Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Ocean Glow (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
Entité participante : GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : IFM-GEOMAR
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Primary production in the ocean is critically important for human wellbeing - it regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide as well as sustaining almost all ocean life. But models predicting the impacts of climate change do not agree on the sign of ocean primary production in the coming century. Currently, satellite observations tell us how ocean primary productivity is changing, but not the underlying controls. Fieldwork and modelling show nutrient limitation is key, but there is currently no way to observe nutrient limitation at the scales needed to monitor climate change impacts or benchmark the accuracy of models. This project aims to overcome the scaling problem using direct, nutrient-regulated fluorescence signals passively emitted from phytoplankton and detected by satellite sensors in space. Although recorded for almost two decades, these signals have been confounded by uncertainty. In Ocean Glow I will take a two-pronged approach to break through the current blockage. In the first prong, a novel laboratory mesocosm facility will be constructed and used to quantify the key factors regulating phytoplankton fluorescence emission, in the same way that it is stimulated and detected by satellites. In the second prong I will connect these experimental results with the real world by undertaking field observations on research cruises through the global ocean, using approaches that I have pioneered in my previous research. Finally, I will use this ground-based assessment to perform data-informed deconvolution of the satellite fluorescence signal to observe nutrient limitation at a global, time-resolved scale using the existing, two-decade satellite record. In making a step change in the utility of satellite-detected fluorescence, Ocean Glow will deliver the tool needed to make mechanistic assessments of how climate change is impacting ocean productivity.

Mots-clés : ocean productivity,phytoplankton,micro nutrient limitation,chlorophyll fluorescence,remote sensing,ground truth
Projet ERC : CARECENTURY (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Study of the Human Past
Entité participante : Université de Leyde — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

How did caretakers rooted in families, communities and societies nurture very young children across historical time? And, how have care practices changed across different peoples, states and political economies in the dynamic 20th century? This ambitious project answers these important, yet mostly overlooked, questions with a comparative study of early childcare in central and eastern Europe from 1905 to 2004. The late Habsburg Empire and, after 1918, six of its successor states offer an ideal laboratory to explore how the invisible work of caretaking was impacted by changing political, social and economic circumstances. In this ethnically and religiously diverse region, care continued during depressions, wars, genocides, displacements and revolutions. This project will be the first to study early childcare in this region systematically and conceptualize the history of private and public caretaking in early life more broadly.  To achieve this goal of defining and explaining care practices, this project has three objectives: (1) to show the nature and scope of the invisible work required during the first 1,000 days of life using unexamined voices, spaces and things; (2) to use insights from sociological and economic literatures to conceptualize and theorize the caretaking regimes of central and eastern Europe and explain continuities and discontinuities of caretaking within one diverse region, and (3) to examine the afterlife of caretaking regimes after 1989 and European Union expansion, while also exploring the legacies and debates about caretaking which endure today. This project hypothesizes that caretaking regimes – a collection of medical beliefs, moral assumptions, new technologies and advances in material culture –interacted with changing political economies and inherited religious and ethnic sensitivities. Variations across this interaction explain how and why caretakers utilized some childcare practices and not others in this illuminating milieu.

Mots-clés : care,early childhood,invisible work,material culture,visual studies
Projet ERC : DivOut (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Entité participante : Université de Leyde — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

This project seeks to investigate how social inequalities are embodied through a comparative analysis of participation in outdoor recreation in Europe. Outdoor recreation – such as hiking, climbing, swimming, but also birdwatching and camping – is as a pivotal arena where racialized encounters and practices manifest. Given the current international attention to diversity and (lack of) anti-racism in Europe on the one hand, and the understudied emerging grassroots outdoor movements that challenge these discourses on the other, it is essential that we better understand the embodiment of ethnoracial inequality and its intersections with religion, gender, class and ability. This project undertakes a comparative ethnographic study of ethnoracial embodiment in outdoor recreation in Western-Europe, while asking the questions: What are the effects of ethnoracial embodiment on sociocultural diversity in outdoor recreation? How are bodies constituted as in or out of place in outdoor recreation in Europe? How is diversity in outdoor recreation influenced by local, national and transnational discourses and imaginations? What is the role of ethnoracial affinity and opposition in experiences of participating in, and contesting the status quo of outdoor recreation? The central objective is to gain insight in the commonalities and socio-cultural distinctiveness of how ethnoracial inequalities are embodied, experienced, and contested across Europe. It does so by analysing the embodied, sensorial dimensions of racialization (and its intersections) in outdoor recreation and developing a theorization on ethnoracial embodiment. The concept sensory ecology helps innovatively analyse identity-based outdoor groups and activities, outdoor recreation policies and discourses between local movements, national- level organizations and online communities. The project compares three countries with emerging identity-based outdoor groups: the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom

Mots-clés : leisure embodiment
Projet ERC : WORLDING-AMERICA (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Studies of Cultures and Arts
Entité participante : Université de Leyde — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

WORLDING AMERICA researches how “play” has been a key force in the past and present process of creating America as a coherent and hegemonic “world,” from 1503 to the present. Play is an activity linked to change, serious even when frivolous, potentially transgressive even when rule-bound. Play intersects with the process of worlding (bringing a new world into existence) in liminal moments. In such unstable phases, when new worlds take shape, but are not yet consolidated, play comes to the fore as a way to probe possibilities.  I seek out such historical moments of disruptive play when a new visual medium was introduced that contributed directly to tangible political change. I study four pivotal cases: Worlding Colonial America through Engravings, 1590-1776; Worlding the Nation through Newspaper Cartoons, 1870-1924; Worlding the Body Politic through Television, 1972-2022; Worlding Colonial Mars through Twitter/X, 2006-2028. Tracing specific elements of play, in particular imagination, invitation, participation, and improvisation, across cases, I demonstrate how forms of play have been essential to American worlding in ever evolving mediascapes. I hypothesize that play has intensified through the rise of social media, to such an extent that current forms of worlding driven by play have overridden traditional rules of politics, thus changing the game while playing it.  I employ source-based qualitative methods from cultural history, media studies, and American studies to synthesize these cases of hegemonic playful worlding, into a comparative transhistorical framework. I move beyond American grand narratives so as to understand the role of play in their construction and implementation, thus contributing an innovative dimension to the composite field of American Studies. Additionally, I explore potential for counterhegemonic play.

Mots-clés : play,worlding,america,media,politics
Projet ERC : ATTOP (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1496142.5 €

ATTOP is a theoretical chemistry project that will explore the synergy between the two fields of attoscience and photochemistry. Chemical processes initiated by light are extremely widespread and their applications cover vital molecular research fields from medicine to computer science and energy conversion. However, photochemical reactions are limited by the nature and finite number of molecular electronic excited states. To overcome this fundamental limitation, ATTOP proposes to bring very recent technological progress in extreme ultrashort light pulses - attosecond science - to the field of photochemistry and to launch the unprecedented field of "atto-photochemistry". Indeed, light pulses of such short duration have a large spectral bandwidth and excite multiple electronic excited states in a simultaneous and coherent manner. This superposition, called an "electronic wavepacket", has a new electronic distribution and is thus expected to lead to a new reactivity. The following questions remain for now unresolved: what would be the reactivity of a molecule in these new types of electronic states that are becoming accessible experimentally? To what extent will the manipulation of an electronic wavepacket produced by an attosecond domain pulse transform the outcome of chemical reactions? As an emerging field, atto-photochemistry requires theoretical support right from the start. Thanks to the PI's unique combination of expertise in both theoretical attoscience and photochemistry, the ATTOP team will describe accurately chemical reactions induced by electronic wavepackets via attosecond domain pulses. The final aim of ATTOP is to develop a general know-how to design molecular systems, electronic wavepackets and attosecond experiments that transform the outcome of photochemical reactions for diverse applications. By doing so, atto-photochemistry will revolutionize photochemistry, with direct impact onto many other domains of molecular science.

Mots-clés : attosecond science non adiabatic dynamics
Projet ERC : REVEAL (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Université de St Andrews — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

For millennia people have wondered, “Do other Earths exist?” “Are they common?” “Would they show signs of life?”. We now have the technical capability to answer these questions. New radial-velocity spectrometers are capable of detecting the reflex motions of stars hosting Earth-mass planets in their habitable zones; the James Webb Space Telescope has the power to probe the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets. Yet the unprecedented precision of these instruments’ measurement capabilities is up against a fundamental astrophysically-imposed barrier to achieving these goals: contamination of exoplanetary signals by stellar activity and variability. Further progress is contingent on solving this “variability problem”.  REVEAL gathers world-leading experts in exoplanetary and stellar physics to tackle this problem in synergy:  - We will build on recent advances in magnetohydrodynamic simulations of stellar atmospheres, and data-driven efforts to separate the exoplanet signal from the stellar variability.  - We will simulate the “ground truth” of the turbulent physics of entire stellar photospheres resolved at the level of individual convective cells for a broad class of stars.  - We will model the emergent spectra of these “virtual” stars and “observe” them using the same data-processing pipelines as stellar radial-velocity and transit-spectroscopy observations.  We will continue to observe the Sun and stars hosting small planets found with TESS and PLATO. The stars’ own spectra will REVEAL the clues needed to disentangle stellar variability from our measurements of their planets’ masses and the fingerprints of molecules in their atmospheres. Our unified efforts will enable the new cutting-edge space observatories and ground-based facilities to realize the full potential of their designs, bringing us closer to the most profound discoveries we could hope to achieve in our lifetimes - the identification of another Earth or even possible signs of life on another planet.

Mots-clés : detection and characterization of exoplanets habitability of exoplanets stellar activity stellar variability
Projet ERC : OxytocINspace (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1000000.0 €

Orienting in space recruits brain mechanisms well conserved across mammalian species. Within the entorhinal-hippocampal network, a core system of spatially-selective cells supports spatial geometry computations. Yet, when navigating familiar surroundings, neural computations of space usually escape our attention. Instead, we parse space into socially meaningful territories. Territorial boundaries are social in nature since they capture the location of utilities available to individuals tied to group hierarchy and affiliation. How does our brain integrate geometry and territory? We propose that this process is regulated by the oxytocin (OT) system, acting on the entorhinal-hippocampal regions. OT, a hypothalamic neuropeptide known for its pro-social effects in mammals, modulates neural activity in the hippocampal formation, but its potential role in territorial representations has not yet been studied. Here, experts in complementary fields – social behaviors, spatial navigation, neurophysiology, anatomy, and cell signaling – will study brain similarities and differences of socio-territorial strategies in five mammalian species: bats, mice, rats, marmosets, and macaques. Our central goal is to investigate how neurons coding for space (e.g. place cells, boundary cells, grid cells) respond to perceived socio-spatial parameters of ownership, utility, and social hierarchies. We expect spatial cells to be sensitive to territorial manipulations (ownership, proximity, intrusion), regulated by OT in a context-dependent manner. OT inhibition may enhance territorial defense when territories are challenged (e.g., conspecific approaches or transgresses borders) and may sharpen territorial boundary representations. Conversely, OT stimulation could blur the boundaries of territorial perception. Our cross-species perspective will be the first to provide information on possible species-specific vs. shared neural mechanisms for territorial maps and OT-induced hippocampal plasticity.

Mots-clés : oxytocin,oxytocin receptors,entorhinal cortex,hippocampus,place cells,territorial behavior,rodents,bats,non human primates,social behavior
Projet ERC : CASTLE (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 359818.0 €

Chirality is a key property of molecules important in many chemical and nearly all biological processes. Recent observations have shown that electron transport through chiral molecules attached to solid electrodes can induce high spin polarization even at room temperature. Electrons with their spin aligned parallel or antiparallel to the electron transfer displacement vector are preferentially transmitted depending on the chirality of the molecular system resulting in Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS). The long-term vision of the CASTLE project is to transform the CISS effect into an enabling technology for quantum applications. This will be accomplished by achieving four key objectives. 1) The occurrence of CISS will be studied at the intramolecular level by photo-inducing rapid electron transfer within covalent donor-chiral spacer-acceptor molecules to generate long-lived radical pairs (RPs). 2) Direct detection of RP spin polarization will be performed using time-resolved and pulsed electron and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. In addition, polarization transfer from one of the radicals comprising the spin-polarized RP to a stable molecular spin (Q) will be used to initialize the quantum state of Q, making it a good qubit for quantum applications, particularly sensing. 3) Quantum mechanical studies of the CISS effect will provide predictive models for molecular qubit design. 4) The CISS effect will be used to control, readout, and transfer information in prototypical devices embedding hybrid interfaces based on semiconducting or conducting substrates, thus dramatically advancing the use of molecular spins in quantum information technologies targeting high-temperature operation. These devices will be used also to prove molecule-based Quantum Error Correction. The knowledge acquired with CASTLE will impact a wide range of fields, including magnetless spintronics, dynamic nuclear polarization for NMR signal enhancement, catalysis, and light harvesting.

Mots-clés : chirality,electron transfer,molecular magnetism,spin selectivity,spintronics,supramolecular chemistry,coordination chemistry
Projet ERC : OCEAN (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Université de Newcastle upon Tyne — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Université de Newcastle
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

Until recently, most of the major advances in machine learning and decision making have focused on a centralized paradigm in which data are aggregated at a central location to train models and/or decide on actions. This paradigm faces serious flaws in many real-world cases. In particular, centralized learning risks exposing user privacy, makes inefficient use of communication resources, creates data processing bottlenecks, and may lead to concentration of economic and political power. It thus appears most timely to develop the theory and practice of a new form of machine learning that targets heterogeneous, massively decentralized networks, involving self-interested agents who expect to receive value (or rewards, incentive) for their participation in data exchanges.  OCEAN will develop statistical and algorithmic foundations for systems involving multiple incentive-driven learning and decision-making agents, including uncertainty quantification at the agent's level. OCEAN will study the interaction of learning with market constraints (scarcity, fairness), connecting adaptive microeconomics and market-aware machine learning.  OCEAN builds on a decade of joint advances in stochastic optimization, probabilistic machine learning, statistical inference, Bayesian assessment of uncertainty, computation, game theory, and information science, with PIs having complementary and internationally recognized skills in these domains. OCEAN will shed new light on the value and handling of data in a competitive, potentially antagonistic multi-agent environment, and develop new theories and methods to address these pressing challenges. OCEAN requires a fundamental departure from standard approaches and leads to major scientific interdisciplinary endeavors that will transform statistical learning in the long term while opening up exciting and novel areas of research.

Mots-clés : machine learning,federated learning,computational game theory,multi armed bandits,bayesian inference,markov chain monte carlo,multi agent reinforcement learning,online matching markets,data market,incentive
Projet ERC : DEMI (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Université de Copenhague — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : CO-PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2498340.0 €

It is our aim to transform the research field of electrocatalysis from the established “initial (as-synthesized) state approach” to a data-centric understanding of the metastable active interface of electrocatalysts, constantly evolving under reaction conditions. We want to overcome the limitations of elemental or binary alloy catalysts by exploring and exploiting high entropy materials (HEM) as a discovery platform for sustainable materials, with the aim to identify in the extremely large, multidimensional search space new electrocatalysts that are both stable and active. To understand and control the active interface of HEM electrocatalysts, we combine the core expertises of the PIs: theoretical modelling and simulations, high-throughput synthesis and characterization, nanoparticle synthesis, electrochemical operando techniques as well as machine learning. Our synergistic approach will significantly advance these individual competences by key conceptual innovations: (i) Evolutionary screening of micro-libraries to efficiently identify stable materials covering the complete HEM composition space; (ii) Accelerated atomic-scale characterization of HEM surfaces by combining combinatorial HEM synthesis with atom probe tomography; (iii) High-throughput operando experiments with thin film material libraries; (iv) Developing inverse activity-structure relationships and theoretical descriptors for metastability; v) Implementing active learning approaches based on materials informatics and using a semantic data lake. We will establish a theory of metastability as a core concept for the understanding of electrocatalysis for the most important energy conversion reactions: oxygen reduction and evolution, and CO2 reduction. Instead of passively accepting the degradation of catalysts during operation, we will direct the evolution through the highly multidimensional space towards long-lasting, active HEM interfaces.

Mots-clés : electrocatalysis,high entropy alloy catalysis,materials discovery,stability degradation