Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : CAUSALITY (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université de Gand — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UGent
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1172500.0 €

Universally, human language changes over time. One fundamental assumption about language change is that it originates at the level of an individual as a shift in frequencies with which a particular variant of linguistic expression is chosen over another. Conceiving of language change as the loss of an equilibrium in a system of stochastically used grammatical options, a change presupposes an emerging disturbing factor or a cause. A change can then be viewed as an adaptation process whereby in a linguistic environment affected by a disturbing factor a hitherto marginal grammatical option begins to create a certain communicative advantage and grows in frequency. We might then in principle expect a fast transition to the new variant in the speech of an individual, given the general learning abilities of humans. However, another fundamental property of language change is that it proceeds gradually over generations. Therefore, there must be powerful conservative factors at play pushing against the communicative advantage presented by the new variant. It has been suggested that the contrast between the speed of learning projected based on an individual's cognitive abilities and the attested pace of language change may be due to the social aspect of language, whereby the communicative advantage of an innovation is balanced off by the necessity of group synchronization. Since many social coordination tasks can be completed within individual's lifetime, the question stands open which properties of language are responsible for a relatively slow group coordination when it comes to grammatical shifts. This project aims at understanding, via game-theoretic and reinforcement learning modeling, the interplay between the causes of language change and conservatism. The models will be evaluated against the empirical material from three West Germanic languages, which includes creating a treebank of historical Dutch.

Mots-clés : language change corpus linguistics historical treebanks middle dutch west germanic semantics computational pragmatics presuppositions
Projet ERC : ABSTRACTION (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Université de Bologne — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1392265.0 €

Words, language's building blocks, are labels that define different types of categories. Some words define categories of concrete entities (cats, tables) while others define abstract entities (legacy, empathy). Some words define generic categories that encompass many different entities (vehicles, art) while others define more specific ones (sport cars, Impressionism).  To unlock meaning from experience, we construct different types of categories through mechanisms of abstraction. Concreteness and specificity are the two variables that support abstractions.  However, when investigating the mechanisms and effects of abstraction, scholars from different fields typically focus only on specificity or only on concreteness. Relying on different and partial definitions of abstraction, the debate across scientific communities is impaired and the theoretical development is jeopardized. This is also due to the fact that human-generated resources to measure specificity do not exist.  The ABSTRACTION team will collect specificity data for thousands of words in 2 languages (English and Italian) through an innovative gamification technique. Using this data and other lexical resources, we will run extensive statistical analyses aimed at explaining how specificity interacts with concreteness in:  - Thought, to explain contrasting findings that have been previously attributed to concreteness alone - Language, to construct texts that are optimally clear and informative for the target readerships - Creativity, to construct effective metaphors in different contexts  ABSTRACTION will explain how word specificity and concreteness enable us to unlock meaning from experience and achieve the higher-order generalizations on which much of our thinking and talking relies. This is a hot topic in cognitive science, where the grounding of abstract concepts is an open question, and in AI research, where it is still unknown how machines may construct and use concepts in the way humans do.

Mots-clés : word meaning semantic categorization concreteness effect corpus linguistics language use communicative effects metaphors linguistic creativity
Projet ERC : ArtDisQ (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Université Eberhard Karl de Tübingen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1460660.36 €

The experimental capabilities to generate, control, and measure complex quantum systems have dramatically improved over the last few years. With ingenious proposals for practical applications, a powerful new paradigm of technology emerges that exploits quantum superposition and quantum entanglement. As these systems get more advanced, designing new quantum experiments and hardware becomes ever more intricate for human scientists. To exploit the full potential of quantum physics, researchers have started to involve artificial intelligence in the automated design of quantum experiments. Unfortunately, even the currently most powerful methodologies have severe limitations and therefore cannot cope with the enormous potential that quantum mechanics promises us.  For that reason, in ARTDISQ, I propose to build high-performance physical simulators which are at the heart of all AI-driven discovery and design efforts. The key idea is to use a framework originally developed for the efficient training and execution of large neural networks, called JAX. JAX is powerful enough to encode not only neural networks but a wide range of computer algorithms. It allows for modern high-performance computational techniques such as just-in-time compilation, auto-differentiation and direct access to the GPU. In ARTDISQ I will exploit this dramatic acceleration, which will open previously unchartered applications, including AI-driven (1) design of highly sensitive and robust quantum-enhanced gravitational wave detectors (2) design of new quantum techniques for imaging systems, with a focus on optical telescopes (3) hardware-software co-design for quantum hardware with the potential of discovering highly unorthodox and exotic solutions with superior behaviour.  As such, ARTDISQ aims to develop a revolutionary way to augment human researchers' ingenuity and creativity to accelerate scientific discoveries.

Mots-clés : artificial intelligence,automated design,quantum enhanced telescopes,gravitational wave detectors
Projet ERC : NANO-BOOST (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Université de Padoue — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UniPd
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498842.0 €

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is luminescence driven by electrochemical reactions, offering unparalleled spatiotemporal control and exceptionally low background noise compared to other optical methods. Over the past two decades, ECL has become a powerful analytical tool, revolutionizing areas ranging from fundamental research to clinical diagnostics, biosensing, and biological applications. Despite these significant advancements, understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind ECL remains a complex and ongoing challenge. Creating confined reaction environments at the nanoscale offer a promising tool to unlock new insights into ECL mechanisms. Key questions in this context are: i) Can we establish a connection between the design of nano electrodes and their nanoconfinement performance in ECL? ii) Can such a connection be a tool capable of simulating various ECL reactions to optimize reaction parameters? iii) Can this model help identify the optimal microenvironment to maximize ECL efficiency? NANO-BOOST will answer these questions by exploring the combined effects of nanoscale geometry and surface chemistry on ECL efficiency with the goal of developing advanced smart ECL Nanoreactors (ECL-NR). Using high-throughput nanofabrication techniques that enable precise control over surface topography and chemistry, NANO-BOOST will bridge the gap between material science and chemistry, creating new synergies to accelerate the discovery of new aspects of ECL mechanisms. NANO-BOOST will establish a definitive correlation between nanostructure design, nanoconfinement, and reaction parameters, thereby pinpointing the optimal conditions to maximize ECL efficiency within specific analytical contexts. These discoveries will contribute to the advancement of high-performance ECL sensing platforms with applications across various scientific domains, such as diagnostics, imaging, and bioanalytical research, consequently propelling early and precise disease detection capabilities.

Mots-clés : electrochemiluminescence,nanoelectrode,ecl imaging
Projet ERC : GLIOMERS (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention,  Diagnosis and T reatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Université de Padoue — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UniPd
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498175.0 €

Research focusing on cancer immunotherapy has provided little progress toward improved survival rates for patients with glioblastoma (GBM), a poorly immunogenic tumor. Clinical trials for GBM immunotherapy primarily focus on the systemic administration of therapeutics; however, they have shown limited therapeutic success. The blood-brain barrier, the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), the extracellular matrix, the highly invasive/proliferative nature of GBM, and intra- and inter-patient heterogeneity represent challenges to immunotherapy success. Administering polymer therapeutics as a class of biodegradable nanomedicines for localized treatment − a concept I pioneered − represents a less explored area that may fulfill the potential of GBM immunotherapy while reducing doses and adverse systemic effects.  GLIOMERS aims to design an immunomodulatory brain-penetrating polymeric drug delivery system that will exploit its intrinsic therapeutic effect by synergizing with conjugated chemotherapeutic agent(s) to directly stimulate antitumor immunity. By encompassing different biomaterials properties, hybrid nanocarriers will be developed using a synthetic microfluidic-assisted approach based on chemically stabilized self-assembled hyaluronic acid – as immunomodulator – with complementary poly-L-lysine to support brain penetration. I will capitalize on the properties of this new class of nanocarriers by conjugating chemotherapeutics re-purposed for immunotherapy. This approach will allow not only the local spread of the drug within the GBM, but also an additional rewiring of immunosuppressive TIME with an enhanced T cell-mediated immune response.  GLIOMERS will provide an innovative advance in the design of translational nanomedicines for local brain delivery, contributing to enhanced immunotherapeutic efficacy for GBM treatment.

Mots-clés : nanomedicine,glioblastoma,polymer therapeutics,local treatment,immunotherapy
Projet ERC : ATOMS (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université de Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1936780.0 €

Atomically thin body (ATB) semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) hold tremendous promise for scaling modern electronics because their ultra-thin channel provides excellent gate electrostatics. Major semiconductor companies and international roadmaps for devices and systems have cited ATB TMDs for sub-1-nm semiconductor technologies beyond 2030. ATOMS will focus on developing ultra-scaled complementary field effect transistors (CFETs) based on ATB semiconductors, offering a transformative approach to address the scaling challenges of current semiconductor technology. The project aims to create ultra-short channel CFETs by optimising electrical contacts, developing ideal dielectrics, and integrating multiple pristine interfaces into the CFET structure. Key objectives are the development of clean van der Waals contacts for low contact resistance and high ON state current, fabrication of ideal semiconductor/dielectric interfaces for efficient switching, and novel engineering methods to tune the threshold voltages of both n- and p-type FETs. Additionally, the project will focus on synthesis of wafer scale monolayer TMDs, and seamless integration of all these components to achieve high-performance CFETs. By employing industry compatible fabrication processes, the ATOMS project aims to advance these technologies toward practical applications in next generation low-power electronics. This will position CFETs based on ATB semiconductors as a foundational technology for future electronic devices.
Projet ERC : STEPS (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting 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 : 1499522.0 €

Human bipedalism is a rare and distinct form of locomotion, unlike that of any other animal. Despite its uniqueness, its evolutionary origins and ecological significance remain elusive. By walking on two legs, early hominins not only freed their hands to hold, manufacture, and use stone tools, but also gained the ability to interact with the environment in new ways, driving innovations in social structure, diet, and survival strategies. This ultimately led to the success of Homo, our genus, which expanded into diverse habitats, including those beyond Africa, while other hominins were more limited in their geographic distribution. Understanding how and why bipedalism became Homo’s primary adaptive strategy is key to explaining our species' evolutionary success in occupying diverse habitats. STEPS focuses on movement across complex, realistic landscapes similar to those likely traversed by hominins, which exerted selective pressures on their skeletons, driving anatomical and functional changes for efficient locomotion. It will investigate how hominins navigated such terrains bipedally despite their anatomical differences that likely affected their efficiency in doing so. Musculoskeletal models of seven hominin species spanning the last four million years will be constructed and their movement across complex terrains simulated. The predictive simulations will be guided by an empirical framework of human movements across experimentally-constructed substrates. STEPS will determine whether the Homo body plan offered greater efficiency compared to other hominins. Only by tackling such a project can scientists understand why the Homo genus was so successful at occupying diverse habitats, whilst other groups (australopiths) were not. STEPS will thus enhance our understanding of how anatomical features influenced locomotor strategy and dispersals, focusing on the role of the foot-ground interface as a driving force that shaped human evolution.

Mots-clés : human evolution,palaeoanthropology,evolutionary biomechanics,hominin
Projet ERC : CellFish (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Entité participante : Université de Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2497364.0 €

Cancers are proliferative outgrowths of abnormal cells driven by a selfish evolutionary programme. Most cancers arise from and remain within the bodies of their respective host individuals. Rarely, however, cancers may escape their hosts to become ‘transmissible cancers’, infectious cell lineages that spread between individuals by direct transfer of cancer cells. As parasitic cancers capable of surviving for millennia, transmissible cancers offer a unique model for exploring how mutation, selection and cellular processes mould and constrain selfish tumour evolution.  Marine bivalves (shellfish including clams, mussels and cockles) are affected by at least 10 transmissible cancers, which spread via waterborne cell transfer. The recurrent emergence of long-lived cancers in shellfish provides a valuable resource for comparative studies aiming to probe the basic mechanisms of tumour evolution, including extreme genomic instability. Yet, the evolutionary histories of these cancers are poorly understood.  My vision is to elucidate the origins and evolution of marine transmissible cancers by conducting a large-scale comparative genomic study of these cancers. My aims are to:  1. Understand how transmissible cancers arise, mutate and spread under the sea  2. Identify the mechanisms and consequences of genomic instability in transmissible cancers.  My research approach will involve:  - Extensive tumour sampling across continents  - Generation of high-quality bivalve genome assemblies  - Application of state-of-the-art technologies, including laser microdissection and single-cell sequencing, to hundreds of tumours  - Development of specialised methods for comparative cancer genome analysis.  The intrinsic heterogeneity and short lifespans of most cancers may obscure their underlying biological patterns. By examining the convergent evolution of 10 long-lived cancers through a comparative-genomics lens, I intend to deliver fundamental insights into cancer biology and evolution.

Mots-clés : transmissible cancer,cancer genomics,comparative genomics,genomic instability
Projet ERC : LipDive (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Université de Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

The origin of cell membranes is a major unresolved issue in evolution. Evolutionary biology points to the existence of primitive cells with compositionally diverse membranes that could actively participate in genetic and metabolic processes. However, the assumption that such lipid diversity is dependent upon enzymatic chemistry has generated models comprising compositionally minimal membranes (binary or ternary mixtures of short-chain fatty or phosphatidic acids) that passively host genetic or metabolic processes. LipDive seeks to reconcile biology and chemistry by challenging the critical limiting assumption that lipid diversity cannot be achieved through non-enzymatic, prebiotic chemistries. LipDive will identify prebiotic chemistries that could have given rise to compositionally diverse membranes and show how these support characteristic behaviours necessary for nucleic acid replication and membrane division, the hallmarks of a cell cycle. To achieve this goal, I will harness diversity-oriented prebiotic synthesis to non-enzymatically transform primitive pluripotent lipids into libraries of diverse lipids (WP1). These lipids will be used to build compositionally diverse membranes (WP2) capable of interacting with membrane-editing protoenzymes and ribozymes (WP3). Coupling membrane division and nucleic acid replication will ultimately lead to a primitive cell cycle. LipDive will advance the state-of-the-art in the origins-of-life field by probing the emergence, assembly and evolution of cell membranes, and finally connecting prebiotic chemistry and early biology. LipDive will lead to i) a fundamental understanding of the origins of lipid diversity, including the features now associated with bacterial and archaeal lipids; ii) new strategies based on compositionally diverse membranes to probe, sense or replicate cellular behaviours; and iii) a deep-rooted understanding of the emergence and evolution of cellular processes at the molecular level.

Mots-clés : lipid,membrane,protocell,prebiotic chemistry,origins of life
Projet ERC : BattSkin (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Materials Engineering
Entité participante : Université technologique de Dresde — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TU Dresden
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499900.0 €

The intrinsic limitation of Li-ion batteries (i.e., cost, safety, and sustainability) is imposing a strong demand for next-generation battery technologies based on resource-abundant elements. Among the top candidates for this purpose are Mg batteries. However, state-of-the-art Mg batteries still encounter numerous problems (e.g., low Coulombic efficiency, energy efficiency, energy density, and cycle life) and are far from mature to satisfy practical use. The disappointing performance of Mg batteries is dominantly assigned to the problematic interfacial charge transfer governed by the charge-dense Mg2+ at both the anodes and cathodes. Here, I propose the ground-breaking concept of using molecule-customisable 2D crystalline polymers (2DCPs) as artificial electrode ‘skins’ to regulate the interfacial Mg2+ transport and enable practical Mg batteries. Relying on dynamic imine and sp2-carbon linkage reactions, ultrathin 2DCPs with varying porosity, dense nucleophilic groups, and stable polymer skeleton will be synthesised as the artificial electrode skins for Mg batteries. Multifunctional 2DCPs are expected to promote practically useful Mg anode stripping/plating chemistry and high-voltage/high-capacity cathode chemistries by forcing Mg2+ desolvation and Mg2+-anion dissociation, allowing fast and selective interfacial Mg2+ transport, and inhibiting the parasitic reactions associated with the electrolyte. An integrated approach combining atom-level structure investigation, Mg2+-transport study, and electrode chemistry evaluation will establish the molecular design principle for the optimal electrode skins. Ultimately, with artificial electrode skins, the prototype configurations for practical Mg batteries will be formulated, offering intellectual property for future battery products. Besides, the acquired ion-transport knowledge will hold promise in many other applications, such as ion sieving, capacitive deionisation, and salinity gradient energy harvesting.

Mots-clés : next generation batteries,magnesium batteries,electrode skins,2d crystalline polymers