Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : EXTORT (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 231737.5 €

Extortion had come to occupy a quintessential position in the global imaginary of mafia-type-criminal organizations. Yet it is also increasingly present beyond clandestine criminal networks and is becoming a normalised profitable source of livelihood and governance and a key visible social relation in many parts of the world. Systematic research on and explanatory models for the apparent expansion and rountinisation of extortion in everyday life (including cyber-extortion) are currently lacking. Timely, the project sets up extortion as an object of anthropological inquiry and charts the first comprehensive cross-cultural account of extortion in social life across South and East Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe. The proposed program of work consists of 5 main components: 1) Primary research on ‘offers that cannot be refused' across different domains of life in and across 22 settings; 2) Analytical and theoretical development in the study of power, consent and organized crime; 3) Methodological innovation by conducting a simultaneous cross-national ethnographic research and adding a South-to-South comparative angle in an area dominated by single case studies and a focus on the Global North; 4) Capability enhancement by forging an international network of scholars in the emerging field of the anthropology of crime and supporting the careers of the project's 5 Post-docs; 5) Policy relevant research in the fields of violence and consent, organized crime, informal economy and development. The study capitalises on previous research and skills of the PI in the cross-cultural study of bossism, politics and kinship and 'mafias' in the global South. Research will be embedded in anthropology but informed by empirical and analytical questions relevant to criminology, political science, economics and development studies.

Mots-clés : violence  force,intimidation,consent,protection,power,informal,criminal economies,governance,organized crime
Projet ERC : ReservoirDOCs (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Edinburgh — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 350196.86 €

Extracted evolutionary and epidemiological information from pathogen genomes has grown into an important instrument across infectious disease research. By harnessing such information, molecular epidemiologists aim to shed light on the origin and epidemic history of pathogens, from reservoir dynamics to emergence and adaptation to new hosts, and their spatiotemporal spread. However, despite the revolution in genome sequencing technologies and advances in statistical methodology, key questions about pathogen emergence and establishment in human populations remain unresolved for major viral epidemics. When confronted with new viral outbreaks, such as the recent devastating Ebola virus epidemic, we also struggle to deploy these technologies in a systematic and concerted way despite a critical need to support public health interventions. In this project, we propose to unravel crucial steps in the emergence and establishment of key viral pathogens. We will scrutinise the reservoir dynamics of HCV by sequencing complete hepacivirus genomes from infected samples emerging from a large-scale screening of African rodents, and analyze the cross-species transmission history using novel evolutionary methods that accommodate spatial and temporal variability in selective pressures. To test hypotheses about the early establishment of HIV-1, we will carve a genomic window into the past epidemic history of the virus by integrating molecular work on archival samples from Central Africa and on samples representative of the current HIV-1 diversity, with the development of ancestral recombination graphs that accommodate dated tips and spatial diffusion, as well as population dynamic models that incorporate epidemiological information. Finally, we will take the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa as a model to develop high-performance statistical approaches for extracting practical and timely epidemiological information from virus genome sequences during epidemics as they unfold.

Mots-clés : emerging infectious diseases,molecular epidemiology,bayesian inference
Projet ERC : PEPCo (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Universität Hamburg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UHH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1800000.0 €

Extremal and probabilistic combinatorics is a central and currently maybe the most active and fastest growing area in discrete mathematics. The field can be traced back to the work of Turán and it was established by Erdős through his fundamental contributions and his uncounted guiding questions. Since then it has grown into an important discipline with strong ties to other mathematical areas such as theoretical computer science, number theory, and ergodic theory. The PI proposes a variety of extremal problems for hypergraphs and for sparse random and pseudorandom graphs. The work for hypergraphs is motivated by Turán’s problem, maybe the most prominent open problem in the area. After solving an analogous question for graphs, Turán asked to determine the maximum cardinality of a set E of three-element subsets of a given n-element set V such that for any 4 elements of V at least one triple is missing in E. This innocent looking problem seems to be out of reach by our current methods and despite a great deal of effort over the last 70 years, our knowledge is still very limited. We suggest a variant of the problem by imposing additional restrictions on the distribution of the three-element subsets in E. These additional assumptions yield a finer control over the corresponding extremal problem. In fact, this leads to many interesting and hopefully more manageable subproblems, some of which were already considered by Erdős and Sós. We suggest a unifying framework for these problems and one of the main goals would be the development of new techniques for this type of problems. These additional assumptions on the hyperedge distribution are closely related to the theory of quasirandom discrete structures, which was pioneered by Szemerédi and became a central theme in the field. In fact, the hypergraph extension by Gowers and by Rödl et al. of the regularity lemma provide essential tools for this line of research.

Mots-clés : msc2010  05c65 hypergraphs,msc2010  05c80 random graphs,msc2010  05dxx extremal combinatorics
Projet ERC : Endure (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Universitat Politècnica de València — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UPV
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2509375.0 €

Extreme events often cause local-initial damage to the critical elements of building structures, followed by a cascade of further failures in the rest of the building; a phenomenon known as “progressive collapse”. Current design philosophies are based on giving buildings extensive continuity, so that when a critical element fails its load can be re-distributed among the rest of the structure. However, in certain situations (e.g. initial failure of several columns) this extensive continuity introduces undesirable effects and actually increases the risk of progressive collapse. Segmenting a building into individual units connected only by means of fuses would avoid a failure in one zone propagating to others. While such fuses would provide continuity for normal loads or small local-initial failure, they would “isolate” the different parts of the building when otherwise the forces generated by the initial failure would pull down the rest of the structure. Although fuse segmentation is probably the only alternative that can fill the gaps in the present design philosophies, so far, no studies have been carried out on the possibility of applying it to buildings. Endure’s overall aim is to develop a novel fuse-based segmentation design approach to limit or arrest the propagation of failures in building structures subjected to extreme events. The project will be multidisciplinary and highly ambitious, and will achieve its overall aim by: 1) Developing a performance-based approach for the design of fuse-segmented buildings; 2) Designing, manufacturing and testing fuses for segmenting buildings; and 3) Implementing fuses in segmented realistic building prototypes and testing and validating the new fuse-based approach in these structures. Endure will open up a new research area and design approach, and also deliver novel construction procedures. The project will lead to safer buildings, especially in the case of extreme events with severe consequences for building integrity.

Mots-clés : structural engineering,buildings,resilience,secure societies,failure
Projet ERC : FOODCULT (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : Durham University — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 206386.25 €

FOODCULT is the first project to establish both the fundamentals of everyday diet, and the cultural ‘meaning’ of food and drink, in early modern Ireland. Exploring the period 1550-1650, one of major economic development, unprecedented intercultural contact, but also of conquest, colonisation and war, it focusses on Ireland as a case-study for understanding the role of food in the demonstration and negotiation of authority and power, and as a site for the development of emergent ‘national’ food cultures. Moving well beyond the colonial narrative of Irish social and economic development, however, it enlarges the study of food to examine neglected themes in Irish historiography, including gender, class, kinship and religious identities, as expressed through the consumption and exchange of food and drink. Taking advantage of recent archaeological discoveries and the unprecedented accessibility of the archaeological evidence, the project develops a ground-breaking interdisciplinary approach, merging micro-historical analytical techniques with science and experimental archaeology, to examine what was eaten, where, why and by whom, at a level of detail deemed impossible for Irish history. Such questions will be explored in a comparative British Isles context, situating Irish developments within a broader analytical framework, whilst moving English food historiography beyond its current insular focus. As a corollary, the project will produce the first major database of diet-related archaeological evidence for this period Mapping Diet: Comparative Food-Ways in Early Modern Ireland, while making accessible the only existing household accounts, a hugely significant, and previously overlooked, quantitative and qualitative source for dietary trends. These resources will shed light, not just on consumption patterns, but on Ireland’s broader economic and social development, whilst significantly furthering research agendas in early modern historical and archaeological scholarship.

Mots-clés : interdisciplinary approaches to consumption,history and archaeology of food and nutrition
Projet ERC : FOODCULT (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of Bristol — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 16576.75 €

FOODCULT is the first project to establish both the fundamentals of everyday diet, and the cultural ‘meaning’ of food and drink, in early modern Ireland. Exploring the period 1550-1650, one of major economic development, unprecedented intercultural contact, but also of conquest, colonisation and war, it focusses on Ireland as a case-study for understanding the role of food in the demonstration and negotiation of authority and power, and as a site for the development of emergent ‘national’ food cultures. Moving well beyond the colonial narrative of Irish social and economic development, however, it enlarges the study of food to examine neglected themes in Irish historiography, including gender, class, kinship and religious identities, as expressed through the consumption and exchange of food and drink. Taking advantage of recent archaeological discoveries and the unprecedented accessibility of the archaeological evidence, the project develops a ground-breaking interdisciplinary approach, merging micro-historical analytical techniques with science and experimental archaeology, to examine what was eaten, where, why and by whom, at a level of detail deemed impossible for Irish history. Such questions will be explored in a comparative British Isles context, situating Irish developments within a broader analytical framework, whilst moving English food historiography beyond its current insular focus. As a corollary, the project will produce the first major database of diet-related archaeological evidence for this period Mapping Diet: Comparative Food-Ways in Early Modern Ireland, while making accessible the only existing household accounts, a hugely significant, and previously overlooked, quantitative and qualitative source for dietary trends. These resources will shed light, not just on consumption patterns, but on Ireland’s broader economic and social development, whilst significantly furthering research agendas in early modern historical and archaeological scholarship.

Mots-clés : interdisciplinary approaches to consumption,history and archaeology of food and nutrition
Projet ERC : FMF-Dia (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, 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 : 148412.5 €

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease worldwide. The disease is highly prevalent in countries of the Mediterranean basin, the Caucasus and the Middle East, with 1:1000 up to 1:500 inhabitants being affected in countries like Turkey and Armenia. FMF has further spread to other regions of the world with migrations of these populations in modern history and today. Colchicine therapy is the gold standard for FMF patients, but given the risks involved, correct FMF diagnosis is desired before onset of therapy. Diagnosis of FMF is currently based on clinical presentation, and is further supported by review of ethnic origin, family history and genetic analysis of disease-associated MEFV alleles. However, clinical and genetic diagnosis of FMF are complicated by significant overlap of the clinical picture with other autoinflammatory diseases, and over 280 FMF alleles of MEFV have been described. Common genetic tests focus on the most common mutations in exons 2 and 10 of MEFV, but mutations may also occur in other parts of the MEFV gene. Consequently, genetic analysis of FMF is sometimes inconclusive, and correct diagnosis of FMF may sometimes be delayed for years. Here, we describe an immunological assay that for the first time allows selective identification of FMF patients based on the differential inflammasome activation response of their blood monocytes. The availability of a single robust, affordable and convenient assay that immunologically stratifies FMF patients from other autoinflammatory disease patients will be instrumental for improving timely and correct identification of FMF patients for colchicine therapy, and (where desired) will enable more cost-effective selection of patients for genetic confirmation of MEFV mutations.

Mots-clés : diagnostics,autoinflammation,disease,inflammasome,cytokine
Projet ERC : FUELING-TRANSPORT (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
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 : 2369941.0 €

Fast axonal transport (FAT) of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for brain function. It depends on huntingtin (HTT), the protein that when mutated causes Huntington’s disease (HD), a devastating and still incurable disorder. Unmet scientific needs: BDNF is regulated by neuronal activity and its transport requires energy. Yet we do not know if FAT of BDNF is regulated by neuronal activity and if HTT facilitates activity-dependent transport. The energy sources for FAT of BDNF and their regulation by activity remain unclear, as do the exact mechanisms of BDNF transport reduction in the HD-causing mutation. Novel hypothesis: HTT plays a key role in channeling energy by coupling energy production by glycolytic enzymes on vesicles to consumption by molecular motors for efficient axonal transport. This function is altered in HD and plays a crucial role in disease progression. By providing energy directly to vesicles, we can restore transport and slow down neurodegeneration in HD. Aim 1: investigate energy sources for axonal transport and their regulation by HTT upon high neuronal activity. Aim 2: investigate how pathogenic mutation in HTT affects response to neuronal activity and vesicles capacity to produce energy. Aim 3: restore energy sources in HD to rescue axonal transport and slow down neurodegeneration. Impact. This work will advance the understanding on how electrical activity essential for brain function regulates energy metabolism to fuel transport, specifically transport of BDNF. We will reveal essential new knowledge on the HTT function and dysfunction. This will likely lead to novel therapeutic strategies for HD. Feasibility: we have expertise in developing innovative microfluidic circuits for studying axonal transport in reconstituted neuronal circuits and in identifying new metabolic and signaling pathways. This, together with my expertise on HTT biology, puts my lab in a unique position to fulfill this ambitious programme.

Mots-clés : huntington s disease,huntingtin,axonal transport,vesicles,bdnf,glycolysis,microfluidic approaches
Projet ERC : ServoTec (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Spanish National Research Council — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CSIC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149897.5 €

Fast data acquisition devices and servo technologies are essential in multiple processes that require a fast response to a sensor input. They are present in multiple automatic procedures for the accurate functioning of trains, planes, and robotic systems either for domestic or industrial activities. As a result of the research performed in the SM-DNA-Repair project (ERC-206117), we have developed a fully digital acquisition board superior in most specifications to current technology because it combines, in a single board, high speed, high channels count, easy integration and development, and is cost effective. The new board has already been validated in a relevant Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) environment (TRL5, Technology Readiness Level 5), being able to reproduce results obtained with analogue devices. Now, I aim to turn the output of the SM-DNA-Repair project into a commercial proposition by exploring the commercial potential of the device and by eventually attract capital for its further development. The ServoTec Proof of Concept project aims are three-fold. First, to perform a market feasibility study of the fast digital servo board developed, in order to exploit the technology integrated into AFM commercial systems for high-speed applications. Second, to make commercially available the technology and to explore other added-value services for wide range applications and customised solutions. Third, to establish the IP position strategy, including the possibility to license the technology to a company that already commercialises data acquisition boards for the general market. These three commercialisation formats will address a global market. Exploratory work regarding competitive analysis, IPR position and strategy and contacts with the industrial sector has been already initiated. The commercial exploitation route, to be defined along the project, will be either through a spin-off or SME, through patent license or agreement for technology exploitation.

Mots-clés : atomic force microscopy,digital signal processing,data acquisition board,servo technology
Projet ERC : NEXTFLOW (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Carlos III University of Madrid — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499062.0 €

Fast-paced advancements of hardware and machine-learning algorithms have triggered successful applications of active flow control, even though mainly limited to laboratory-scale applications. One of the main limits resides in the lesson we are able to learn today from experiments. We can successfully train actuators with probes in a controlled environment to reach a certain goal, e.g. aerodynamic drag minimization or noise reduction; on the other hand, an experimental technique that provides a full description of the flow is not available, thus generalization of the actuation effects to real applications is often prohibitive. The objective of NEXTFLOW is to conceive the next-generation flow-diagnostics aimed to flow control by leveraging the principles of completeness and compactness of the measurements. Completeness implies aiming to pursue a complete flow description, i.e. a time-resolved 3D characterization of velocity and thermodynamic variables. This will be achieved through a technique-integration approach based on data-driven methods. This grounds its basis on the principle that the superposed application of techniques is superior to their separate use. Compactness is pursued by exploring solutions with minimum technological complexity, and on developing new data output formats that are directly aimed at flow control applications. Key enablers for this task are (i) the novel concepts I recently proposed on data-driven techniques integration, (ii) the deep embedding of compressed-sensing methods in the data processing and (iii) the data-driven discovery of simplified governing equations of the dynamics. The next-generation flow diagnostics concept will deeply change experimental fluid mechanics and flow control, allowing bridging the gap between the laboratory experiment to the real application, with tremendous potential impact on numerous industrial applications.

Mots-clés : fluid velocimetry,turbulence,flow control,data driven methods