Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : OPERANDOCAT (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Ruhr University Bochum — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : RUB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 284911.51 €

Tailoring the chemical reactivity of nanomaterials at the atomic level is one of the most important challenges in catalysis research. In order to achieve this elusive goal, fundamental understanding of the structural and chemical properties of these complex systems must be obtained. Numerous studies have been devoted to understanding the properties that affect the catalytic performance of metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as their size, interaction with the support, and chemical state. The role played by the NP shape on catalytic performance is, however, less understood. Complicating the analysis is the fact that the former parameters cannot be considered independently, since the NP size as well as the support will have an impact on the most stable NP shapes. In addition, the dynamic nature of the NP catalysts and their response to the environment must be taken into consideration, since the working state of a NP catalyst might not be the state in which the catalyst was prepared, but rather a structural and/or chemical isomer that adapted to the particular reaction conditions. To address the complexity of real-world catalysts, a synergistic approach taking advantage of a variety of cutting-edge experimental methods must be undertaken. This project focuses on model heterogeneous catalysts for reactions of tremendous societal and industrial relevance, namely the gas-phase hydrogenation and electrocatalytic reduction of CO2. Important components that are missing from existing studies, and that we propose to contribute, are a systematic design of catalytically active model NPs with narrow size and shape distributions and tunable oxidation state, and in situ and operando structural, chemical, and reactivity characterization of such model catalysts as a function of the reaction environment. The results are expected to open up new routes for the reutilization of CO2 through its direct conversion into valuable chemicals and fuels such as methanol, methane and ethylene.

Mots-clés : chemical physics
Projet ERC : AIDViC (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149062.0 €

Taking inspiration from natural carriers, such as viruses, a new technology has been developed in our laboratories part of an ongoing ERC starting grant project, Molecular Engineering of Virus-like Carriers (MEViC). We created synthetic viruses using polymers and thus safer materials. They are able of delivering high payload of specific drugs into cells with no detrimental effect. While testing for anticancer therapies, we identified a synthetic virus capable of targeting almost exclusively macrophages. We performed preliminary work showing that this can be successfully applied to deliver antibiotics to rid of intracellular pathogens. This has now open a completely new possibility whereas we can expand our technology for the treatment of several infections as well as to contribute to the ongoing efforts in tackling antibiotic resistance.

Mots-clés : antibiotics,drug resistance pathogens,intracellular pathogens,tuberculosis,mrsa related infections,leishmaniasis,gingivitises
Projet ERC : ENRICO (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : RPTU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2498750.0 €

Techniques for separating fluid mixtures are important in many industries like the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The most relevant of these separation techniques, like distillation and absorption, are based on mass transfer over fluid interfaces. Results from molecular thermodynamics, which have recently become available, show that for many industrially important mixtures a strong enrichment of components occurs at the fluid interface. There is a striking congruence between shortcomings of the present design methods for fluid separations and the occurrence of that enrichment. It is the central hypothesis of the present research that the enrichment leads to a mass transfer resistance of the fluid interface which has to be accounted for in fluid separation process design. The fact that it is presently neglected causes unnecessary empiricism and inconsistencies in the design. ENRICO will advance the knowledge on the enrichment of components at fluid interfaces using a novel combination of two independent theoretical methods, namely molecular simulations with force fields on one side and density gradient theory coupled with equations of state on the other. This will enable reliable predictions of the occurrence of the enrichment and its magnitude. These results will be combined with the theory of irreversible thermodynamics to establish for the first time a model for the mass transfer resistance of the interface due to the enrichment. On that basis, a new approach for designing fluid separation processes will be developed in ENRICO, which will lead to more efficient and robust designs. The theoretical results will be validated by experiments from laboratory to pilot plant scale, and the benefits of the new approach will be demonstrated. ENRICO will thus establish a link between molecular physics and engineering practice. The results from ENRICO will have a major impact on chemical engineering world-wide and change the way fluid separation processes are designed.
Projet ERC : DOC (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : Université Grenoble Alpes — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UGA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2353282.5 €

Terrestrial life is based on organic chemistry, on the complex combination of relatively small molecules containing less than 50 atoms of carbon and other elements in smaller quantities. Some of these bricks, notably amino acids, are found in meteoritic and cometary material, a fact (among others) which led the Nobel laureate C. de Duve to conclude that “the seeds of life are universal” and “life is an obligatory manifestation of matter, written into the fabric of the Universe”. The objective of the DOC project is to understand the dawn of organic chemistry, namely the start of organic chemistry in systems similar to the progenitor of the Solar System, with the ultimate goal to understand how organic chemistry builds up and evolves in these systems and, consequently, to understand how universal the chemical seeds of life are. To achieve this objective, I propose to build a reliable theory for the organic chemistry in nascent Solar type systems, by combining in a tightly coordinated way new ground-breaking astronomical observations, quantum chemistry computations, astrochemical/chemi-physical models and sophisticated analysis tools. The DOC project is based on (i) a mine of first-class data from already awarded Large Programs at IRAM and from a plethora of smaller proposals at IRAM, ALMA and APEX, (ii) new state-of-the-art quantum chemistry computations to understand astrochemistry reactions at the molecular level, and (iii) models and tools to fully exploit the new data and computations. My ambition is to provide a reliable theory not only for the astrochemical and the star and planet formation communities, but also for the extragalactic one. Indeed, the new highly sensitive spectral observations from facilities like IRAM, ALMA and, in the future, SKA will inevitably contain lines from many organic molecules. DOC ambition is to ultimately allow us to understand how organic chemistry unfolds in the Universe.
Projet ERC : ThoriumNuclearClock (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : PTB
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2233906.25 €

Th-229 has an exceptionally low-energy excited nuclear isomer state with an excitation energy of only a few electron volts, making it accessible to laser manipulation. With a predicted relative radiative linewidth of 1e-19, constructing a Thorium nuclear clock becomes possible that could rival todays most advanced optical atomic clocks. The few-eV transition emerges from a fortunate near-degeneracy of the two lowest nuclear energy levels. However, the Coulomb and strong-force contributions to these level energies differ on the MeV level. This makes the Th-229 nuclear level structure uniquely sensitive to variations of fundamental constants and ultralight dark matter. Very recently, the applicants have proven the long-sought existence of the low-energy isomer, determined the lifetime in different electronic environments, quantified the nuclear moments and charge radius based on the hyperfine splitting, and constrained the isomer energy. However, knowledge on the electronic and nuclear properties is still insufficient to exploit the Th-229 system for fundamental tests. This project aims to close this gap and realize three prototype nuclear Thorium clocks using complementary approaches in trapped ions and solids. We will develop customized VUV laser systems and perform precision spectroscopy of the Th-229 nuclear transition. Comparing these clocks among each other and with state-of-the-art optical clocks will allow us to benchmark the new frequency standard before ultimately applying it to test fundamental physics. This project requires a unique combination of experimental and theoretical expertise in atomic and nuclear physics, high precision metrology and fundamental symmetries. Furthermore, special infrastructure is required for (distributed) clock comparison, precision spectroscopy as well as processing of Th-229. The synergy team is composed to optimally respond to these challenges while being rooted in established and successful collaborations.

Mots-clés : atomic clocks and frequency standards,fundamental constants,dark matter search
Projet ERC : HOMEACROSS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy — Pays : Grèce — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ELIAMEP
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1490887.0 €

The 1923 Exchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey ratified the dislocation of over a million Greek Orthodox Christians from Anatolia and Eastern Thrace to the Kingdom of Greece, while hundreds of thousands of Muslims abandoned their homes on the Greek side to move to Turkey. Resettlement was a massive challenge for both sides; the incoming refugees settled in the homes of the now departed, or lived in sheds and squats until the first housing projects were completed. Gradually they took over to repair, expand and reshape their dwellings. During the following decades they made a permanent contribution to the rural and urban landscapes they inhabited, a contribution that is still largely understudied. As the centennial of these events approaches and while the Aegean continues to be a space of crossings, HOMEACROSS looks at the material legacies of the Population Exchange in Izmir and Attica, two provinces that received large numbers of refugees. First, it records and studies the urban and rural sites of displacement and resettlement – whether new, re-inhabited or abandoned. Second, it raises questions of memory, based on oral accounts and reconstructed or reused monuments. As a great part of the oral history records belong to women survivors, it further examines women’s agency in preserving community memory. Last, in cases where current residents are contemporary refugees, it addresses current practices of homemaking as an additional layer of these spaces' histories. Combining extensive fieldwork, archival research and digital mapping technologies (GIS) to collect, analyse and visualise the data, this project explores a major event in the two sides’ national histories. While studies until now have mostly focused on the dislocation and the political events that caused it, this research investigates the refugees’ agency in shaping their surroundings, introduces new findings and new historiographical perspectives and contributes to a knowledge-based society.

Mots-clés : 1923 population exchange,urban and rural settlements,greece and turkey,landscapes of displacement and resettlement,digital mapping,architectural survey,oral history,nation building,cultural heritage
Projet ERC : DISCOVERHEP (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
Entité participante : University of Geneva — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIGE
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499975.0 €

The ATLAS and CMS Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have done an excellent job in searching for new high-energy physics, pushing out to energy scales which have never before been studied. In contrast, low-energy physics has only been studied in specific contexts at the LHC, and remains largely uncovered in the search for new physics. Despite the main focus being on the high-energy regime, it is entirely possible that new physics is instead hiding in the low-energy regime, and it was not observed in previous collider physics experiments due to being rarely produced. In the context of the DISCOVERHEP project, I will lead a group in the search for new physics in the largely-uncovered low-energy regime. The project will exploit the very-high LHC beam intensity to turn "noise", in the form of traditionally unwanted and ignored additional simultaneous proton-proton collisions, into a currently-untapped wealth of useful low-energy physics data. This novel approach thereby opens up the possibility of conducting high-sensitivity searches for low-energy physics at the LHC. This massive low-energy physics dataset will be used to enable the project goals, in the form of searches for new low-energy weakly-interacting physics conducted using the ATLAS Detector. Three different search strategies, sensitive to different types of new physics, are considered: two types of direct searches for new light particles such as potential mediators between the Standard Model and Dark Matter, and one generic search for new low-energy physics using anomaly detection techniques. These searches will dramatically extend the sensitivity of ATLAS to new low-energy physics, thus expanding the ATLAS physics program and potentially leading the way towards new discoveries.

Mots-clés : new physics beyond the standard model,atlas,physics in pileup,per vertex reconstruction,hadronic physics,resonance search,generic search for new physics,machine learning,anomaly detection
Projet ERC : ATTACK (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Saarland University — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2492037.0 €

The ATTACK consortium will develop a new biotechnology based on harnessing a previously unknown natural cytotoxic mechanism of T cells to fight cancer. Cytotoxic T cells (CTL) protect us against intracellular pathogens and cancer by killing infected and cancerous cells. It has been believed that CTL operate on two different time scales of killing by releasing soluble cytotoxic proteins from dense core granules into the immunological synapse between the T cell and target cells (seconds/minutes) and by FasL-mediated apoptosis (hours/days). Members of the ATTACK consortium have independent observations that converge on a previously unknown weapon in the T cell tactical arsenal: stable supramolecular attack particles (SMAPs) that kill target cells (hours). This raises the possibility to engineer these particles to operate independent of T cells. Baldari has discovered that intraflagellar transport proteins sort cytotoxic proteins within the CTL. Rettig has revealed a new storage depot in CTL called a multicore granule that is distinct from the dense core granule. Dustin uncovered that CTL release SMAPs into the immunological synapse to kill targets. Valitutti has called attention to active resistance of tumour cells to synaptic attack, highlighting the strategic advantage of a non-synaptic attack. The consortium has expertise in mouse models, gene editing in primary T cells, super-resolution and live cell microscopy, and microfluidics. The goal of the ATTACK consortium will be to work closely together through 4 work-packages to determine 1) how SMAPs are made, 2) how they are released, 3) how they work and 4) how cancer cells respond. The consortium will integrate all it learns to develop the biotechnology of SMAP enhancement in engineered T cells, recombinant SMAPs, and synthetic SMAPs. We envision that SMAPs will be freeze-dried and shipped around the world, solving problems related to current immunotherapies, leading to global health impact.

Mots-clés : immunological synapse,cytotoxic t lymphocytes,cytotoxic granule biogenesis,trafficking and fusion
Projet ERC : ATTACK (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : University of Siena — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNISI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2423281.0 €

The ATTACK consortium will develop a new biotechnology based on harnessing a previously unknown natural cytotoxic mechanism of T cells to fight cancer. Cytotoxic T cells (CTL) protect us against intracellular pathogens and cancer by killing infected and cancerous cells. It has been believed that CTL operate on two different time scales of killing by releasing soluble cytotoxic proteins from dense core granules into the immunological synapse between the T cell and target cells (seconds/minutes) and by FasL-mediated apoptosis (hours/days). Members of the ATTACK consortium have independent observations that converge on a previously unknown weapon in the T cell tactical arsenal: stable supramolecular attack particles (SMAPs) that kill target cells (hours). This raises the possibility to engineer these particles to operate independent of T cells. Baldari has discovered that intraflagellar transport proteins sort cytotoxic proteins within the CTL. Rettig has revealed a new storage depot in CTL called a multicore granule that is distinct from the dense core granule. Dustin uncovered that CTL release SMAPs into the immunological synapse to kill targets. Valitutti has called attention to active resistance of tumour cells to synaptic attack, highlighting the strategic advantage of a non-synaptic attack. The consortium has expertise in mouse models, gene editing in primary T cells, super-resolution and live cell microscopy, and microfluidics. The goal of the ATTACK consortium will be to work closely together through 4 work-packages to determine 1) how SMAPs are made, 2) how they are released, 3) how they work and 4) how cancer cells respond. The consortium will integrate all it learns to develop the biotechnology of SMAP enhancement in engineered T cells, recombinant SMAPs, and synthetic SMAPs. We envision that SMAPs will be freeze-dried and shipped around the world, solving problems related to current immunotherapies, leading to global health impact.

Mots-clés : immunological synapse,cytotoxic t lymphocytes,cytotoxic granule biogenesis,trafficking and fusion
Projet ERC : ATTACK (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Inserm
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2545822.0 €

The ATTACK consortium will develop a new biotechnology based on harnessing a previously unknown natural cytotoxic mechanism of T cells to fight cancer. Cytotoxic T cells (CTL) protect us against intracellular pathogens and cancer by killing infected and cancerous cells. It has been believed that CTL operate on two different time scales of killing by releasing soluble cytotoxic proteins from dense core granules into the immunological synapse between the T cell and target cells (seconds/minutes) and by FasL-mediated apoptosis (hours/days). Members of the ATTACK consortium have independent observations that converge on a previously unknown weapon in the T cell tactical arsenal: stable supramolecular attack particles (SMAPs) that kill target cells (hours). This raises the possibility to engineer these particles to operate independent of T cells. Baldari has discovered that intraflagellar transport proteins sort cytotoxic proteins within the CTL. Rettig has revealed a new storage depot in CTL called a multicore granule that is distinct from the dense core granule. Dustin uncovered that CTL release SMAPs into the immunological synapse to kill targets. Valitutti has called attention to active resistance of tumour cells to synaptic attack, highlighting the strategic advantage of a non-synaptic attack. The consortium has expertise in mouse models, gene editing in primary T cells, super-resolution and live cell microscopy, and microfluidics. The goal of the ATTACK consortium will be to work closely together through 4 work-packages to determine 1) how SMAPs are made, 2) how they are released, 3) how they work and 4) how cancer cells respond. The consortium will integrate all it learns to develop the biotechnology of SMAP enhancement in engineered T cells, recombinant SMAPs, and synthetic SMAPs. We envision that SMAPs will be freeze-dried and shipped around the world, solving problems related to current immunotherapies, leading to global health impact.

Mots-clés : immunological synapse,cytotoxic t lymphocytes,cytotoxic granule biogenesis,trafficking and fusion