity is inherently relational, which is why the protection of biodiversity lacks efficacious ethical support. A novel approach, relational biodiversity ethics (REBET), is required. This study responds to this need and addresses two research gaps, integrating two discussions related to the question of whether and how the "relational shift of thought" can provide ethical assistance in accelerating biodiversity conservation (BDC). On the one hand, there is an underexamined question in BDC research, how the relational framing of BDC can be translated into normative guidelines. On the other hand, there is a debate in philosophy regarding the capacity of relational ethics, exemplified in, for example, feminist and care ethicists, to maintain the conditions of responsibility and normativity. In contrast with the modern concept of autonomy as a feature of an isolated, free, and impartial individual, relational ethics advocates for an embodied and relational concept of autonomy. The objective of this research is to elucidate the normative implications of the relational shift for BDC and to establish the foundations REBET to facilitate transformation for biodiversity. Three key questions must be addressed: What are the theoretical implications of a relational turn for biodiversity ethics? Can relational ethics withstand the philosophical critiques with the aid of the parallel discussion of responsive ethics and interdisciplinary inputs? And what are the guidelines of REBET for BDC?

Mots clés : environmental ethics, biodiversity conservation, relationality, autonomy, responsiveness, ethical theory, sustainability studies, environmental philosophy, metaethics

Participants :
- Université d'Aarhus (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 263393.28 €
Projet LIMBO (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

LIMBO aims to introduce a new class of microphysiological systems (MPSs) that replicate the mechanical microenvironment of the developing limb bud and integrate on-line volumetric spectroscopic analyses. This will provide new insights into biophysical factors in musculoskeletal tissue organogenesis, previously unknown due to technological limitations, and guide regenerative medicine approaches for age-related pathologies. Since Alan Turing's theorization in 1952, developmental biology has relied on the idea that morphogenesis stems from chemical patterns forming from initially uniform substances. Yet, advances in single-cell transcriptomics and lineage tracing have shown that biochemical and genetic instructions alone do not fully explain the self-organizing behavior of developing tissues. A new perspective suggests that mechanical forces are as crucial as gene expression and chemical diffusion, particularly for musculoskeletal tissues development; proper joint formation depends on muscle contractions and foetal movements. A major obstacle to understanding the "sculpting forces" driving tissue growth, shape, and differentiation patterns is the lack of technologies to measure the biophysical parameters of developing tissues, replicate the cell scale mechanical milieu, and monitor its temporospatial evolution. MPSs are gaining traction as tools to dissect developmental processes and observe molecular-scale dynamics. However, replicating the mechanics of developing musculoskeletal tissues - affected by cyclical strains, growth-generated internal stresses, and topography/localized curvature induced cues - presents peculiar engineering challenges. I propose a multidisciplinary approach that combines mouse embryonal limb bud cells with an MPS technology for cyclical mechanical stimulation, micro fibrous scaffolds, and acoustic cell patterning to replicate different mechanical cues, and with confocal Raman Spectroscopy Imaging to assess tissues biomolecular time evolution.

Mots clés : organ on chip, microfabrication, mechanics, limb bud, confocal raman spectroscopy imaging

Participants :
- Université d'Oxford (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
Projet Symbio-CB-Seagrass (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Seagrass meadows are crucial for maintaining healthy coastal environments, yet they are declining globally at an alarming rate. Traditional conservation efforts focus on reducing environmental stressors, but their limited success highlights the need for innovative approaches that do not look at the plants as single entities but acknowledge the role of key symbiotic interactions. One example is the symbiosis between seagrass, lucinid clams and their sulphur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB), which has been shown to enhance seagrass health by mitigating sulphide stress and increasing nutrient availability through nitrogen fixation. However, this symbiosis is absent in seas above 53°N, like Wadden and Baltic Seas. Cable bacteria (CB) are centimetre-long, filamentous bacteria, capable of long-distance electron transfer, coupling sulphide oxidation in anoxic sediments with oxygen reduction. These bacteria have recently been found in the seagrass rhizosphere, suggesting they could serve as an alternative symbiotic system, protecting seagrasses in northern regions. Despite reports linking CB presence with reduced sulphide levels, little is known about the mechanisms and potential benefits of this interaction for the plant. The Symbio-CB-Seagrass project aims to investigate the CB-seagrass interaction across spatial and temporal micro- and macro-scales. Through a series of laboratory experiments, I will test whether CB positively impact seagrass fitness by reducing sulphide stress and by enhancing nutrient availability through nitrogen fixation. Field surveys and publicly available data will be used to assess the geographical distribution of these symbiotic systems and whether CB can serve as beneficial symbionts for seagrasses in northern European waters, analogous to the lucinid clams in southern European seas. This study will deepen our understanding of the beneficial seagrass microbiome and stimulate the development of innovative solutions in seagrass protection and restoration.

Mots clés : cable bacteria, seagrass, symbiosis, sulphur oxidation, nitrogen fixation, biogeography

Participants :
- Université d'Aarhus (Danemark) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 247553.28 €
Projet SmartDelivery (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2022)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Scientific advances in recent years have brought to light a series of potentially disruptive technologies in the ICT landscape. They are becoming, and will increasingly become, key enabling technologies for the development of applications and services designed to improve the quality of life of citizens and make processes more efficient. Among these, we can identify some which research has recently focused on with particular attention: Machine Learning and Internet of Things. In this project we propose a combined use of these two technological enablers to solve one of the main issues which all logistics experts have to face: the problem of optimising the last mile delivery (LMD). LMD is a crucial step of the entire delivery process, as it causes bottlenecks and is typically the most costly, problematic and inefficient part. Improving the LMD process in terms of route optimisation using classic approaches is difficult: static algorithms are not suitable, and even heuristic algorithms do not find high-quality solutions, as they do not consider several factors such as unpredictable real-time events which may occur. To address these challenges, a novel hardware/software architecture which exploits real-time vehicles’ positions to continuously improve performances of the routing algorithms is proposed, together with a new IoT-based methodology to automatically/dynamically assign routes to drivers based on the values of a defined “sixth sense”parameter. A ML module will predict the best among a chosen portfolio of different heuristics/metaheuristics algorithms to optimise the route.

Mots clés : last mile delivery, route optimisation, vehicle routing problem, vrp, classifiers, logistic supply chain, iot

Participants :
- Kairos digital, analytics and big data solutions sl (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Salamanque (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 206641.2 €
- Université de Catane (Italie) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet PARTIORI (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Mathematics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Combinatorial designs are some of the most fascinating and elusive objects in mathematics. For over 200 years their study has generated many sophisticated methods, and the theory has found applications in biological experiment design, construction of strong error correcting codes, and network fault detection. The celebrated proof of the existence of designs has been an impressive achievement of the last decade. At the core of this landmark result lies a combination of powerful contemporary tools: the semi-random and absorption methods. The PARTIORI project seeks to utilise and extend these ideas to demonstrate the existence of certain transversal partitions and large oriented structures of, respectively, coloured an oriented random graphs.  At the intersection of combinatorial design theory, Ramsey theory, and probabilistic combinatorics, PARTIORI lies at the edge of active sub-areas, exploring rainbow decompositions of edge-coloured random graphs and thresholds for the emergence of an Ramsey property of graph orientations. More precisely, the project aims at leveraging powerful methods from extremal and probabilistic combinatorics (the semi-random, absorption, regularity and container methods) to make significant contributions to the following two areas:  - obtaining decompositions of edge-coloured complete graphs into few rainbow paths; - establishing universality results for the containment of oriented structures in arbitrary orientations of random graphs.  The research is planned for two years and takes as a basis prior results obtained by the applicant while also taking advantage of approaches developed by the host. A secondment at the University of Warwick (U.K.) is also planned, hosted by Prof. Richard Montgomery, a leading figure in mathematics and expert in both topics covered by the project.

Mots clés : probabilistic combinatorics, random discrete structures, combinatorial design theory, extremal combinatorics, ramsey theory, directed graphs, randomized algorithms

Participants :
- CERCA Institution (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 209914.56 €
- Université de Warwick (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet GARZONI (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2023)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
Panel : Social Sciences and Humanities
Statut du projet : SIGNED

This innovative, interdisciplinary project aims to provide the first historical and philosophical analysis of Tommaso Garzoni’s understudied encyclopaedic work on wonders "Il serraglio degli stupori del mondo" (1613) within the context of late Renaissance debate on marvels. The Protestant denial of Purgatory ignited a heated debate over the spiritual status of ghosts, sprites and spirits, which were understood as diabolical manifestations. This debate spread over time, engulfing other forms of preternatural phenomena, and yielded an epistemology of wonders intended to distinguish true from false prodigies and actual miracles from superstition as well as to redefine the limits of Nature. An enthusiastic scientific interest in marvels took root alongside the anxiety over diabolical deceits. Garzoni’s work addressed both the religious and scientific preoccupations. By analysing the "Serraglio" within the broader context of the European vernacular debate on marvels and superstitions, the GARZONI project will provide new insights into the circulation of scientific knowledge among non-specialist audiences, investigate the intermingling of learned culture and popular creeds and analyse the debate’s scientific and epistemological impact. The project will follow three main research directions: 1) the reconstruction of the editorial history of the "Serraglio"; 2) a study of its scientific sources; 3) the contextualization of the "Serraglio" within the coeval corpus of miscellaneous and encyclopaedic vernacular works on magic, divination and superstition. Dr Valentina Serio is a young researcher with international experience in the United States and the United Kingdom. Thanks to her past experiences as well as the knowledge and training she will receive during this GF at the University of Stanford, Warwick University and Ca’ Foscari, Serio will grow as a prominent scholar and significantly contribute to Renaissance intellectual history.

Mots clés : history of wonders and curiosity superstition vernacular writing divination reformation and counter reformation church history learned and popular culture

Participants :
- Université Stanford (Etats-Unis) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Ca' Foscari de Venise (Italie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 265099.2 €
- Université de Warwick (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet NERemodelJaponicus (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Mitosis ensures faithful inheritance of genetic material in proliferating eukaryotic cells. Cellular genome is compartmentalized inside the nucleus, which is delimited by the double-membrane nuclear envelope (NE). The NE must be restructured during mitosis to allow chromosome segregation by the mitotic spindle and formation of the daughter nuclei. Eukaryotes perform this task using diverse approaches, ranging from fully “open” to fully “closed” mitosis depending on whether and when the NE breaks down. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus breaks the NE in anaphase, unlike its well-known relative S. pombe that undergoes closed mitosis. S. japonicus has already become an excellent discovery model providing critical insights into the rules underlying NE expansion and rearrangements of NE-chromatin contacts. Yet, we know little about the mitotic signalling and the effector mechanisms driving NE breakdown and reformation in this organism. Importantly, S. japonicus is uniquely suited for understanding mitotic nuclear membrane remodelling, as its mitosis does not involve the elaborate NE dynamics of higher eukaryotes, including disassembly and reassembly of nuclear pore complexes. I will combine cell biology, protein biochemistry, genetics, and next-generation sequencing approaches to understand: (1) how the evolutionarily conserved inner nuclear membrane protein Lem2 controls mitotic NE remodelling; (2) what are the molecular mechanisms of mitotic NE remodelling downstream of the important mitotic kinase Aurora B; and (3) what other novel factors drive NE breakdown and reformation in mitosis. Defects in NE remodelling result in spindle malfunction, aneuploidy and chromosome rearrangements that may compromise normal development and promote tumorigenesis. My work will provide a stripped-down view of membrane remodelling underlying NE breakdown and reformation in S. japonicus, with insights likely to be relevant to the open mitosis of metazoans, including humans.

Mots clés : nuclear envelope remodeling, nuclear membrane, mitosis, evolutionary cell biology, fission yeast

Participants :
- Université de Londres (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 260347.92 €
- Institut Francis Crick (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
Projet iCWaste (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Construction waste (CW) is a significant issue for environmental sustainability and economic efficiency. In the UK, construction, demolition, and excavation waste made up 62% of the total waste generated, amounting to 137.8 million tonnes​. Across the EU, construction and demolition waste represented the largest waste stream, with 374 million tonnes recorded. While recovery rates are high, much of this waste ends in landfills or is repurposed in low-grade applications, highlighting the need for improved recycling quality to better align with circular economy principles that advocate for the reuse and recycling of waste. Effective management of construction waste not only supports sustainable practices but also contributes to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12, which emphasises responsible consumption and production. Our research project is at the forefront of advancing sustainable construction by leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies and innovative waste magement strategies. The project aims to advance sustainable construction by leveraging AI technologies. It will precisely determine construction waste at the project level, identify waste generation points, and develop effective waste handling strategies. The project will also develop new KPIs for construction waste management to assess the efficiency of waste handling practices, resource utilisation, and project sustainability. Additionally, AI-driven decision-support systems will be developed to provide actionable insights for construction managers. The project emphasises sustainable construction practices, including materials reuse and building design for disassembly and reassembly. It will also establish guidelines, best practices, and policy frameworks to facilitate the adoption of sustainable construction methods across the industry. The project aims to catalyse a global shift towards resilient and sustainable construction in the UK, EU, and beyond.

Mots clés : waste management intelligent decision making sustainable construction artificial intelligence

Participants :
- Université de Northumbria (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 276187.92 €