Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Cremoso (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Linköping — Pays : Suède — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 60000.0 €

The European Union adopted an ambitious and much-needed European Green Deal policy to make Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Harvesting solar energy from photovoltaics (PVs) is a promising way to tackle today’s energy issues and to contribute to the European Green Deal. New-generation PV technologies (such as those based on organic semiconductors and metal halide perovskites) offer many benefits compared to traditional silicon-based solar panels in terms of lightweight, aesthetic, and flexibility. As such, they are promising candidates to complement silicon-based PVs for our sustainable future. A key challenge that currently limits the practical application of these new-generation PVs is the high cost of charge-transport materials, a critical component of these new PV technologies.  This project aims to address this critical challenge and bridge the knowledge gap on the cost of charge-transport materials for these new-generation PVs. This project is firmly based on our recent breakthrough which successfully developed high-efficiency new-generation PVs with excellent stability (published in Science and patent application ongoing). At the core of this project is rational materials development, coupled with device engineering. Utilizing our prior research experience and our start-up, LinXole, we will develop novel charge-transport materials that are free of synthetic complexity and, eventually, low enough in price to be commercially viable. This project will achieve a new paradigm for low-cost new-generation PVs, contributing to the European energy transition. We have also built a strong team with complementary expertise for this project, including researchers, business developers, entrepreneurs, and innovation advisors. As such, we are keen to contribute to market expansion by delivering technology solutions for modern energy services.
Projet ERC : uPSCale (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Queen Mary University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : QMUL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Advances in stem cell technologies have revolutionised cell therapy and advanced in vitro models, but remain limited by our ability to scale up and automate cell manufacturing. In particular, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) expansion and differentiation require complex processing protocols that are preventing the wider deployment of associated technologies to the clinic and industry. Although solid and hydrogel microcarriers have displayed potential in addressing this challenge, they present hurdles to the processing and separation from cell products, leading to contamination of the generated cells, the poor control of their phenotype and high production costs. Developing cost-effective, scalable, and regulatory-compliant platforms for culturing, differentiating and processing iPSCs, while circumventing reliance on solid substrates and microcarriers, remains critical for advancing cell manufacturing and will significantly impact the sustained growth of associated biotech markets. To mitigate contamination risks, streamline bioprocessing, and reduce associated costs, bioemulsions have emerged as promising alternatives. Despite their demonstrated performance in a growing range of cellular contexts, current underpinning protein and polymer nanosheet technologies raise concerns regarding regulatory compliance, for broad application in regenerative medicine. We propose the engineering of recombinant protein nanosheets for the stabilisation of biomedical grade oil microdroplets, that will tackle these challenges and allow the production of bioemulsions in a scalable format, aligned with regulatory expectations. The ability of the resulting bioemulsions to sustain the culture of iPSCs and their differentiation into defined lineages will be validated and this technology will be de-risked, in collaboration with industrial partners aiming to scale up iPSC technologies. This will allow the development of further IP that will support the exploitation of bioemulsions.
Projet ERC : Pi4NoRM (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université autonome de Barcelone — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 50000.0 €

The relentless demand to increase data rates, traffic, and connected devices in our mobile communications has prompted a paradigm shift in wireless technology. 5G and the forthcoming 6G will use mm-waves and miniaturized antenna systems that need to be low-cost and energetically efficient. An unresolved challenge of this transition is the miniaturization of non-reciprocal devices above 100 GHz. Pi4NoRM envisions an on-chip integration of miniaturized self-biased non-reciprocal magnetic components for the forecasted 6G evolution. Those passive devices are significant components fulfilling three critical functions within RF systems: decoupling amplifiers, protecting the systems against mismatched impedances or electromagnetic aggression and enabling the Full-Duplex operation of antennas. Pi4NorM aims to fill the gap between materials science and mm-wave engineering to develop sub-THz, ultra-compact, self-biased non-reciprocal elements. The success of Pi4NoRM could open an expansive innovation roadmap toward more capable RF systems and radar. For this reason, a strategic transfer strategy is also implemented in Pi4NoRM.
Projet ERC : HUM GOV HUM OB (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université Érasme de Rotterdam — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : EUR
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

This project aims to test, demonstrate, and validate the effectiveness of country-based Humanitarian Observatories as a way for localized knowledge-building and reform in the humanitarian field can be advanced: from crisis-affected places. As a development of the ERC-funded HUM-GOV project, Humanitarian Observatories are envisioned as a locally embedded knowledge and advocacy network – a means through which humanitarian governance can be understood, reimagined, or reformed from ‘below’.  Humanitarian needs stemming from various forms of crisis are escalating, with over 301 million people—or more than 1 in 27 individuals worldwide—relying on humanitarian assistance for survival. As the demand for humanitarian aid rises, collaborative efforts with local and national partners are crucial. Yet, it has been a long-standing critique that humanitarian programming is most often top-down. Despite efforts for reform within the sector, the influence of actors from crisis-affected countries remains limited and the voices of affected populations are often left out of policy development and strategy, reinforcing unequal power relationships between international aid providers and local actors. Humanitarian Observatories contribute to addressing this challenge. Contextually rooted, multi-actor, and self-governing, Humanitarian Observatories, established in areas affected by crises, create space for relevant actors to come together and research, advocate, and work on priorities that they set for humanitarian action and reform in their context. Building on the groundwork laid by the HUM-GOV project, this proposal seeks to test and refine the potential of Humanitarian Observatories through research and network-building activities. Over 18 months, the project will focus on refining methodologies and partnerships, connecting Observatory-generated knowledge with policy/practice realms, and developing strategies to maximize innovation potential while overcoming organizational inertia.
Projet ERC : ACCOUNTED (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université autonome de Barcelone — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Accountability has emerged as a central feature of educational governance worldwide. However, the prevailing accountability approach in education, the so-called performance-based accountability (PBA), has led to adverse effects and discomfort among key stakeholders in the education sector. PBA, with its focus on individual schools as primary account providers, intensifies competitive pressures, fosters institutional fragmentation, and often stigmatizes disadvantaged schools. Recognizing these drawbacks, several governments are in the process of re-evaluating their accountability frameworks; this entails not only adjusting the measurement of performance outcomes but also giving greater attention to teaching-learning processes that were previously overlooked. Despite these efforts, ongoing reforms often overlook a crucial dimension: the scale at which accountability practices occur. ACCOUNTED asserts that optimizing accountability requires not only a shift in focus but also a change in the locus of account-giving practice: from individual schools to broader school networks. This recalibration of accountability, emphasizing shared responsibility among schools within a network, holds the key to fostering meaningful and cooperative relationships, initiating sustained improvement dynamics, and mobilizing additional educational resources at the local level. The effective implementation of this approach necessitates a meticulous policy design that organizes accountability relations and practices within the context of school networks. To bridge the gap between policy and practice, we propose testing and refining the 'shared accountability model' through a participatory design strategy involving real school actors. This innovative approach, by fostering collaboration and awareness among schools within networks, holds the potential to bring about positive transformations across the entire educational system, with a specific emphasis on advancing the well-being of disadvantaged schools.
Projet ERC : MeD-Track (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Sempre avanti doo za savjetovanje i usluge — Pays : Croatie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : SEMPRE AVANTI DOO
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 130000.0 €

Meteorological tsunamis (meteotsunamis) are long ocean waves (periods of: 1 < T < ~120 min) that have the same periods, wavelengths and amplitudes as seismic tsunamis, but are generated by processes in the atmosphere. Meteorological tsunamis occur all over the world. Although they are never nearly as destructive as seismic tsunamis, meteotsunamis occasionally cause destruction and loss of life. After several devastating events, firstly national authorities in several countries at risk, and then the global authorities (such as the UNESCO), have begun to look for ways to incorporate meteotsunamis into their forecasting and warning systems and/or to develop meteotsunami warning procedures. Although important steps have already been taken, forecasting meteotsunamis and issuing timely warnings is still a challenge. As part of the MeD-Track project, we plan to develop a meteotsunami detection and tracking system. The proposed system will consist of: (1) custom-built atmospheric stations that measure atmospheric pressure with high precision and resolution, and that are (2) organized in an optimal network, as well as (3) an algorithm for detection and tracking of meteotsunamis in real-time. If effective, the developed solution could lead to an improvement in meteotsunami forecasts and warnings, helping vulnerable local communities to protect their property and well-being.

Mots-clés : meteotsunami,early warning system,tracking algorithms,natural hazards
Projet ERC : HoloShape (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Tampere — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Diffractive optical elements are the key technology for Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR & VR) displays. They are typically fabricated using nanoimprint lithography and reactive ion etching, which do not allow for reconfiguration of the structures. We present a novel solution for fabrication of diffractive optical elements using feedback-controlled, light-induced sub-micrometre scale surface shaping of azobenzene-containing films. The method allows for facile creation of complex surface relief patterns with continuously varying heights and reconfigurable patterns, which are difficult to create using conventional lithography tools.
Projet ERC : INSITUOMVAC (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Toscana Life Sciences — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : TLS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 70000.0 €

ISV is a promising immunotherapy strategy which envisages the direct injection of immunomostimulatory reagents into the tumor mass. ISV offers the advantage to reduce off-target toxicity and to induce potent inflammation where cancer antigens have the maximal concentration. Different substances are being exploited in ISV and they include adjuvants, lytic viruses, cytokines/chemokines, antibodies. The rationale is to recruit antigen-presenting cells, T cells, NK cells and macrophages, thus promoting a strong anti-tumor immunity. Two ISV products are available and others are expected to come in the near future. Similarly to other cancer therapies, the current ISV strategies need to be optimized to improve their efficacy. In this proposal we wish to demonstrate the strength of a novel approach of ISV optimization based on two main innovative solutions. First, we plan to couple ISV to the oral administration of Bifidobacterium, a probiotic that, in the context of the Advanced ERC Grant “Vaccibiome”, we have shown to promote the remodeling of the gut microbiome and the tumor infiltration of T cells. Second, we propose to treat tumors with engineered bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs). OMVs are naturally decorated with a number of immunostimulatory molecules and we have already demonstrated the effectiveness of E. coli OMVs in different tumor mouse models. We plan to exploit our proprietary OMV engineering strategies to further potentiate OMV adjuvanticity by decorating them with Flt3L, a chemokine known to recruit immune cells. The combination of Bifidobacterium and Flt3L-OMVs will create a “perfect immunological storm” at the tumor site capable of eliminating both primary and metastatic tumors. Considering its simplicity and low production costs, our Microbiome-ISV therapy has the potential to become a broadly applicable neoadjuvant therapy to be performed before surgery in a large panel of solid tumors.
Projet ERC : NIBIOX (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Centre for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 130000.0 €

The vast majority of industrial chemical oxidations catalyzed by heterogeneous catalysts (chemical and enzymatic) in aqueous solvents suffer from several technical hindrances related to diffusion restrictions of oxygen This limitation derives from the low transport rate of molecular oxygen from the gas phase to the solvation sheath on the surface of the solid catalyst where catalysis occurs. The restriction of molecular oxygen availability at the reaction point creates a bottleneck in the productivity of industrial processes. To overcome a such major limitation in industrial productivity of oxidative biocatalysis, we propose the use of a new generation of heterogeneous biocatalysts based on oxidoreductases immobilized on polymeric matrices for the oxidation of alcohols, replacing the molecular oxygen with water soluble inorganic salts as ultimate electron acceptor. The results of NIBIOX will be exploited in the fine chemicals industry. Oxidative reactions are one of the pillars of the organic synthesis toolbox. For example, the global market for aldehydes is expected to reach more than $2 billion by 2025. This means a total global market of $232 billion in industrial fine chemistry by 2027. Therefore, the successful outcome of NIBIOX and its implementation in industrial processes will result in a profitable business with a positive impact on the economy of the stakeholders involved in the exploitation of our solution.
Projet ERC : VORTEX SENSOR (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

According to WHO, in 2018, more than 100,000 chemicals were released into the global environment due to their production, use, and disposal. In this regard, water is the key element for their effective transport in the food chain and since remediation can be extremely difficult, such pollution is leading to acute or chronic toxicity in aquatic organisms, loss of habitats and biodiversity as well as human diseases. But, industrial wastewater flows contain hazardous and toxic species that are not easy to process, and treatment installations need extremely reliable and sensitive sensing solutions to continuously monitor the efficiency of the side stream treatment processes. At the same time, the world population is increasingly depending on aquaculture for nutritious food. Frequent analysis of the water quality is essential and needs to be performed at point-of-testing, not in remote laboratories. The common challenges in environmental control, wastewater management and aquaculture are that, in small sample sizes, species need to be detected that are present in very low concentrations, with a technique that can be performed at point-of-testing, at low cost and in a minimum of time. In the last decade, new sensor technologies have emerged that can meet these challenges. These sensors however require the sample to flow over the sensor surface and, importantly, detection is only possible if the target species in flow makes contact with the sensor surface. This is one of the key technological hurdles that today’s microfluidics sensors have not overcome yet. In VORTEX SENSOR vortices will be induced in the flow channel with acoustic streaming, an approach which was developed in ERC Starting Grant EVODIS. This will enable long range transport of compounds towards the sensor surface. In VORTEX SENSOR a prototype of the very first biosensor with vortex microflow inducer will be built and its performance will be validated with two relevant pathogens for aquaculture of salmon.
Projet ERC : TAM-ADaCT (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Adaptam therapeutics sl — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The project is focused on the development of a groundbreaking Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) specifically designed for macrophage depletion in the Tumor Microenvironment (TME). With a primary focus on breast cancer and solid tumors, this initiative represents a paradigm shift in cancer therapeutics.  The presence of Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs) in the TME has been identified as a significant factor in tumor progression and immune evasion. Our proposed ADC will directly target these macrophages, effectively depleting them and thereby creating a more favorable environment for tumor eradication.  The primary objectives of this project are as follows:  1. To synthesise and optimise ADCs for specific targeting and depletion of TAMs in the TME. 2. To demonstrate the efficacy of the ADC in preclinical models, establishing its potential for human application. 3. To perform a thorough "freedom to operate" analysis, ensuring that the ADC technology does not infringe upon existing intellectual property rights. 4. To establish a detailed plan for the commercial development of this ADC, outlining steps for regulatory approval, manufacturing scalability, and market entry.  By achieving these objectives, we aim to propel this project from the conceptual stage to a viable, commercialisable medical solution. The successful implementation of this ADC has the potential to revolutionise cancer treatment, offering a targeted approach that could significantly improve patient outcomes. The support of ERC Proof of Concept Grant will be pivotal in transitioning this transformative technology from the laboratory to the marketplace, ultimately changing the landscape of cancer therapeutics.  The strategic positioning of Zelula Biopharma (Host Institution) as a spin-off of CIC bioGUNE adds substantial value to this project, leveraging a unique blend of resources, academic research excellence and entrepreneurial agility to accelerate the transition from lab to market.
Projet ERC : EicoMet (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : VIB
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The field of cancer immunotherapy has witnessed exciting therapeutic advances in the last decade, but still a large fraction of patients is not responsive and several cancer types are refractory to this therapy. The presence of a strongly immunosuppressive environment is a likely explanation for the suboptimal efficacy of immunotherapy. One of the most abundant and immune suppressive population in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is represented by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Therefore, several strategies that sculpt the TAM phenotype away from their immunosuppressive state are expected to become the next generation immunotherapies. Supported by the ERC consolidator grant ImmunoFit, we recently unveiled that the metabolic editing of the TME via the pharmacological and genetic inhibition of HPGDS in macrophages (an enzyme involved in the production of prostaglandin D2 from arachidonic acid), represents a novel therapeutic strategy to sculpt TAMs away from their immunosuppressive state, increase infiltration and fitness of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, and promote tumor vessel normalization. This change in the TME upon HPGDS inhibition overcomes resistance to current immunotherapeutic regimens in melanoma and other cancer indications. This proposal aims to de-risk HPGDS targeting by delivering a lead compound with proven efficacy in several preclinical models. The deliverables of this project will open-up a window of opportunities in immune-oncology and lead to novel combination therapies by increasing the potency of the current therapeutic approaches.