Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : MaPPLexiC (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université polytechnique de Catalogne — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2488590.0 €

MaPPLexiC aims to fill the gap in modern language theories concerning the interpretation and description of one type of idiosyncratic word constructions that stands out in terms of its frequency of use and as a measure of language proficiency, namely lexical collocations, and refute the wide-spread assumption that their production is ad hoc and therefore cannot be described in systematic terms. Inspired by the dramatic advances in Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) MaPPLexiC considers a lexical collocation identification and classification DNN as a cognitive model, whose internal neuron activation vectors during the assessment of the collocation status of a given word combination can be translated into interpretable semantic, contextual, and socio-cultural features of the collocation elements and generalized into “collocation production principles” that dictate which features lexical items must possess to form a lexical collocation. In other words, what MaPPLexiC targets is a lexical collocation grammar. For this purpose, the Project will adapt and advance state-of-the-art techniques for the derivation of interpretable features from DNN’s activation vectors of individual lexical collocation samples and neural clustering techniques that will facilitate the generalization of the obtained “profiles” for the individual samples to more generic collocation production principles. Considering that collocation construction differs from language to language, the Project has a strong multilingual orientation. The investigation will be carried out on pairs of Germanic (English, German), Romance (French, Spanish), Finno-Ugric (Finnish, Hungarian), and Slavic (Czech, Russian) languages. The collocation profiles of translation-equivalent collocation samples and the language-specific collocation production principles will be contrasted with the goal to develop cross-language collocation production transfer techniques, which will highly benefit collocationally under-resourced languages.

Mots-clés : idiosyncrasy,lexical collocations,deep neural network models
Projet ERC : DM-Dawn (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1529800.25 €

What is the nature of dark matter (DM)? This central question in physics could be soon addressed thanks to the unprecedented sensitivity of nuclear clocks. These Th-229-base clocks are set to overcome the inherent limitations of atomic and molecular clocks, which are less sensitive to the nuclear parameters, which dominate almost all motivated models of ultralight DM (ULDM) . Laser excitation of Th-229 has just reached 1:10^11 sensitivity. Given that a precision of 1:10^8 suffices to probe DM-models with world record reach (even before nuclear clocks are actually constructed), it implies that the era of nuclear clock supremacy has begun! We propose three thrusts that harness this revolutionary advancement to search for ULDM. The first is driven by our joint theory-experiment demonstration that the line shape analysis of the Th-229 isomeric state excitation may potentially lead to 1:10^21 effective sensitivity to ULDM, due to the direct-enhanced dependence on the strong interaction parameters. The second is theoretical and experimental exploration of the enhancement factor of O(10^5), that is currently uncertain, and cannot be robustly established. The third focus on studying the formal implications of the era of nuclear-clock supremacy. We provide projection for the reach of nuclear clocks for axion and scalar ULDM. We also demonstrate that a nuclear clock can be used as a QCDometer sensing spatially-dependent couplings, due to artificial source, or from super-Planckian-based physics via couplings to moduli-remnants. We further introduce a new class of non-axion ULDM models, that address the strong CP problem, where the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa elements vary in time, in addition to the nuclear parameters. It could be tested, thus, at accelerators as well as clocks, which leads to a novel synergy between different frontiers of physics. The proposal transforms future technologies into a concrete search for DM and beyond, ushering us into the era of nuclear clocks.

Mots-clés : nuclear clock,ultralight dm
Projet ERC : SRS (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2149023.0 €

The notion of invariant random subgroups (IRS) has proven extremely useful during the last decade, particularly to the study of asymptotic invariants of lattices. However, the scope of problems that one can investigate when restricting to invariant measures (on the space of subgroups) is limited. It was recently realised that the notion of stationary random subgroups (SRS), which is much more general, is still extremely powerful and opens up new paths to attacking problems that previously seemed to be out of our reach.  Notably, the notion of stationary random subgroups has turned out to be a wonderful new tool in the analysis of discrete subgroups of infinite co-volume, and, in particular, thin subgroups of arithmetic groups. A few months ago M. Fraczyk and I proved, using SRS, the following conjecture of Margulis: Let G be a higher rank simple Lie group and Λ ⊂ G a discrete subgroup. Then the orbifold Λ\G/K has finite volume if and only if it has bounded injectivity radius. This is a far-reaching generalisation of the celebrated Normal Subgroup Theorem of Margulis, and while it is new even for subgroups of lattices, it is completely general.  One of the main problems we wish to solve is the variant of the Schoen–Yau Conjecture postulated by Margulis; namely, that higher rank, locally symmetric manifolds Λ\G/K of infinite volume are not Liouville. A positive answer would have many applications in the theory of discrete subgroups of Lie groups. Some exiting applications are possible using partial results.

Mots-clés : discrete subgroups of lie groups,lattices,arithmetic groups,invariant random subgroups,rigidity,locally symmetric spaces
Projet ERC : NeuRemodelBehavior (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

Neuronal remodeling is a conserved strategy to refine neural circuits during development. Defects in remodeling have been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, but direct mechanistic causality is lacking. Despite its fundamental significance, how remodeling of neuronal processes affects circuit architecture and function, and how this ultimately shapes behavior, is not only unknown, but also extremely challenging to study in complex organisms. Our lab is a world-leader in the molecular mechanisms of neuronal remodeling. We use the stereotypic remodeling of the Drosophila Mushroom Body (MB), a complex circuit within the fly brain, as powerful genetic model to study this question. Recently, we uncovered that MB remodeling is coordinated at the circuit level. Furthermore, we generated a detailed expression atlas of MB neurons during development, which highlighted genes and pathways mediating cell-cell interactions as prime remodeling regulators. Thus, our discoveries suggest that the time is ripe to take on the challenge of integrating the molecular, cellular, circuit and behavioral aspects of remodeling. The MB is a perfect system for this due to its well-characterized structure and function. To accomplish this goal, we will build upon our developmental expression atlas to identify molecules that mediate cell-cell interactions during remodeling (Obj 1). We will then investigate how specific genetic/cellular perturbations of remodeling impact overall circuit architecture and connectivity (Obj 2). Finally, taking a new direction for the lab, we will use behavioral readouts of MB function to understand how specific genetic perturbations of remodeling and connectivity affect circuit function and behavior (Obj 3). While each objective is independent and expected to yield high-impact discoveries by itself, it is their combined implementation that is expected to provide the first holistic picture of neuronal remodeling from molecules to cells, circuits and function.
Projet ERC : SystemDirectMS (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2954167.0 €

Protein structure and consequently function is influenced by the cellular content. The array of splice variants, post-translational modifications, cleavages and the ability to bind cofactors and drugs, is governed by the surrounding cellular milieu. This is determined by internal and external cues such as cell type, developmental stage, stress conditions, disease and aging, which give rise to an ensemble of distinct protein entities. To study this diversity, there is a need for methods that enable structural studies under “close-to-life” conditions, maintaining the natural environment and biological diversity, features that are often lost during biochemical purifications. Our recent discovery that native MS can be conducted within crude cellular lysates (direct-MS), while preserving the biological context, offers many new experimental avenues for investigating protein interactions and diversity. Here, we propose to take native MS to a new dimension: enabling a systemic view of cellular structure biology by endorsing technological, computational and methodological developments. To do this we will: (i) Establish a platform for high-throughput screening of protein interactions. (ii) Unravel protein interactions in human and other eukaryotic cells; (iii) Develop a method for whole-organ direct-MS analysis, unravelling the tissue-specific proteoform landscape. Each of our three independent but complementary aims involves a different biological system, going from bacteria through human cells to intact tissues. Together, these advances, in conjunction with the high-resolution and sensitivity afforded by current mass spectrometers, has the potential to advance a plethora of fields, including cell biology, pharmacology and biotechnology. Overall, we anticipate this project will promote the integration of direct-MS into the cellular structural biology toolkit, providing valuable insights not attained by other structural biology methods or artificial intelligence algorithms.

Mots-clés : native mass spectrometry,structural biology,protein science,protein interactions
Projet ERC : CADABRE (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Entité participante : Institut Weizmann — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WIS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2741000.0 €

Synthetic human antibody repertoires are an important source of therapeutics; however, antibodies often exhibit undesirable developability liabilities, such as low stability, solubility, and polyreactivity, that limit their potential as drug candidates. CADABRE will design next-generation repertoires comprising billions of diverse human antibodies that exhibit excellent developability properties, with the following aims:  1. Repertoire design: We will use our newly developed combinatorial Rosetta atomistic design paradigm to select human germline genes and design H3 multipoint mutants. These will combine into billions of diverse, low-energy, and foldable full-length antibody variable domains for expression in a phage-displayed repertoire. The repertoires will comprise hundreds of possible germline gene combinations, increasing the structural diversity relative to existing repertoires and the odds of obtaining diverse antibodies toward any antigen.  2. Learning developability principles: High-throughput screening will identify heat-stable antibodies that are not polyreactive. Data from deep sequencing will be used to train an AI-based predictor of these properties that will be used to improve the repertoire and rank antibody candidates. We will iterate repertoire design, screening, and learning until we converge on a repertoire that exhibits excellent properties.  3. Verifying relevance to therapeutic discovery: We will select antibodies that target antigens that represent relevant drug targets, verifying that the antibodies exhibit high stability, affinity, and developability.  CADABRE combines the strengths of our protein-design methods (generating stable antibodies) and phage-display screening (unbiased binder selection). It will deepen our understanding of the biophysical underpinnings of antibody developability, develop new methods for ranking drug candidates, and generate new repertoires that will accelerate the discovery of life-saving therapeutic antibodies.

Mots-clés : rosetta atomistic design antibody developability phage display high throughput screening
Projet ERC : MCILRaP (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Université Paris Dauphine - PSL — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Dauphine-PSL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 222200.0 €

This project launches a historical inquiry into the phenomenon of legal authority in Muslim religious law. Sharia, a term that designated, for centuries, the Muslim jurists’ law, is undoubtedly a major issue in the Muslim world and, to a different degree, in Western societies today. As representing God’s law in Muslim believes, Sharia is perceived as unchangeable, and, in Western scholarship often as a “deontology”. MCILRaP takes a radically new approach in explaining the obvious paradox between timeless law and observable legal adaptations by studying legal casuistry, not single rules. In casuistry, rules are fixed as laws; and adding rules for specific or other cases limits existing rules’ application and allows for different solutions, which may be viewed as a legal change. To describe the casuistry of the jurists’ law for the first time in detail, MCILRaP creates a new method of mapping rulings “in context”. Thousands of law books and other juridical texts constitute relics of legal thinking in its redaction period. MCILRaP pioneers a comprehensive survey of this source material that necessarily proceeds at different analytical levels, by: a) widely cataloguing works according to author and subject-matter, b) the in-depth mapping of juridical rules in selected law books, and c) determining the conceptual links between juridical rules and detailed real case practices. The project creates a dataset from original source material and devises tools for visualising legal casuistry. By its research on Islamic law, MCILRaP provides evidence for historical law developments that turned “Sharia”, formerly only Revealed Law, into a juridical rule system that lasted until the 19th century. The centuries-long impact of Sharia law on Muslim culture is what has triggered today’s understanding of sacred Sharia laws in the Qur’an and Prophetic Tradition. MILRaP will open new paths of inquiry, create methods and data, and by this fundamentally change the study of Islamic law.

Mots-clés : history of islamic law,sacred law,normativity,juridical literature in islam,schools of law in islam,arabic language,arabic text segmentation,arabic manuscript studies,arabic onomastics,muslim jurists,muslim legal thinking,arabic philology,muslim history,arabic legal documents,legal casuistry in islam,philosophy of law,islamicate digital humanities,machine learning
Projet ERC : GO-Y (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Lyon-I université — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Lyon I
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2315565.0 €

Graphs are expressive data structures representing more effectively relationships in data and enabling complex data-intensive tasks. Graphs are also a widely adopted paradigm in causal inference focusing on causal directed acyclic graphs. Causal DAGs (Directed Acyclic Graphs) are manually curated by domain experts, but they are not validated, stored, integrated and versioned as data artifacts in a graph data system. In the GOY (pronounced GO Why) project, I focus on a radical shift towards causality-driven graph databases, addressing the development of solid theoretical foundations and a set of adequate tools underpinning causal graph operations. To date, these two paradigms, namely causality and graph data management, are developed by entirely separate communities with different motivations: one is interested in causal analysis and inference, realized by means of ad-hoc programs and scripts on empirically validated causal graphs, while the other is interested in collecting, validating, integrating and querying graph data by means of declarative languages. These two areas are investigated in isolation although combining them creates exciting possibilities. The present proposal aims at investigating these possibilities and focuses on laying the theoretical foundations of causality-driven graph data management, a completely novel approach to data management guided by the theory of causation. Causal graphs, either provided by domain experts or extracted from the underlying observational data, are further semantically enriched, disambiguated, reconciled and used in the downstream processes of the graph database for queries, updates and analysis. Following these goals, I investigate (1) a formal causal property graph model and the extension of graph query languages to support causal graph query operators and (2) the integration, consistency and (3) versioning of causal property graphs to assist domain experts in the execution of advanced causal processes.

Mots-clés : database systems graph databases graph queries data integration causal models
Projet ERC : COFILA (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Study of the Human Past
Entité participante : Université de Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2475855.0 €

Did the Spanish Empire bequeath weak credit markets to Spanish American Republics? Scholars cite a colonial legacy of extractive institutions as the root cause of financial and fiscal crises in Spanish America since Independence (1808-20s). Colonial credit was archaic. Modern European private banking institutions only arrived in Spanish America after 1850. The credit sector remained unstable, failed to service large parts of the population, and the cost of capital (the interest rate) was very high. The consequences were low private and public investment, poor economic growth, inequality, and political instability.  COFILA challenges this Euro-centric narrative, which assumes that only the adoption of Global North banking institutions could result in a functioning credit market. It offers the first holistic study of colonial private credit and its interactions with public credit. It builds on initial research by historians of religion and gender who studied the outsized role of religious endowments (often women’s convents) in the provision of private and public credit. Studies of public finance and colonial merchant associations in turn have begun to show that colonial treasuries mobilised via credit syndicates enormous financial resources at interest rates that matched the most competitive European markets.  The project team will build a diachronic study (1600-1820s) with a methodology that compares three key sites (Mexico City, Lima, Buenos Aires), and that combines financial and economic history with postcolonial approaches to the cultural, social, and political genesis of Spanish American colonial spaces and their eventual Independence. We analyse how the double invisibility of the financial sector in colonial Spanish America resulted from credit being controlled by unfamiliar institutions and often by women. The team engages in theory building in asking how entirely different credit sectors could co-exist for centuries without convergence in two world regions.

Mots-clés : economic history,colonialism,latin america,credit,religious endowments,commercial institutions,indigenous communities,fiscality
Projet ERC : QPRESSE (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 365162.5 €

Materials under high pressure exhibit exciting topics such as the superconductivity (SC) of hydrogen-rich molecular compounds (super-hydrides) in the long standing search of room-temperature SC. While pressures above 100 GPa can be routinely created in a diamond anvil cell (DAC), the tiny sample volume almost precludes the use of non-optical detection schemes to probe the sample properties. The project idea is to integrate nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in the DAC and use the optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of the NV electronic spin to image the Meissner effect. The project relies on our first results where we engineered NV centers on the tip of a diamond anvil and adapted quantum sensing methods to detect pressure-induced magnetic and SC transitions under tens of GPa. By controlling the stress distribution to achieve hydrostatic conditions that preserve the NV symmetry, we have extended this method above 100 GPa, reaching the pressure range of existence of SC in super-hydrides. These materials need to be synthetized at high pressure by laser heating which induces strong inhomogeneities with micron scale. We will use of widefield NV magnetometry to locally image the Meissner effect and the flux trapping in the SC grains whereas the conventional measurements average over the entire DAC geometry and therefore discard all local information. By operating NV sensing on a synchrotron beamline, we will determine the crystal structure of the super-hydrides after the synthesis in the DAC. We will finally couple the spatial detection with noise spectroscopy to measure the temporal current fluctuations in the SC. These methods will be implemented in parallel on Hg-doped cuprates as testbed systems. In a complementary task we will investigate the implementation of NV-based microscale nuclear magnetic resonance in the DAC. Our goal will be to exploit the sensitivity of a dense ensemble of NV centers to detect the chemical shift of the nuclear spins in the sample.

Mots-clés : superconductivity,high pressure,diamond,nv center,quantum sensing