Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Impactor (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Total hip replacement is widely used by orthopedic surgeons, with more than one million procedures per year worldwide. Failures still occur because of a bad implant primary stability or to the occurrence of fractures, inducing pain and increased costs for the healthcare system. Although implant primary stability is the main determinant of the implant success, it remains difficult to be assessed in clinical practice. Impactor is based on results obtained in the ERC CoG project BoneImplant and aims at developing and validating a medical device consisting in a decision support-system allowing the surgeon to assess the stability the acetabular cup and of the femoral stem. Such medical device is needed by the clinicians in order to adapt their surgical strategy. The objective of Impactor is i) to achieve a minimum viable product (MVP) that will be validated in vitro and in anatomical subjects, and ii) to investigate its commercial potential and design a subsequent commercial exploitation strategy via spin-off creation or licensing of the technology. We will explore the possibility to license the technology to WaveImplant, an already existing spin-off of the same laboratory. The originality of the approach is to use an orthopedic hammer instrumented with piezoelectric sensors, which does not modify the clinical protocol since implants are impacted in bone. Regulatory issues will be at the heart of the development and we will work in order to clear the regulatory pathway of the future medical device. The team is constituted by members with complementary skills (including engineers, a business developer and an orthopedic surgeon expert in implantology). Impactor will allow the promotion of innovative solution and services in orthopedic surgery. The long-term vision is for the technology to become a reference in orthopedic surgery. Strong impacts are associated to Impactor, in particular for surgeons, patients, implant manufacturers, the technology and the economy.
Projet ERC : AQplus4 (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Forschungszentrum Jülich — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FZJ
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

AQplus4 will develop the first scientifically sound operational air quality forecasting system based on innovative deep learning and IT technology. Based on the successful development of AI air quality forecasting models in the IntelliAQ advanced grant, we will explore the combination of several deep learning models into one coherent concept, test the transferability to new air pollutant species and other world regions. Furthermore, the grant shall cover the necessary technical developments to prepare the data processing and deep learning software for operational use and we shall set-up a dialogue with two identified stakeholders (UBA Germany and NIER Korea) to discuss the data processing and forecasting requirements as well as the deployment and maintenance options. The stakeholder exchange will also include training activities including extended training of a Korean researcher. Timely and reliable air quality forecasts are important to issue health warnings and prepare mitigation measures. IntelliAQ has demonstrated higher accuracy forecasts compared to conventional chemistry transport model results. The AQplus4 system will therefore constitute an important breakthrough innovation that may later be adopted at several environmental monitoring agencies around the world.
Projet ERC : enLIGHT (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Day one societa a responsabilita limitata — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : DAY ONE
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 35000.0 €

Nanomedicine has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by enabling targeted drug delivery, reducing side effects, and improving treatment efficacy. However, the field faces a critical bottleneck: the lack of efficient, non-invasive analytical tools to assess drug encapsulation, stability, and release dynamics in nanoformulations. Current techniques rely on destructive, time-consuming methods, limiting their applicability in formulation development and quality control. enLIGHT introduces a breakthrough approach—a patented, label-free fluorescence lifetime-based screening technology that provides real-time, quantitative insights into the physical state of encapsulated drugs. By leveraging exploitation of the intrinsic luminescence of drugs and a phasor-based, fit-free and purely graphical analysis, enLIGHT eliminates the need for fluorescent labeling or complex sample preparation, offering a rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive alternative to traditional characterization techniques. Validated in laboratory settings, enLIGHT has already revealed unexpected drug behaviors in FDA-approved nanomedicines, demonstrating its ability to uncover hidden formulation instabilities. This Proof of Concept project aims to move enLIGHT from a complex lab setup to a compact, user-friendly device for pharmaceutical and research laboratories. By refining the prototype and validating its performance across diverse nanoformulations, the project will establish enLIGHT as an indispensable tool in nanomedicine analytics. With its potential to enhance drug development pipelines, reduce formulation failures, and streamline regulatory approval processes, enLIGHT represents a transformative innovation for the pharmaceutical industry—ensuring more stable, effective, and safer nanomedicines for the future.
Projet ERC : UNMASK (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Day one societa a responsabilita limitata — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : DAY ONE
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 34580.0 €

Parkinson´s disease (PD) is a progressive, chronic, and debilitating neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure and no diagnostic test available. About 10 million people live with PD worldwide (1.2 million in Europe), and this number is expected to double by 2030 due to the aging population. PD has a high social and economic burden, and there is the need to improve PD timely detection and diagnosis, especially in young people. UNMASK aims to validate the technological and business feasibility of the olfaction-inspired technology developed in the ERC Starting Grant SCENT by establishing the proof-of-concept for the non-invasive and fast PD diagnostics. To accomplish this, we will approach the project from both Technical and Business perspectives, with a perfect synergy between the research and business teams, and a close contact with clinical collaborators and stakeholders.
Projet ERC : ARIA (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Day one societa a responsabilita limitata — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : DAY ONE
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 40000.0 €

Cochlear implants (CIs), which electrically stimulate the auditory nerve to repair hearing in people with severe-to-profound hearing loss, are used for more than 40 years. However, conventional CIs have major drawbacks, one of which is the use of magnet in the implanted unit of the CI to help perfect alignment of the coils that are used for RF Link between external and implanted units. However, using magnets prevents the CI users from accessing some of the medical treatment and examination methods like MRI, and may lead to damage on the skin. To eliminate the drawbacks of conventional CIs including the magnet utilization, we introduced FLAMENCO concept, which has demonstrated that a fully implantable cochlear implant (FICI) mimicking the natural hearing mechanism of the ear is feasible. In the ERC FLAMENCO project, we developed the FICI as a magnet-free device, which necessitated development of a novel wireless power and data transfer (WPDT) application to minimize transfer losses, thus the duration for utilization of external wireless unit to charge the implanted rechargeable battery. By introducing a unique multi-mode rectifier circuit charging the load for an extended coupling range and eliminating the requirement of alignment magnets, the efficiency loss is reduced and the charging efficiency is maximized. In the ARIA project, which stems from the developments within the ERC FLAMENCO project, we will perform technological and commercial validation of WPDT unit according to the market standards; then optimize the unit for fabricating a demonstrator to be integrated to the FICI. We will also look into the potential for integration with other Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs). If implemented successfully, the ARIA WPDT not only would be a major step for commercialization of our FICI which has already triggered interest of CI makers, users and investors, but also could lead to new applications of AIMDs.
Projet ERC : SMART-TOPOSPEC (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Lund — Pays : Suède — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 28500.0 €

In the era of quantum materials, material properties can be precisely tailored at the smallest (nanometer) and fastest (femtosecond to attosecond) scales ever controlled by humankind. Among them, atomically thin quantum materials stand out due to their remarkable conductivity and optical transparency, making them highly attractive for semiconductor and photonic industries. SMART-TOPOSPEC, integrating a team between University of Salamanca, SME Sphere Ultrafast Photonics and Lund University, aims to develop a novel all-optical metrology technique to spatially-resolve the electronic response of quantum materials. This is achieved through topological harmonic spectroscopy, an innovative approach that exploits structured ultrafast light pulses to extract spatially-resolved information about laser-matter interactions. The use of ultrafast structured light, which requires advanced diagnosis tools and manipulation techniques, opens up new avenues for characterization and quality checking of quantum materials. By innovating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in ultrafast science, our approach will solve the inverse problem to unequivocally identify quantum material properties that can not be resolved with standard techniques. Integrating AI into advanced pulse characterization techniques will facilitate the acceleration of retrieval algorithms, paving the way for real-time, high-precision diagnostics. The project will culminate in a prototype that integrates AI-assisted topological harmonic spectroscopy with advanced laser pulse diagnostics. This method will provide a rapid, robust, cost-effective, and tabletop solution for the semiconductor industry, enabling quality control and defect detection at nanometer scales. Building on previous patents and ERC research results, SMART-TOPOSPEC translates cutting-edge science into industrial applications to impact the laser technology and semiconductor markets.
Projet ERC : INPATT (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Constance — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 60000.0 €

Light activation finds a widely spread application to produce photochemically solid organic resins at low irradiation intensity from liquid organic precursors. The main advantages of this process are that it can be activated locally, by focusing a light beam, remotely, and switched on/off easily, in a safe and convenient irradiation regime. For these features, light-activated polymerization is used for patterning organic structures in fields of high technological, economic and social impact such as stereolithography and tooth restoration. Recently we demonstrated that a similar result can be achieved by photochemical generation of an acid or a base in a suitably designed precursor solution and that this approach can be easily extended to inorganic materials such as insoluble carbonates and phosphates. On the basis of these results, our project INorganic photochemical PATTerning (INPATT), hence the photochemically-controlled production of a solid inorganic matrix instead of an organic resin will offer a solution to the market for the problem of patterning inorganic materials with light. The ambitious objective of INPATT is to provide new liquid formulations suitable for applications in stereolithography, patterning, and tooth and art restoration.
Projet ERC : ABC-MT (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept 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 : 150000.0 €

This project will provide proof of concept for the neuroprotective potential of agonists of the mitochondrial protein BRAWNIN. We have identified that BRAWNIN is an important regulator of mitochondrial function in neurons. Mitochondria are essential organelles to support metabolic homeostasis in the cell. Mounting evidence in the literature demonstrate that mitochondria and more broadly metabolic regulation is central to the function of the nervous system. Axons are especially affected by metabolic deregulation, which can lead to axonal degeneration. In this application, we propose that increasing the cellular levels of protein BRAWNIN using a gene-therapy strategy (defined as BRAWNIN agonists) will be protective in neurodegenerative disease, and we will demonstrate this in models of Charcot Marie Tooth disease, a peripheral neuropathy strongly associated with altered metabolism and mitochondria. Overall, our project will provide the first demonstration that BRAWNIN is a target of therapeutic interest in axonal metabolic diseases, which we will further develop with the ultimate goal to develop BRAWNIN agonists for patients.
Projet ERC : proCOLON (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université libre d'Amsterdam — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

With more than 1.9 million new cases and 935,000 related deaths in 2020, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and the second in women. While surgery is the main treatment option for lower grade CRC, patients with unresectable lesions are treated with chemotherapy. Related therapies are associated with severe drawbacks, such as systemic toxicity, low response rate, and unpredictable resistance. Molecular targeted therapies have emerged as a promising strategy to specifically target cancer cells. For CRC, the inhibition of the Wnt signalling pathway has moved into the focus of novel therapeutic approaches as it is hyperactivated in 80% of all cases. Within the pathway, the protein beta-catenin is considered a particularly attractive target. However, classic small molecule targeting strategies have failed to provide any approved drugs that inhibit beta-catenin so far. We have identified a family of peptidomimetic agents that bind beta-catenin and inhibit its interaction with the TCF/LEF transcription factors. For the first time, it was possible to obtain a crystal structure of a synthetic molecule bound to a therapeutically very attractive site on beta-catenin. In addition, we have confirmed cellular activity of these inhibitors verifying selective inhibition of the Wnt signalling pathway. These findings provide the ideal starting point for the development of novel therapeutics for Wnt-dependent cancers, in particular for CRC. These first-in-class inhibitors will provide the basis for the development of therapeutics that selectively inhibit oncogenic Wnt signalling thereby affecting the viability of corresponding cancer cells. This can enable targeted therapies for Wnt-dependent forms of CRC.
Projet ERC : PolarScopEU (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Lisbonne — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

PolarScopEU proposes an original application, tailored for the context of different EU countries, that will measure and map, in two-dimensional spaces, the polarisation of their online social networks. This tool, to be made available first in Greece, Portugal and Spain, addresses not only the impact that online political communication, and misinformation, is having nowadays on democratic institutions, but also citizens’ unawareness of existing biases in the online political information that they are exposed to. More concretely, relying on automated analyses of Social Media content to assess politicisation levels of multiple key issues, this application will allow its users to: 1) better understand how they place, in terms of the online content that they create and consume, in two major dimensions of political content: diversity and bias; and 2) find out which actors are closer to them when it comes to the politicisation of several important issues (e.g., European Integration, Immigration, Environment). In order to create this application, the PolarScopEU will develop two additional products of extreme value for researchers and organisations to study, and monitor, online political communication. The first one is an innovative tool to measure, using alternative sources of text data, the levels of salience and contestation of different political issues. The second product is a periodically updated database, for each country, with polarisation and issue politicisation scores for an extensive list of national actors, including political parties, news media and other key opinion makers. These products will facilitate the comparison of issue politicisation across countries, time periods, and actors and originate an innovative polarisation index of online political communication in the EU countries.
Projet ERC : HemoStratum (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Fondazione Ri.MED — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Each year, over 10 million of transitory and permanent blood-contacting devices are implanted worldwide, playing a crucial role in addressing cardiovascular diseases and providing life-sustaining support. However, despite their widespread use, sub-optimal biocompatibility still represents a major challenge, compromising safety, efficacy, and durability. Up to 70% of patients experience device-related hemocompatibility issues, significantly affecting their quality of life. To mitigate these risks, antithrombotic drugs are commonly prescribed, yet these systemic treatments come with severe complications, including postoperative bleeding, stroke, and hemorrhage. To address these limitations, material surface modification strategies have been explored to improve the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting devices, with a particular emphasis on promoting stable endothelialization. Among these approaches, physical modifications, such as surface patterning, are considered superior to biological and chemical functionalization because they offer a long-lasting performance, without degrading or losing functionality over time, unlike conventional surface coatings. Despite the continued interest from both industrial and academic research, there are no clinically available bioengineered substrates that integrate mesoscale and microscale surface features able to promote and maintain stable device endothelialization that can ensure long-term resistance to thrombus formation. In this proposal, we aim to optimize and validate HemoStratum, a bioengineered substrate fabricated by our proprietary processing technology. By integrating electrodeposition and photolithography, HemoStratum leverages on both microfibers and meso-patterns identified to promote endothelial cell proliferation and structural organization. This notion represents a radical innovation that can enhance hemocompatibility of a broad spectrum of blood-contacting devices while ensuring long-term stability, and durability.
Projet ERC : POQUB (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : National quantum science and technology institute-nqsti societa' consortile a responsabilita' limita — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 30000.0 €

A Bernoulli factory is a randomness manipulation routine that takes as input a Bernoulli random variable and provides as output another Bernoulli variable whose bias is a function of the input bias. Recently proposed Quantum-to-Quantum Bernoulli Factory schemes encode both input and output variables in qubit amplitudes. This primitive could be used as a key ingredient for quantum networking at the interface of quantum computing and cryptography, as well as a subroutine for more complex quantum algorithms thus extending current approaches of randomness generation and manipulation. An open challenge is to design an approach for the implementation of a general and “low-cost” Quantum-to-Quantum Bernoulli Factory. Via a photonics technological platform, the goal of POQUB is 1) to develop a general scheme of Quantum-to-Quantum Bernoulli Factory; 2) to identify relevant use cases within blind quantum computing, via interaction with industries; 3) to design a roadmap for the innovation technological transfer of all the PoC outcomes. As a technological platform, POQUB will exploit reconfigurable photonic circuits which represent a compact, stable and scalable solution due to its natural potential for unlocking versatile and high-speed applications. The developed scheme is expected to have relevant applications also in several other scenarios for quantum technologies.