Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : ELEPHANTINE (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : SPK
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

The aim of this project is to write a cultural history of 4000 years, localized on Elephantine Island in Egypt. Elephantine was a militarily and strategically very important island in the river Nile on the southern border of Egypt. No other settlement in Egypt is so well attested over such a long period of time. Its inhabitants form a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-religious community that left us vast amounts of written sources detailing their everyday lives from the Old Kingdom to beyond the Arab Conquest. Today, several thousand papyri and other manuscripts from Elephantine are scattered in more than 60 institutions across Europe and beyond. Their texts are written in different languages and scripts, including Hieroglyphs, Hieratic, Demotic, Aramaic, Greek, Coptic and Arabic. 80% of these manuscripts are still unpublished and unstudied. The great challenge of this project is to use this material to answer three key questions covering: 1) Multiculturalism and identity between assimilation and segregation, 2) Organization of family and society, 3) Development of religions (Polytheism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Thus, access needs to be gained to these texts, making them publicly available in an open access online database. Links are to be identified between papyrus fragments from different collections and an international ‘papyrus puzzle’ will be undertaken, incorporating cutting-edge methods from digital humanities, physics and mathematics (e.g. for the virtual unfolding of papyri). Using this database with medical, religious, legal, administrative, even literary texts, the micro-history of the everyday life of the local and global (i.e. ‘glocal’) community of Elephantine will be studied within its socio-cultural setting in Egypt and beyond. It will be linked back to macro-historical questions and benefit from newly-introduced methodologies of global history: Elephantine can thus be used as a case study and a model for the past, present and future.

Mots-clés : ancient egypt,papyri,global history
Projet ERC : DYNAP (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Santiago de Compostela — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : USC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1492525.0 €

The aim of this proposal is to identify, at the molecular level, the minimal topological and structural motifs that govern the membrane translocation of short peptides. A covalent reversible bond strategy will be developed for the synthesis of self-adaptive penetrating peptides (adaptamers) for targeted delivery. It is known that the recently developed therapeutic technologies (i.e. gene therapy, chemotherapy, hyperthermia, etc.) cannot reach their expected potential due to limitations in the current delivery strategies, which hinder the efficient targeting of the appropriate tissues, cells and organelles. Despite the enormous therapeutic potential of short penetrating peptides, these molecules suffer from drawbacks such as toxicity, instability to protease digestion and lack of specificity. Dynamic covalent chemistry has significant synthetic advantages. In the proposed research, peptide scaffolds with clickable reversible groups (e.g. hydrazide) will be conjugated with collections of aldehydes to afford self-adaptive biomimetic transporters, whose secondary structure and penetrating properties will be systematically characterized by biophysical, cell-biology and pattern recognition techniques. The versatility of dynamic supramolecular “peptide adaptamers” with precisely positioned protein ligands will be explored for multivalent specific recognition, protein transport, cell targeting of drugs and probes and membrane epitoping. Additionally, we propose to synthesise dynamic and environmentally sensitive fluorescent probes for biocompatible membrane labelling and uptake signalling. The resulting discoveries of this research will allow the formulation of novel transfecting reagents for gene therapy, selective platforms for drug-delivery and the development of dynamic fluorescent membrane probes. The potential results of this proposal will shake the fields of drug-delivery and non-viral gene transfection and will resolve the limitations of the current approaches.

Mots-clés : peptide chemistry,lipid membranes,synthetic transporters
Projet ERC : MONASS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : University of Westminster — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497212.0 €

The ambition of this cutting edge research project is to deliver a ground breaking, interdisciplinary design-driven inquiry into the impacts of changing monsoon climates in four of South Asia’s rapidly growing cities. This will be undertaken at a time when climate change and urban development conspire to produce unlikely futures for urban survival. Extreme weather events, all attributed to the monsoon’s capricious nature, are resulting in increasing frequency in water shortages, power failures, floods, out-breaks of disease, damage to property and loss of life. In responding to these events, the project will challenge the dominant view of the monsoon as a natural meteorological system outside of and distinct from society. Instead it will propose that the monsoon is a co-production of physical and social dynamics entangled within historic lived environments that can be analyzed, worked with, shaped and changed. To do so, an unconventional interdisciplinary team will develop a novel research methodology around the new operative concept of ‘monsoon assemblages.’ This will bring together the spatial design disciplines with the environmental humanities to advance research of lived environments as indivisibly natural, social and political and to propose models for intervening in them through design. The project aims to shift conceptions and understandings of the monsoon as a natural meteorological system; to deliver a ground breaking new approach to the design of cities by treating the monsoon as an organizing principle of urban life, not an external threat; to assess the potential impact of this approach for urban policy, planning and infrastructure investment; to assess the new political, theoretical and aesthetic agendas for the spatial design disciplines and the environmental humanities this opens up; and to engage critically with the climate change adaption paradigm through the innovative idea of climate co-production.

Mots-clés : architecture,landscape and urban design,environmental humanities
Projet ERC : TOPIOS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UPC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 199183.75 €

The amount of plastic in our ocean is exponentially growing, with recent estimates of more than 5 million metric tonnes of plastic reaching the ocean each year. This plastic infiltrates the ocean food chain and thus poses a major threat to marine life. However, understanding of plastic movement and its budget in the ocean is inadequate to fully establish its environmental impact, prompting the EU and G7 to recently make marine litter a top science priority. It is now recognised that the amount of plastic entering our ocean is several orders of magnitude larger than the estimates of floating plastic on the surface of the ocean. More than 99% of plastic within our ocean is therefore ‘missing’. This project will make breakthroughs towards closing the plastic budget by creating a novel comprehensive modelling framework that tracks plastic movement through the ocean. Building on well-established previous work to follow generic water parcels through hydrodynamic ocean models, this project will modify these ‘virtual’ parcels to represent pieces of plastic by, for the first time, simulating fragmentation, sinking, beaching, wave-mixing and ingestion by biota. The new parameterisations that underpin this modelling will be based on field data and new coastal flume wave tank lab experiments. The simulated plastic particles will be tracked within state-of-the-art hydrodynamic ocean models, in order to compute maps of pathways and transports around our oceans and on coastlines and in biota. This numerical modelling will be used to evaluate a broad suite of scenarios and test hypotheses, including where the risk to marine biota is greatest. The results from this project will inform policymakers and the public on which countries, for example, are responsible for which part of the plastic problem, crucial for mitigation and legal frameworks. It will also inform engineers on where and how to best invest resources in mitigating the problem of plastic in our ocean.

Mots-clés : marine plastic,ocean pathways
Projet ERC : TOPIOS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : Imperial College London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 8783.75 €

The amount of plastic in our ocean is exponentially growing, with recent estimates of more than 5 million metric tonnes of plastic reaching the ocean each year. This plastic infiltrates the ocean food chain and thus poses a major threat to marine life. However, understanding of plastic movement and its budget in the ocean is inadequate to fully establish its environmental impact, prompting the EU and G7 to recently make marine litter a top science priority. It is now recognised that the amount of plastic entering our ocean is several orders of magnitude larger than the estimates of floating plastic on the surface of the ocean. More than 99% of plastic within our ocean is therefore ‘missing’. This project will make breakthroughs towards closing the plastic budget by creating a novel comprehensive modelling framework that tracks plastic movement through the ocean. Building on well-established previous work to follow generic water parcels through hydrodynamic ocean models, this project will modify these ‘virtual’ parcels to represent pieces of plastic by, for the first time, simulating fragmentation, sinking, beaching, wave-mixing and ingestion by biota. The new parameterisations that underpin this modelling will be based on field data and new coastal flume wave tank lab experiments. The simulated plastic particles will be tracked within state-of-the-art hydrodynamic ocean models, in order to compute maps of pathways and transports around our oceans and on coastlines and in biota. This numerical modelling will be used to evaluate a broad suite of scenarios and test hypotheses, including where the risk to marine biota is greatest. The results from this project will inform policymakers and the public on which countries, for example, are responsible for which part of the plastic problem, crucial for mitigation and legal frameworks. It will also inform engineers on where and how to best invest resources in mitigating the problem of plastic in our ocean.

Mots-clés : marine plastic,ocean pathways
Projet ERC : EPINuc (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Weizmann Institute of Science — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma represents a rapidly advancing field in medicine, with developing methods aiming to utilize it for diagnostics of cancer and additional pathologies. Most liquid biopsy methods are sequencing-based and provide limited information, usually relying on the detection of rare cancer-associated mutations. Therefore, they are costly and highly limited in their sensitivity. Importantly, blood cfDNA consists predominantly in the form of nucleosomes, which maintain their tissue-specific epigenetic modifications. Thus far, this rich epigenetic information has been inaccessible due to technical limitations. We developed EPINuc, a novel single-molecule multi-parametric-based assay to comprehensively profile the Epigenetics of Plasma Isolated Nucleosomes. Our approach is based on a technology we developed (Shema et al., Science), which allows high resolution profiling of combinatorial modification states on millions of individual nucleosomes by single-molecule imaging. EPINuc is unique in its capacity to generate multi-layered information from very limited liquid biopsy material. As proof of concept, we applied it to diagnose colorectal cancer (CRC), which is one of the most common cancers worldwide, necessitating expensive and invasive screening tests for all adults older than 50. Strikingly, EPINuc revealed significant differences in the epigenetic states and protein biomarkers’ levels between healthy individuals versus CRC patients. In this PoC, we will optimize EPINuc to generate holistic data from plasma-isolated nucleosomes that is expected to identify cancers early from a routine blood test, without the need for invasive measures. This technology has significant commercialization value for the liquid biopsy industry. We will develop a commercialization strategy and network with potential collaborators, customers and investors to spin out the innovation as a successful assay technology business.

Mots-clés : liquid biopsy,single molecule,epigenetics,cancer
Projet ERC : DEFEAT (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Copenhagen — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UCPH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998809.0 €

The application of antimicrobial compounds produced by hosts or defensive symbionts to counter the effects of diseases has been identified in a number of organisms, but despite extensive studies on their presence, we know essentially nothing about why antimicrobials do not trigger rampant resistance evolution in target parasites. In stark contrast to virtually any other organism, fungus-farming termites have evolved a sophisticated agricultural symbiosis that pre-dates human farming by 30 million years without suffering from specialised diseases. I will capitalise on recent pioneering work in my group on proximate evidence for antimicrobial defences in the termites, their fungal crops, and their complex gut bacterial communities, by proposing to develop the farming symbiosis as a major model to test three novel concepts that may account for the evasion of resistance evolution. First, the antimicrobial compounds may have properties and evolve in ways that preclude resistance evolution in pathogens. Second, resistance is only possible towards individual compounds and not natural antimicrobial cocktails. Third, pathogens can only successfully invade and proliferate if they bypass several consecutive lines of defence, analogous to the six hallmarks of metazoan defence against cancer development. Addressing these concepts will allow fundamental insights into the remarkable success of complementary symbiont contributions to defence, and they will clarify the forces of multilevel natural selection that have allowed long-lived insect societies to evolve sustainability. Documenting and understanding these disease management principles is fundamentally important for several branches of evolutionary biology, and strategically important for adjusting human practices for future antimicrobial stewardship.

Mots-clés : gut microbiota,metabolomics,metagenomics,metatranscriptomics,modeling,sustainable antimicrobial use
Projet ERC : Dust2Planets (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 90431.0 €

The arrival of ALMA and JWST could revolutionize our understanding of planet formation from the observations of protoplanetary disks. But in order to interpret such observations, better models fed by robust laboratory data are urgently needed. However, laboratory experiments designed to study cosmic matter have mostly focused on the first stages of stellar evolution, where molecular clouds are irradiated by ultraviolet (UV) photons from OB stars. The subsequent protoplanetary stage, where young stars vigorously emit X-rays, has been rarely addressed by experiments. Yet X-rays have a larger penetration depth in solids than UV photons, and could enable important photochemical pathways in the evolution of protoplanetary matter. In this project, we aim to quantify the impact of X-rays on protoplanetary dust via laboratory astrophysics. Our goal is to give closure to the question: how do X-rays impact disk evolution and early planet formation? This project will go beyond the state-of-the-art in two directions: via the laboratory simulation of the X-ray spectrum of T Tauri stars, and by pioneering the use of heterogeneous analogs to protoplanetary dust. We will perform a coupled study of both the dust and gas phases following irradiation to quantify the full impact of X-rays. Complex organic molecules resulting from X-ray irradiation and desorption will be compared to cometary and ALMA detections to clarify the disk-comet connection. Analysis of the X-irradiated solids will elucidate the physico-chemical mechanisms of dust growth, key to the evolution of primordial seeds to planetesimals. X-ray photochemical rates on both the dust and gas phases will be consolidated in a new X-ray Astrochemical Database (XRAD). Our laboratory data will shed light on the photochemical evolution of protoplanetary disks and more generally, on other X-ray Dominated Regions in the universe.

Mots-clés : astrochemistry,laboratory astrophysics,exobiology
Projet ERC : F-ELEMENT_ARCHITECT (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Manchester — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1990800.93 €

The astonishing properties of the f-elements have been exploited in numerous consumer technologies, despite their fundamental chemistry being poorly developed. It is now crucial to address this issue to provide the necessary insights to develop future applications. Design criteria exist to build f-element complexes with maximised physical attributes. This adventurous proposal targets the synthesis and thorough analysis of two complementary molecular f-element architectures that 1) optimise magnetic properties and 2) stabilise unusual oxidation states. In Part 1, we target highly axial f-element complexes that lack equatorial ligand interactions. These molecules can exhibit maximised single-molecule magnet properties, including magnetic hysteresis, a memory effect and as a prerequisite of data storage, at liquid nitrogen temperatures. This is the necessary first step towards achieving high-density molecular data storage without expensive liquid helium cooling and future commercial applications. In Part 2, we target trigonal f-element complexes that lack axial ligand interactions. These are optimal ligand fields for the stabilisation of low oxidation states, thus we aim for rare lanthanide/actinide(II) and unprecedented lanthanide/actinide(I) complexes. These compounds are ideal candidates for unique measurements of covalency by pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, which will provide textbook data that can be transferable to nuclear fuel cycles. An ERC CoG will provide the necessary resources to build a world-leading research team that will deliver landmark synthetic results and fresh insights into f-element electronic structure, whilst opening up new chemical space for future exploitation. These findings will underpin current technologies and will facilitate the discovery of future applications, supporting key Horizon 2020 priority areas including the Flagship on Quantum Technologies, and enhancing the scientific reputation and economy of the EU.

Mots-clés : pe4 radiation and nuclear chemistry  th,physical chemistry  xanes,epr,theoretical and computational chemistry  dft,casscf   relationship to some topics in pe3
Projet ERC : DIDONE (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Instituto complutense de ciencias musicales — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Iccmu
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1249015.0 €

The belief that ‘the end of music is to move human affections’ (Descartes, Compendium musicae) has been a central issue in European musical thought since Plato. Opera was invented to recover the power of Ancient music to move the human heart, and its history is a permanent exploration of the capacity of action, words and music to convey emotions. In the eighteenth century a new type of opera consolidated with the chief concern of expressing the character’s emotions as they changed throughout the drama, inspired by Descartes’ theory of human passions. The key expressive medium was the aria col da capo, where a single, distinct passion was represented, like a concentrated pill of emotional meaning. The ideal corpus to study this issue are the 900 operas set to music by 300 composers on the 27 dramas by Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782). It contains a comprehensive catalogue of emotions in music, a unique window of opportunity to scrutinize conventions that defined music expression and meaning for over a century, paving the way for the emergence of ‘absolute’ instrumental music, autonomous from any other art form. DIDONE presents an innovative approach to unveil these conventions: the creation of a corpus of 4,000 digitized arias from 200 opera scores based on Metastasio’s eight most popular dramas, to be analysed using traditional methods and big data computer technology. The comparative scrutiny of dozens of different musical settings of the same librettos will reveal how composers correlate specific dramatic circumstances and emotions with distinct poetic and musical features. The results will be applicable to three main fields: (i) opera performance; (ii) analysis and interpretation of other types of music; and (iii) composition in several scenarios, from film soundtracks to creation by Artificial Intelligence. An opera festival will be designed to recover and disseminate this hitherto ignored repertoire, which was essential to define the European musical identity.

Mots-clés : opera,enlightenment,human emotions,computational analysis,digital humanities,european identity