Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : FEAR-SAP (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : GMI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 583213.32 €

In natural and agricultural habitats, plants grow in organismal communities and therefore have to compete for limited resources. Competition between different crop plants and between crops and weeds leads to losses of potential agricultural product and requires heavy use of fertilizer and herbicides, with negative effects for the environment and human health. Plants have evolved various strategies to outcompete their neighbours and to secure their access to resources; one of them is the release of toxic chemical compounds into the soil that interfere with the growth of neighbouring plants. Many of today’s major crops, such as wheat, rye and maize, produce phytotoxins. Conversely, crop species also suffer from chemical attack by other plants growing in their vicinity. Although many of the chemical compounds applied in this biochemical warfare have been identified, we know little about how they act in the target plant; neither do we understand how some plant species are able to tolerate this chemical attack. FEAR-SAP studies the genetic architecture that underlies biochemical plant-plant interference and the evolution of weed resistance to crop-released phytotoxins. To this end it employs a comprehensive array of molecular genetics, genomics and metagenomics analyses, unprecedented in the research on plant-plant competition. The aims of FEAR-SAP are to uncover the molecular targets of plant-derived phytotoxins and to identify the genetic components that are essential for tolerance to these substances. Moreover, FEAR-SAP investigates how the microbial community that is associated with the plant might enhance efficiency of the donor and/or mediate tolerance of the target plant. Ultimately, we will use this information to explore intelligent engineering of more refined and competitive crops, which will be at the foundation of efficient and ecologically responsible weed control and improved crop rotation strategies.

Mots-clés : plant plant competition,allelopathy,microbiome,population genomics,chromatin
Projet ERC : NANOPDICS (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : University of La Laguna — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ULL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999742.0 €

In neurons, sites of Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ sensors are located within 20-50 nm, in subcellular “Ca2+ nanodomains”. Such tight coupling is crucial for the functional properties of synapses and neuronal excitability. Two key players act together in nanodomains, coupling Ca2+ signal to membrane potential: the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCC) and the large conductance Ca2+ and voltage-gated K+ channels (BK). BK channels are characterized by synergistic activation by Ca2+ and membrane depolarization, but the complex molecular mechanism underlying channel function is not adequately understood. Information about the pore region, voltage sensing domain or isolated intracellular domains has been obtained separately using electrophysiology, biochemistry and crystallography. Nevertheless, the specialized behavior of this channel must be studied in the whole protein complex at the membrane in order to determine the complete range of structures and movements critical to its in vivo function. Using a combination of genetics, electrophysiology and spectroscopy, our group has measured for the first time the structural rearrangements accompanying whole BK channel activation at the membrane. From this unique position, our first goal is to fully determine the real time structural dynamics underlying the molecular coupling of Ca2+, voltage and activation of BK channels in the membrane environment, its regulation by accessory subunits and channel effectors. BK subcellular localization and role in Ca2+ nanodomains make these channels perfect candidates as reporters of local changes in [Ca2+] restricted to specific nanodomains close to the neuronal membrane. In our laboratory we have created fluorescent variants of the channel that report BK activity induced by Ca2+ binding, or Ca2+ binding and voltage. Our second aim in this proposal is to optimize and deploy this novel optoelectrical reporters to study physiologically relevant Ca2+-induced processes both in cellular and animal mode
Projet ERC : OptoVision (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Newcastle University — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1405000.0 €

In order to achieve a more complete understanding of neocortical brain functions in health and disease, we need to delineate the computations of specific cell populations and how they dynamically exert their impact on connected target neurons. Here, I propose to investigate the functions of neurons in layer-6 of primary visual cortex (V1) and their influence on connected neurons, i) in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of thalamus, and ii) to more superficially located V1 cells, during visual perception in non-human primates (NHP). My core hypothesis is that due to their unique connectivity with LGN on one hand and layer-4 of V1 on the other hand, layer-6 neurons are in an ideal position to facilitate the transmission of visual information from LGN to V1 when spatial attention is allocated to specific visual targets. The central aim of my investigations will be to delineate how the computations and network interactions of layer-6 neurons dynamically change during attention and ultimately lead to improved behavioral performance. To this end, selective targeting and manipulation of LGN projecting V1 layer-6 neurons will be enabled using the methods of optogenetics (ChR2) and viral delivery techniques. Methods to measure brain activity and assess the impact of optogenetic stimulation will include behavioral assessment, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and extra-cellular multi-electrode electrophysiology. Data analysis will include measures of directed (functional and effective) connectivity and en-/decoding approaches using a (predictive coding) Bayesian inference framework. With this approach we will gain new insights into the basic principles of information flow in the visual system. Beyond their immediate impact on basic science, the results of the experiments will be contributing towards a better understanding of the diseased brain such as in schizophrenia or attention-deficit-hyperactivity (ADHD) syndrome.

Mots-clés : vision,attention,optogenetics,neurophysiology,cortex,thalamus
Projet ERC : BSD (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UPC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1428588.0 €

In order to celebrate mathematics in the new millennium, the Clay Mathematics Institute established seven $1.000.000 Prize Problems. One of these is the conjecture of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer (BSD), widely open since the 1960's. The main object of this proposal is developing innovative and unconventional strategies for proving groundbreaking results towards the resolution of this problem and their generalizations by Bloch and Kato (BK). Breakthroughs on BSD were achieved by Coates-Wiles, Gross, Zagier and Kolyvagin, and Kato. Since then, there have been nearly no new ideas on how to tackle BSD. Only very recently, three independent revolutionary approaches have seen the light: the works of (1) the Fields medalist Bhargava, (2) Skinner and Urban, and (3) myself and my collaborators. In spite of that, our knowledge of BSD is rather poor. In my proposal I suggest innovating strategies for approaching new horizons in BSD and BK that I aim to develop with the team of PhD and postdoctoral researchers that the CoG may allow me to consolidate. The results I plan to prove represent a departure from the achievements obtained with my coauthors during the past years: I. BSD over totally real number fields. I plan to prove new ground-breaking instances of BSD in rank 0 for elliptic curves over totally real number fields, generalizing the theorem of Kato (by providing a new proof) and covering many new scenarios that have never been considered before. II. BSD in rank r=2. Most of the literature on BSD applies when r=0 or 1. I expect to prove p-adic versions of the theorems of Gross-Zagier and Kolyvagin in rank 2. III. Darmon's 2000 conjecture on Stark-Heegner points. I plan to prove Darmon’s striking conjecture announced at the ICM2000 by recasting it in terms of special values of p-adic L-functions.

Mots-clés : arithmetic algebraic geometry
Projet ERC : TERAMAG (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Max Planck Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : MPG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 265062.0 €

In order to fully exploit the electron spin as a signal carrier in future information processing, spins need to be transported and flipped as fast as possible. Spintronics research aims at implementing these operations by electric fields in circuitry, but has so far been limited to frequencies below ~10 GHz. The much faster complementary femtomagnetism approach employs femtosecond laser pulses (carrier frequency ~400 THz), but is not compatible with microelectronics technology. In the TERAMAG project, I will apply intense terahertz (THz) electromagnetic pulses to solids to realize 1) ultrafast transport of spins and magnons, and 2) ultrafast control over magnetic order. Our strategy relies on extending concepts from the fields of spintronics (electronics) and femtomagnetism (optics) to the elusive THz frequency gap (0.3 to 30 THz), thereby combining the benefits of both worlds. To realize spin operations and open up new pathways to their implementation, it is essential to understand the underlying microscopic processes. THz radiation is an ideal tool for this task as it directly and uniquely interacts with many fundamental modes and couplings of solids at their natural frequencies. For example, by using ultrashort THz pulses, we will obtain unprecedented insights into the energetic structure of spin-orbit coupling of equilibrium and nonequilibrium conduction electrons (e.g. in metals and two-dimensional semiconductors) and into the unexplored but highly relevant interaction of optical phonons with spins, including magnons. Novel measurement schemes (e.g. of the spin Hall effect from ~0.3 to 30 THz) and applications (such as spintronic THz emitters and detectors) will emerge.

Mots-clés : terahertz,ultrafast
Projet ERC : PARTNERS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : Central European University — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CEU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1000061.02 €

In order to navigate the social world, children must understand how social interactions unfold in their society. While many recent studies have investigated how children evaluate the roles that people play in everyday interactions and what inferences they draw from their observations, to date there is no unifying account for the conceptual repertoire and computational mechanisms used by infants to analyse their social environment. Taking a new theoretical perspective on this topic, we plan to study whether and how human infants and young children are able to infer the social relations that underlie observed interactions. The theoretical background of this approach is based on the combination of two proposals: (1) that actions are analysed in terms of the costs and benefits they produce to the actors and others affected, and (2) Alan Fiske’s theory, according to which human social relations could be classified into basic elementary forms. Using a variety of behavioural and neuroimaging techniques, we intend to investigate whether children infer the specific social relation that the intentional structure and the cost-benefit outcome of an observed interaction could reveal. More specifically, while resource transfer events (e.g., giving, taking) alter the distribution of goods among participants, they may also cue certain types of underlying relations that would ensure that all parties benefit, directly or indirectly, from the exchange on the long run (e.g., by reciprocity). We aim to establish whether drawing inferences to social relations enjoys the priority in the infant mind over attribution of social dispositions, whether infants predict the outcome of new, previously unobserved interactions, what information children use to choose partners for cooperative tasks, and how they track individuals across social contexts. This research will also provide a new perspective on the development of moral psychology by extending its domain from actions to social interactions.
Projet ERC : ApeGenomeDiversity (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative Biology: from Genes and Genomes to Systems
Entité participante : Pompeu Fabra University — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UPF
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1896875.0 €

In our quest to fully understand the processes that shape the genomic variation of species, describing variation of the past is a fundamental objective. However, the origins and the extent of great ape variation, the genomic description of extinct primate species and the genomic footprints of introgression events all remain unknown. Even today, and in contraposition to human evolutionary biology, the almost null presence of ancient great ape samples has precluded a comprehensive exploration of such diversity. Here, I present two approaches that will expose great ape diversity throughout time and will allow me to compare the genomic impact of introgression events across lineages. First, I would like to take advantage of ancient ape samples that will provide us with a direct view of the genomes of extinct populations. Second, I would like to exploit current and recent diversity to indirectly access the parts of extinct ape genomes that became hybridized with current species in the past. For the latter, we will analyse hundreds of non-invasive samples taken from present-day great apes as well as historical specimens. Altogether, this information will enable me to decipher novel genomes that until now have been lost in time. In this way, I will be able to properly understand the origins and dynamics of genomic variants and to study how admixture has contributed to today´s adaptive landscape. By completing this proposal and performing analogies to the human lineage, fundamental insights will be revealed about (i) the spatial-temporal history of our closest species and (ii) the functional consequences of introgressed events. On top of that, these results will help to annotate functional consequences of novel mutations in the human genome. In so doing, a fundamental insight will be provided into the evolutionary history of these regions and into human mutations with multiple repercussions in the understanding of evolution and human biology.

Mots-clés : population genomics,noninvasive samples,historical samples,ancient dna
Projet ERC : MAJLIS (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
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 : 1994000.0 €

In pre-modern times, an estimated ninety percent of the Jewish population lived under Muslim hegemony. Over the centuries, these Jews not only adopted the Arabic language for most forms of spoken and written communication, but also integrated concepts and techniques from their intellectual environment, resulting in one of the most extraordinary periods of literary creativity in all of Jewish history. Despite its importance, however, Judaeo-Arabic literature has been under-researched until very recently, due to inaccessible sources, disparate scholarly traditions and political antagonism. The overall aim of MAJLIS is to explore comprehensively for the first time the fundamental way in which the adoption of Arabic transformed Jewish literature from the 9th to the 11th century. The project focuses on the Arabic literature of the Qaraites, a Jewish intellectual movement whose religious and scholarly center, the Academy of Jerusalem, played a catalytic role in these transformation processes. It will proceed by applying state-of-the-art digital tools to analyze manuscripts produced in the Academy with the aim of (1) tracing changes in Jewish literature and contrasting them to rabbinic literary models, especially with regard to how the texts were composed, produced, authored, and organized into a knowledge framework; (2) identifying the dominant scholars and analyzing their geographical origins, professional networks and institutional integration; and (3) comparing the Academy and its literature to non-Jewish literature and non-Jewish institutions of the time. By bringing together unique expertise covering Judaic as well as Islamic studies at a time when the sources have become available to an unprecedented degree, MAJLIS will not only fundamentally add to our understanding of the history of Jewish literature, but also demonstrate that Jewish heritage in the Near East is of transcommunal and transnational importance.

Mots-clés : judaic studies,judeo arabic,jewish authors writing in arabic,disciplines of learning,textual,practices,digital humanities
Projet ERC : MultiConvAI (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : University of Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. Cambridge
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In recent past, Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made major advances, thanks to the availability of big data and increasingly powerful deep learning. Task-based statistical dialogue systems (SDS) are now viable, embedded in popular commercial applications (e.g. the Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Echo, Google’s Assistant) and cost-effective in many scenarios (e.g., customer support, call centre service, searching, booking). Yet current SDSs are only available for a handful of resource-rich languages, leaving the majority of the worlds languages and their speakers behind. Our project will develop the first prototype system for scaling conversational AI to multiple languages. This will be based on new methodology that learns multilingual word representations (i.e. embeddings, WEs) without the need for expensive training data, using a process called semantic specialisation that complements WEs with common-sense and linguistic knowledge in external knowledge graphs. Building on our promising pilot studies, we will develop Natural Language Understanding (NLU) modules for SDS via 1) more effective semantic specialisation based on joint multi-source multi-target training; and 2) focus on typologicallydiverse languages. We foresee a pioneering use of selective sharing and structural adaptation for obtaining WEs and optimisation for the target languages guided by typological knowledge. The best resulting technology will be integrated in a demo prototype system which users and industries can deploy to generate multilingual NLU input for more widely portable SDS. Since we also plan to explore the possibility to form a start-up company, we will use the system to demonstrate the potential to our network of industry contacts and potential customers. On a larger scale, extending the multilingual scope of SDSs can have major socioeconomic benefits: it can broaden the global reach of conversational AI and it can enhance its commercial viability.

Mots-clés : natural language processing,computational semantics,multilingual language technology,spoken,dialogue systems,conversational ai
Projet ERC : NewNGR (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental constituents of matter
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 : 1284525.0 €

In recent years general relativity (GR) has become an increasingly important new tool in areas of physics beyond its traditional playground in astrophysics. The main motivation for this comes from the AdS/CFT correspondence which conjectures an equivalence between gravity in anti-de Sitter (AdS) spaces and certain conformal field theories (CFT’s). Via this correspondence, GR now plays a key role in improving our understanding of non-gravitational physics at strong coupling. The AdS/CFT correspondence naturally leads to the study of GR in dimensions greater than four and/or in AdS spaces. Our current understanding of GR in these new settings is rather limited but it has been realized that the physics of gravity can be significantly different than in the 4d asymptotically flat case. Moreover, to access these new gravitational phenomena numerical methods have been and will be essential. However, the use of numerical GR beyond the traditional 4d asymptotically flat case is still in its infancy. The goal of this project is to improve our understanding of GR in higher dimensions and/or AdS spaces using numerical techniques. To achieve this goal, we will focus on the study of the following topics: 1. Develop stable codes for doing numerical GR in AdS and higher dimensions. We will use numerical GR and the AdS/CFT correspondence to study out of equilibrium phenomena in strongly coupled CFT’s. We will also use numerical GR to understand the endpoint of the various black hole instabilities and thereby address long standing conjectures in GR. 2. New types of stationary black holes. We will use numerical GR to numerically construct new types of black holes in higher dimensions and in AdS, with novel topologies and fewer symmetries than the known ones. We shall apply them to the study of equilibrium configurations in strongly coupled gauge theories at finite temperature.

Mots-clés : numerical general relativity,higher dimensions