Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : PLE (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of Oxford — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149983.0 €

Metal halide perovskites have recently astonished the research community and garnered a mass following to realize extremely high efficiency low cost photovoltaics. This work was largely catalyzed by outputs from the ERC-Stg HYPER, but in addition to solar cell applications, these materials could also be near perfect light emission materials for displays and lighting. This POC grant will formulate a strategy to move the perovskite materials and device research towards commercial exploitation as light sources. Within the project an assessment of the impact perovskite nanocrystals could have in the current lighting market will be undertaken, and a strategy to capitalise upon exiting Oxford IP and how best to develop foreground IP will be formulated. To complement these activities, a demonstrator perovskite light source will be created. From the derived information on IP and business development, a business plan will be delivered which will be taken to the investor community following successful completion of the POC project. This project will therefore enable the transition for perovskite light emitting nanocrystals from University research to a commercial venture.

Mots-clés : materials science,perovskite materials,demonstrator light source,nanocrystals,commercialization,prototype,business plan,spin out
Projet ERC : POPCRYSTAL (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Graz University of Technology — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1996315.0 €

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are nanoporous crystalline solids with narrow pore distributions and high accessible surface areas. MOFs are typically prepared in a polycrystalline form via the self-assembly of inorganic (nodes) and organic (links) building units. This bottom-up approach allows for properties such as, pore size, topology and chemical functionality to be precisely tailored. Such synthetic control has identified MOFs as promising platform material for device fabrication in the areas of microelectronics, photonics, sensing. However, current methods for fabricating MOF films and patterns cannot generate precisely oriented crystals on commercially relevant scales (i.e. cm). Thus, limiting access to applications that require anisotropic functional properties (e.g. optics, electronics, separation). POPCRYSTAL will enable the fabrication of films and patterns composed of precisely oriented MOF crystals by exploiting crystalline ceramics to guide the aligned growth of MOF crystals. Remarkably, the scale of these heteroepitaxially grown MOFs is solely determined by the ceramic precursor which can be easily synthesized on areas covering mm2 to cm2. POPCRYSTAL will advance a proof of concept study by addressing the following important research aims: the basic understanding of the formation mechanism and rules governing the heteroepitaxial relationship (WP1), the extension to different ceramic-MOF systems (WP2), the control over crystalline porous film and pattern features (WP3) and the fabrication of a proof-of-concept that will highlight the importance of aligned pores for separation (WP4). In summary, by exploiting the heteroepitaxial growth mechanism between ceramics and MOFs POPOCRYSTAL will fabricate unprecedented crystalline MOF films and patterns with precisely oriented nanopores and nanochannels. Thus POPCRYSTAL intercrosses and connects nanoscale chemistry, controlled self-assembly on a macroscale and nanoporous-based device fabrication.

Mots-clés : metal organic frameworks,mofs,crystal growth
Projet ERC : GROWMOF (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Bath — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1738715.0 €

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) constitute one of the most exciting developments in recent nanoporous material science. Synthesised in a self-assembly process from metal corners and organic linkers, a near infinite number of materials can be created by combining different building blocks allowing to fine tune host guest interactions. MOFs are therefore considered promising materials for many applications such as gas separation, drug delivery or sensors for which MOFs in form of nanoparticles, composite materials or thin films are required. For MOFs to realise their potential and to become more than just promising materials, a degree of predictability in the synthesis and the properties of the resulting material is paramount and the full multiscale pathway from molecular assembly to crystal growth and thin film formation needs to be better understood. Molecular simulation has greatly contributed to developing adsorption applications of MOFs and now works hand-in-hand with experimental methods to characterise MOFs, predict their performance and study molecular level phenomena. In contrast, hardly any simulation studies exist about the formation of MOFs, their crystal growth or the formation of thin films. Yet such studies are essential for understanding the fundamentals which will ultimately lead to a better control of the material properties. Building on my expertise in molecular modelling including the development of methods to model the synthesis of porous solids, we will develop new methods to study: 1. the self-assembly process of MOFs under synthesis conditions 2. the formation of nanoparticles 3. the integration of MOF nanoparticles into composite materials and the self-assembly into extended structures 4. the layer-by-layer growth of thin films At the end of the project we will have transformed our understanding of how MOFs form at a variety of length scales and opened up new research directions for the targeted synthesis of MOFs fit for applications.

Mots-clés : metal organic frameworks
Projet ERC : NONLINMAT (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Paderborn University — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1915000.0 €

Metasurfaces that mimic artificial order in matter have recently opened an exciting gateway to reach unprecedented properties and functionality for the modification of light propagation. The artificial “atoms” and “molecules” of the metasurface can be tailored in shape and size, the lattice constant and inter-atomic interaction can be precisely tuned. Furthermore, using symmetry and polarization state properties topological Berry phase effects can greatly enhance the functionality of such surfaces. This project sets to explore the revolutionary physics of nonlinear optical Berry phase metasurfaces, covering nonlinear optical frequency generation and wave dispersion engineering as well as real-time reconfiguration of nonlinear optical properties. Novel unique nonlinear optical properties of metasurfaces that arise from their specific topological configurations open up exciting new venues for device development in the fields of all-optical data processing, optical meta-nanocircuits, phase conjugating perfect mirrors, and background-free nonlinear holography. The project will investigate the possibilities of strongly enhanced nonlinear light-matter interaction and novel nonlinear optical processes that are based on nonlinear topological Berry phase effects coupled to inter- and intersubband transitions of novel 2D materials. Single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides will allow reconfigurable nonlinear optical properties by changing the valley band transitions. The proposal covers the development of innovative large scale fabrication technologies, fundamental investigations of the origin and the design of effective nonlinearities, experimental characterizations, as well as device development. The findings of the project based on highly nonlinear reconfigurable metasurfaces based on symmetry and topological effects will impact interdisciplinary research fields including condensed matter physics, optoelectronics and biophotonics.

Mots-clés : metasurfaces,plasmonics,nonlinear optics,2d materials
Projet ERC : QnanoMECA (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : Institute of Photonic Sciences — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : ICFO;ICFO-CERCA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1987500.0 €

Micro- and nano-mechanical oscillators with high quality (Q)-factors have gained much interest for their capability to sense very small forces. Recently, this interest has exponentially grown owing to their potential to push the current limits of experimental quantum physics and contribute to our further understanding of quantum effects with large objects. Despite recent advances in the design and fabrication of mechanical resonators, their Q-factor has so far been limited by coupling to the environment through physical contact to a support. This limitation is foreseen to become a bottleneck in the field which might hinder reaching the performances required for some of the envisioned applications. A very attractive alternative to conventional mechanical resonators is based on optically levitated nano-objects in vacuum. In particular, a nanoparticle trapped in the focus of a laser beam in vacuum is mechanically disconnected from its environment and hence does not suffer from clamping losses. First experiments on this configuration have confirmed the unique capability of this approach and demonstrated the largest mechanical Q-factor ever observed at room temperature. The QnanoMECA project aims at capitalizing on the unique capability of optically levitating nanoparticles to advance the field of optomechanics well beyond the current state-of-the-art. The project is first aimed at bringing us closer to ground-state cooling at room temperature. We will also explore new paradigms of optomechanics based on the latest advances of nano-optics. The unique optomechanical properties of the developed systems based on levitated nanoparticles will be used to explore new physical regimes whose experimental observation has been so far hindered by current experimental limitations.

Mots-clés : optomechanics
Projet ERC : SONOBOTS (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1484839.0 €

Micro/nanorobots can transform many aspects of medicine by enabling tasks, such as delivering drugs or genes precisely to targeted areas, transducing force on individual cells or tissues, performing biopsies, and facilitating non-invasive surgeries. Numerous propulsion mechanisms have been developed, but their low propulsion speed, lack of biocompatibility, and poor navigation capabilities have limited their use. The objective of this proposal is to develop wireless micro/nanorobots using acoustic and magnetic actuation modalities that will be used to navigate in microfluidics and zebrafish disease models to help better understand and treat diseases. The combination of ultrasound and magnetic fields is capable of overcoming the limitations encountered using a single actuation technique, and both are used extensively in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. This proposal is divided into three research areas. 1) To date, no systematic studies have been conducted utilizing micro/nanorobotics on living animals. The research will address many of the fundamental challenges of using micro/nanorobots in living animals, followed by testing in microfluidics, 3D arbitrarily-shaped fluidic devices, and the vasculature of zebrafish embryos. Propulsion will be studied in the direction of and against blood flow, a 3D propulsion will be developed, and a swarm of nanorobots will be studied. 2) A platform will be developed that involves the trapping and manipulation of nanorobots in an animal model, such as zebrafish embryos. 3) We will develop an active drug delivery platform combined with other methods to study numerous disease models using the models based on live zebrafish embryos. We believe the results of the proposed research will have a significant impact in the field.

Mots-clés : nanorobots,ultrasound,acoustics
Projet ERC : PaleoMetAmerica (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : Institut Pasteur — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Microbes have played fundamental roles throughout our evolution and history. These roles were not only played by pathogens, but also by the trillions of microorganisms inhabiting our body –the microbiome–, which are essential for homeostasis, physiology, and health. Recent advances in ancient DNA research have made possible to study infectious diseases and human microbiomes from ancient human populations, but this field of research is still at its early stages. For instance, it remains largely unknown which were the microbes (including pathogens) that associated with humans in the past, how they have changed over time, geographic regions and historical events, and to which extent these changes shaped our history and fate. This project will combine state-of-the-art methodologies from phylogenomics, microbiome research, and ancient DNA to bring a new perspective to the study of the human past. This approach will be implemented to investigate major aspects of the history of the Americas, using the Southern Cone as a study-model. First, the microbes (including pathogens) and microbiomes associated with pre-contact Native American populations will be characterized. This reference dataset will be then used to evaluate the impact of the agricultural transition and the European colonization in the oral microbiomes and infectious diseases of these populations. Finally, ancient pathogen genomics will be used to reconstruct the epidemiological scenarios of well-documented post-colonial epidemics. From a technical point of view, this project will also contribute new methods and applications to the emerging field of paleometagenomics. Overall, this work will bring unprecedented evidence to long-lasting debates regarding the impact of the agricultural transition in health and the intercontinental exchange of microbes during the European colonization, add a temporal perspective to the study of human microbiomes and infectious diseases and provide a new framework to study our past.

Mots-clés : the americas,ancient dna,native american populations,microbial genomics,phylogenomics,infectious diseases,pathogen emergence and spread,oral microbiome,agricultural transition,european colonization,epidemics
Projet ERC : REMEMBER (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Delft University of Technology — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TU Delft
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1373296.84 €

Microbes in natural ecosystems are under constant evolutionary pressure from viruses. To survive in this hostile environment microbes have evolved an adaptive immune system called CRISPR-Cas. The immune system is based on incorporation of invader DNA sequences in a memory locus (CRISPR), the formation of guide RNAs from this locus, and the degradation of invading target DNA using CRISPR RNA-guided protein complexes. Invaders escape immunity by making point mutations in the targeted region of their DNA, but hosts quickly restore immunity by integrating new memory sequences against the same invader in a process called priming. Recently, I have made the remarkable discovery that hosts mount a primed immune response even when facing heavily mutated invaders. This implies that the memory of the CRISPR-Cas system not only functions in the short term against relatively recent threats, but also remembers a range of revisiting old foes in the long term, providing a huge evolutionary benefit for the host in the arms race with their invaders. This proposal sets out to determine the mechanism of the enigmatic process of primed memory formation against heavily mutated invaders. Using a combination of genetic, biochemical and structural approaches, including state-of-the-art single molecule imaging of CRISPR immunity in living Escherichia coli cells, I will investigate the driving hypothesis that perfectly matching and degenerate targets are differentially recognized, and trigger either target DNA degradation or priming. Moreover, I will test the supposition that degenerate priming is a universal phenomenon among different CRISPR-Cas types. If this is the case, degenerate priming will impair the use of viruses as therapeutic agents to treat antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. To prevent CRISPR resistance I propose to screen for organic molecules that inhibit the formation of CRISPR resistance. These molecules can be co-administered with viruses to potentiate treatments.

Mots-clés : crispr,bacteria,viruses,immunity,small rnas
Projet ERC : SomSOM (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Vienna — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Univie
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1896129.0 €

Microbial turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) is key for the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle. Its underlying mechanisms, however, are not fully understood. The role of soil microbes for organic matter turnover has so far been studied mainly from the point of view of microbial physiology, stoichiometry or community composition. I propose to shed new light on it from the perspective of complex systems science. Microbial decomposition of organic matter requires the concerted action of functionally different microbes interacting with each other in a spatially structured environment. From complex systems theory, it is known that interactions among individuals at the microscale can lead to an ‘emergent’ system behavior, or ‘self-organisation’, at the macroscale, which adds a new quality to the system that cannot be derived from the traits of the interacting agents. Importantly, if microbial decomposer systems are self-organised, they may behave in a different way as currently assumed, especially under changing environmental conditions. The aim of this project is thus to investigate i) if microbial decomposition of organic matter is driven by emergent behaviour, and ii) what consequences this has for soil C and nitrogen cycling. Combining state-of-the-art methods from soil biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, and complex systems science I will • Investigate mechanisms of spatial self-organization of microbial decomposer communities by linking microscale observations from experimental microcosms to mathematical, individual-based modelling, • Elucidate microbial interaction networks across the soil’s microarchitecture by linking microbial community composition, process rates and chemical composition of spatially explicit soil micro-units at an unprecedented small and pertinent scale. • Explore fundamental patterns of self-organisation by applying the framework of complex systems science to high-resolution spatial and temporal data of soil microstructure and process rates.

Mots-clés : soil,soil organic matter turnover,terrestrial carbon cycle,self organisation,emergent properties,complex systems,microbial interaction networks
Projet ERC : HealthXCross (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Ca' Foscari University of Venice — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1367062.0 €

Microbiome science is popularizing a symbiotic understanding of health and ecology. What microbiome science now knows is that microbes entangle the health of people and environments; what we don’t know is how, in this process, new cultural concepts and practices of health may emerge. This project asks: how does health come to be reconfigured in a world entangled through microbial data? HealthXCross is a multi-sited, comparative ethnographic study of how scientists produce and coordinate knowledge within interdisciplinary platforms that collect, compare and integrate microbial data across time, space and species in order to produce simulations for intervening in both environmental and human health. HealthXCross is an ethnographic inquiry into the implications of the environment as a body - and vice versa - through analysis of the tensions between the emancipatory and the dystopian effects of dissolving boundaries between human bodies and environments. With this aim, my project will examine how these research platforms 1) remake notions of biological diversity through technology by crossing conventional categorizations (space, time, species) and epistemic cultures, 2) create and emerge from the diverse spacetimes of innovations across the global North and the global South and 3) shape new trends in healthcare and health governance. HealthXCross will create a participatory design with scientists, who are among stakeholders in the public discourse about what it means to be human and how to live in an entangled planet. My project will offer timely insights into the interplay between knowledge making and changing health practices in times of profound ecological, socio-technical and economic transition. HealthXCross will dramatically advance anthropological understandings of the contradictory but constitutive aspects of living together and being in relation.

Mots-clés : medical anthropology,socio cultural anthropology,science and technology studies