Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : NARRATIVENSCIENCE (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
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 : 1992442.51 €

The aim of this project is to understand the role of narrative in modern science. Narratives have appeared in many places in the human, social and natural sciences over the past two centuries. They can be found both in accounts of real situations and in simulations of virtual situations, in empirical work and in theorizing. It is clear that narratives have played important roles for scientists well beyond the simple act of reporting. Yet we lack an account of what kinds of thing scientists know from using narrative and how such ‘narrative knowing’ is constituted. Indeed, with the notable exceptions of medicine and evolutionary biology, even the study of those field narratives, as narratives, has been largely ignored by both historians of science and narrative scholars. What do scientists gain from using narratives, what functions do narratives play? Initial research shows that scientists have used narratives to figure out what fits together with what, and to create coherence amongst the elements in their research. But the means of such ordering vary - from site to site, and from science to science. Narratives used to explore a path dependent system in nineteenth century biology used a different mode of ordering both from the configuring narratives of mid-twentieth century case studies in sociology, and from the ‘how possibly’ narratives of modern computer-based simulations. Such variety requires a broad project, using many case studies to explore the critical role that scientists’ narratives have played in modern science. Making sense of such variety offers an ambitious challenge. But while there is surely no simple answer to why scientists use narratives, all these notions of narrative ordering do have something in common. They suggest that narratives function not just to describe and report as one might expect, they play a much more important role in answering scientists’s own questions and so - in various ways - in providing scientific explanations.

Mots-clés : scientists  narratives,narrative explanation,narrative ordering,narrative knowing
Projet ERC : SpinMelt (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Leiden University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1847500.0 €

The aim of this proposal is to bring new insight and understanding into the remarkable phase diagram of the cuprates, representing the larger family of unconventional superconductors, by visualizing the process of melting magnetic order and the resulting spin fluctuations (magnons) on the atomic scale. The cuprate phase diagram not only represents many of the long-standing, core problems in physics, but also is remarkably similar to all other families of unconventional superconductors. It is my opinion that a main driving force behind the exotic phases are antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations that might stem from the melting process, but little is known about them and their relation to the exotic phases. With this proposal, I will unveil these key processes on the atomic scale for the first time as existing techniques only probe sample-averaged parameters. Using my innovative, nanofabricated ‘smart tips’ concept, I will develop radically novel spin-sensitive, GHz-compatible scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) techniques to visualize the melting (and fluctuating) order. I will then develop electron spin resonance - STM, to measure and image the spin fluctuations, as well as their relation to pseudogap, charge order, and superconductivity. I will capitalize on my track record in the field of quantum materials (such as having discovered nematic order in iron-based superconductors) and my unique background in circuit quantum electrodynamics and STM to build unprecedented instrumentation that will enable a new, holistic look at the mystery of unconventional superconductors.

Mots-clés : quantum materials,scanning probe,spin resonance,unconventional superconductivity,high temperature superconductivity
Projet ERC : TC2D (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Trinity College Dublin — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TCD
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 129773.75 €

The aim of this proposal is to determine the economic and technical feasibility of using readily scalable technologies for the development of inexpensive and high performance solutions for heat dissipation for the high-end automobile industry, as well as other markets including household appliances, injection moulding, advanced aircraft and pharmaceutical manufacturing, ranging from the actual fabrication protocols, down to a wide range of finite products. The technology here described is focussed to solving heat dissipation issues by the use of novel 2-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. While graphene is the most well-known 2D system, hundreds of other inorganic layered materials exist. 2-dimensional materials have immediate and far-reaching potential in several high-impact technological applications amongst which are heat harvesting and dissipation. Our technology will offer very cheap, scalable solution of using advanced 2D nanomaterials for enhanced heat transport. Moreover, our technology offers the advantage of being extremely versatile: 2D nanomaterial dispersions can be sprayed on their own directly onto surfaces or they can be mixed to different matrixes such as Polysil to obtain enhanced resistance to wear, abrasion, oxidation etc. This will allow us to improve the performance of existing systems, as well as improve the performance of new designs. Our developed solutions will not need to be applied through the whole heat recovery system, but mainly at those critical parts that limit the system performance. This technology has the potential of becoming a feasible, easy and efficient solution for a range of manufacturing companies. It will constitute a huge economic return, not to consider the societal overall impact of having much more efficient ways to deal with energy consumption.

Mots-clés : 2d nanomaterials,nanosheets,thermal conductivity,composites,thin films
Projet ERC : SmartGraphene (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Bilkent University — Pays : Turquie — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 640580.29 €

The aim of this proposal is to develop adaptive camouflage systems using graphene-enabled smart surfaces. We propose a new class of active surfaces capable of real-time electrical-control of its appearance in a very broad spectrum ranging from visible to microwave covering 6 orders of magnitude in wavelength. The proposed method relies on controlling electromagnetic waves by tuning density of high-mobility charges on single or multilayers of atomically thin graphene electrodes. We will realize this goal by efficient gating of large-area graphene using ionic liquids which yields unprecedented ability to control intensity and phase of the reflected and transmitted electromagnetic waves from the surface. Based on underlying physical mechanisms and applications, the proposed research plan is structured in 3 main directions; (1) Active surfaces in microwave and THz, (2) Active thermal surfaces, and (3) Active surfaces in the visible. The core idea of the proposal is based on a mutually-gated capacitor structure consisting of ionic liquid electrolyte sandwiched between two large area graphene. The voltage applied between the electrodes polarizes the ionic liquid and accumulates high-density of charges. Combining large scale chemical synthesis of graphene, novel device architectures and ionic liquid electrolyte we will develop new tools to understand and control light-matter interaction in a very broad spectrum. Then we will use these tools to fabricate new camouflage and display technologies on flexible polymers and paper substrates which cannot be realized by conventional semiconducting materials. We will challenge specific applications, such as THz compressive imaging, reconfigurable thermal shields, and electronic paper display. At the basic science level, this project revisits and challenges our basic understanding of light-matter interaction, in parallel, the proposed graphene-based smart surfaces will serve as a tool for developing new enabling technologies.

Mots-clés : graphene,adaptive optical system
Projet ERC : SmartGraphene (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : University of Manchester — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1355044.71 €

The aim of this proposal is to develop adaptive camouflage systems using graphene-enabled smart surfaces. We propose a new class of active surfaces capable of real-time electrical-control of its appearance in a very broad spectrum ranging from visible to microwave covering 6 orders of magnitude in wavelength. The proposed method relies on controlling electromagnetic waves by tuning density of high-mobility charges on single or multilayers of atomically thin graphene electrodes. We will realize this goal by efficient gating of large-area graphene using ionic liquids which yields unprecedented ability to control intensity and phase of the reflected and transmitted electromagnetic waves from the surface. Based on underlying physical mechanisms and applications, the proposed research plan is structured in 3 main directions; (1) Active surfaces in microwave and THz, (2) Active thermal surfaces, and (3) Active surfaces in the visible. The core idea of the proposal is based on a mutually-gated capacitor structure consisting of ionic liquid electrolyte sandwiched between two large area graphene. The voltage applied between the electrodes polarizes the ionic liquid and accumulates high-density of charges. Combining large scale chemical synthesis of graphene, novel device architectures and ionic liquid electrolyte we will develop new tools to understand and control light-matter interaction in a very broad spectrum. Then we will use these tools to fabricate new camouflage and display technologies on flexible polymers and paper substrates which cannot be realized by conventional semiconducting materials. We will challenge specific applications, such as THz compressive imaging, reconfigurable thermal shields, and electronic paper display. At the basic science level, this project revisits and challenges our basic understanding of light-matter interaction, in parallel, the proposed graphene-based smart surfaces will serve as a tool for developing new enabling technologies.

Mots-clés : graphene,adaptive optical system
Projet ERC : NIRD (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : TU Wien — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUW
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 140000.0 €

The aim of this proposal is to develop an uncooled nanoelectromechanical detector for infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) radiation, which surpasses the sensitivity of state-of-the-art uncooled detectors by up to two orders of magnitude. The reliable and quantitative sensing of light is a fundamental task ubiquitous to modern technology. The IR to THz region of the electromagnetic spectrum hosts a wealth of intriguing interactions between radiation and matter, which are of particular interest for a wide range of applications including quality control in food and agriculture, drug development in pharma, medical imaging, security scanning, environmental monitoring, astronomy, and fundamental research. Because of the low energy of IR/THz photons, highly effective photodiodes don’t exist in this region and detectors typically rely on less sensitive thermal detectors. In order to reach sensitivities comparable to what is obtainable with photodiodes in the visible and near IR region, thermal IR detectors require cryogenic cooling. In our ongoing work on photothermal coupling of nanoplasmonic antennas and single molecules to nanomechanical resonators (ERC-StG PLASMECS), we have recently obtained an extraordinary sensitivity of 16 fW/rtHz at room temperature in the visible regime, which even exceeds the sensitivity of state-of-the-art LHe cooled bolometers. The ERC PoC grant would allow us to develop our current nanomechanical sensor further to an innovative uncooled IR/THz detector with unprecedented sensitivity. The resulting detector would constitute a breakthrough by improving the current sensitivity of state-of-the-art uncooled detectors to the fundamental photon noise limit. Such a detector would not only spur IR-THz-research, but more importantly, without the need of cryogenic cooling it would enable IR/THz technology to actually leave the laboratory and make a big impact in many fields of application.

Mots-clés : ir detector,thz detector,nems,mems,ir spectroscopy,protein structure analysis,thz non destructive testing
Projet ERC : NIRD (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Invisible-light labs gmbh — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 10000.0 €

The aim of this proposal is to develop an uncooled nanoelectromechanical detector for infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) radiation, which surpasses the sensitivity of state-of-the-art uncooled detectors by up to two orders of magnitude. The reliable and quantitative sensing of light is a fundamental task ubiquitous to modern technology. The IR to THz region of the electromagnetic spectrum hosts a wealth of intriguing interactions between radiation and matter, which are of particular interest for a wide range of applications including quality control in food and agriculture, drug development in pharma, medical imaging, security scanning, environmental monitoring, astronomy, and fundamental research. Because of the low energy of IR/THz photons, highly effective photodiodes don’t exist in this region and detectors typically rely on less sensitive thermal detectors. In order to reach sensitivities comparable to what is obtainable with photodiodes in the visible and near IR region, thermal IR detectors require cryogenic cooling. In our ongoing work on photothermal coupling of nanoplasmonic antennas and single molecules to nanomechanical resonators (ERC-StG PLASMECS), we have recently obtained an extraordinary sensitivity of 16 fW/rtHz at room temperature in the visible regime, which even exceeds the sensitivity of state-of-the-art LHe cooled bolometers. The ERC PoC grant would allow us to develop our current nanomechanical sensor further to an innovative uncooled IR/THz detector with unprecedented sensitivity. The resulting detector would constitute a breakthrough by improving the current sensitivity of state-of-the-art uncooled detectors to the fundamental photon noise limit. Such a detector would not only spur IR-THz-research, but more importantly, without the need of cryogenic cooling it would enable IR/THz technology to actually leave the laboratory and make a big impact in many fields of application.

Mots-clés : ir detector,thz detector,nems,mems,ir spectroscopy,protein structure analysis,thz non destructive testing
Projet ERC : Novel asthma therapy (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LMU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

The aim of this proposal is to engineer biocompatible nanoparticles that deliver short interfering RNA (siRNA) to activated T cells (ATCs) for the downregulation of the Type 2 T helper cell (Th2) transcription factor GATA-3. By downregulating GATA-3 with siRNA, which regulates the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, the activation of their downstream inflammatory cascades can be prevented. However, T cells are hard-to-transfect cells which are not readily accessible for nucleic acid based therapeutics. I am the first to have demonstrated successful and targeted siRNA delivery to ATCs ex vivo and in vivo for specific GATA-3 knockdown without delivering siRNA to naive T cells. Thus, I can avoid general immune suppression. This was achieved by engineering targeted siRNA delivery systems based on low molecular weight polyethylenimine (LMW-PEI) which form nanoparticles with siRNA and successfully deliver the latter to ATCs. The targeting approach was realized by coupling transferrin to LMW-PEI and by optimizing the coupling chemistry. I have demonstrated specific delivery to ATCs in a mouse model of allergic asthma and have screened siRNA sequences for efficient GATA-3 knockdown. The nanoparticles were administered locally to the lung to prevent the first-pass effect in the liver. The LMW-PEI based nanocarriers were very well tolerated in healthy animals, however, potentially caused additional proinflammatory effects in the asthma model. Therefore, I will engineer nanocarriers that do not only specifically deliver siRNA to ATCs but are also biocompatible in a diseased state of the lung. I will use oligospermines, which are tetramers and octamers of spermine, an endogenous polyamine, and apply the optimized coupling strategy to target the spermine based nanocarriers to ATCs for therapeutic GATA-3 knockdown. To obtain clinically relevant formulations, I will produce inhalable powders of these nanocarriers.

Mots-clés : asthma,gata 3,nanoparticle,sirna,t cell,targeting,dry powder inhalation,engineering
Projet ERC : PHOROSOL (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Spanish National Research Council — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CSIC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 108886.53 €

The aim of this proposal is to exploit the potentialities of confined pore spaces in technological processes related to applied photochemistry for gas sensing, energy conversion and environmental protection. I will focus on new light responsive nanoporous carbons which characteristics can be tailored at two levels (pore void at the nanometric scale and surface functionalization) during the synthesis to modulate their selectivity towards a given molecule (i.e. gas sensing) or efficiency in a given reaction (i.e. energy conversion, environmental protection). The dual nature of the nanoporous carbons with ad-hoc designed pore architectures acting as nanoreactors (confinement) and photoactivity defined by composition (chromophoric groups) offers new perspectives in the fields of light harvesting of applied photochemistry, and shows multitude of fundamental questions that are worth investigating to exploit this concept. Understanding of the confinement effects and the light/solid/molecule interactions is the key for integrating carbon nanostructures in a whole new array of applications. An example would be the design of multifunctional spatially organized photoactive carbons with high electron mobility, multimodal pore systems and chromophoric groups. These systems are expected to show enhanced diffusion and mass transport, with great potential in gas sensing applications where a fast, sensitivity and selective response is needed. I plan to work with functionalized light-responsive polymeric nanoporous carbons (mainly gels, graphene-oxide frameworks). A smart design of hybrid nanostructures introducing other confined photoactive elements will also be studied. The outcome of the proposal is to understand the fundamentals of photochemistry of carbon nanostructures for the implementation of best performing materials in different technological processes related to photochemical energy conversion for H2 and O2 generation, gas sensing and environmental protection.

Mots-clés : photochemistry,energy conversion,materials chemistry,light harvesting,photoremediation
Projet ERC : EPOCH28 (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Institut Curie — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The aim of this proposal is to showcase that chromatin regulators represent a novel class of biomarkers that can predict the response to individual drugs. The proof of concept will be established by validating our recent discovery of a 28-gene signature of chromatin regulators that predicts the response of 26 out of 31 patient-derived xenograft breast cancer models to docetaxel. Notably, in patients treated with docetaxel, though all are subjected to toxic side effects, less than half of them clinically benefit, and no test exists to predict response. In the context of our funded ERC project, discoveries in our team underscored the key role of several chromatin regulators in establishing and maintaining chromatin landmarks, such as centromeres. In particular, our recent work demonstrated that mislocalization of the centromeric histone variant CenH3 gives cells an adaptive advantage to overcome DNA damage induced by camptothecin treatment and gamma irradiation. Further, preliminary evidence from our lab and others has highlighted a link between the expression level of chromatin regulators, including those involved in centromeres, and docetaxel sensitivity in a cellular context. Based on these promising studies, there are three aspects that we wish to develop as proof of concept for the use of chromatin regulators as novel predictive biomarkers for docetaxel treatment. First, we wish to further illustrate our chromatin regulators as a predictive signature for docetaxel treatment. For this, we will test samples from patients having received neoadjuvant docetaxel treatment alone. Secondly, we will test the applicability of our method in other cancers and drugs through an established collaboration with Roche to predict vemurafenib efficacy in melanoma. Thirdly, we will further evaluate the market need for predictive signatures for other commercial oncology drugs, and a potential spin-off that derives companion diagnostics for new drugs in clinical trails.

Mots-clés : docetaxel,biomarkers,chromatin dynamics,breast cancer,companion diagnostics,precision medicine,personalized medicine