Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : BRUNCH (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499981.0 €

BRUNCH is a fundamental project that will provide an entirely new theoretical framework and develop an ambitious methodological toolbox to tackle the current challenges of molecular magnetism. f-ions-based molecular magnets and subsequent multifunctional materials are on the way to offering the building blocks for tomorrow's technologies, such as quantum computing and spintronics. Most of their appealing features originate from relativistic effects, which are huge in lanthanide and actinide-based complexes. Whilst theoretical chemistry is known to have provided a critical understanding of magnetic phenomena, it faces the reality of increasing complexity in terms of the size and diversity of the physicochemical properties of interest. BRUNCH aims to make density functional theory (DFT) a new standard in molecular magnetism, offering unprecedented access to the computation of magnetic and luminescence properties. Despite its hegemony in chemistry, DFT cannot properly describe magnetic systems, and their study relies on exploiting spin symmetries to bypass the issue. However, in the presence of relativistic effects, the notion of spin and the associated symmetries become irrelevant. The key idea of BRUNCH is to develop a theoretical framework based on symmetries specifically adapted to the relativistic context: time-reversal and symmetries associated with the total angular momentum. This will enable the implementation of a methodological toolbox in relativistic quantum chemistry. It includes novel DFT methodologies able to accurately/quantitatively assess magnetic interactions and luminescence properties. BRUNCH will allow addressing critical issues at the heart of molecular magnetism, e.g. decoherence phenomena or the magneto-electric effect. By doing so, BRUNCH aims to revolutionise relativistic quantum chemistry and drive a major breakthrough in the field of molecular magnetism.

Mots-clés : relativistic quantum chemistry,density functional theory,symmetry breakings,molecular magnetism,multifunctional materials
Projet ERC : DeMARRe (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Adolescents take more risks than adults do, contributing to the conventional framing of this period as one of great vulnerability. Surprisingly however, teenagers who engage in some degree of risk-taking exhibit more favorable psychosocial trajectories compared to those who avoid risks. This raises the intriguing possibility that taking risks during adolescence may, in fact, have enduring positive effects on adult behavior. The core objective of this proposal is to unravel the neural basis of how taking risks during adolescence can drive behavioral and neural circuit adaptations that promote resilience in adulthood. Risk-taking behavior can be studied in the context of decision making, where adolescents are more likely to explore risky choices, such as those with an uncertain outcome, than adults are. Strategy implementation under uncertainty conditions in adults is highly individualistic and is linked to activity in the dopamine system. As dopamine circuits develop during adolescence in a sex-specific manner, their maturation may contribute not only to the reduction in risk-taking observed between adolescence and adulthood, but also to sex differences in how risk modulates decision-making strategy. Finally, dopamine circuits may carry a neural imprint of the enduring positive effects on adult behavior. Here, I propose a concerted, multilevel experimental approach that builds from longitudinal behavioral and computational analyses of individualistic mouse decision-making across postnatal life in male and female mice. Embedding this core framework within sophisticated activity-mapping and network-manipulation techniques will allow me to dissect changes in dopaminergic networks during the transition from adolescence to adulthood that underlie decision-making strategy refinement, and to investigate whether this network refinement facilitates cognitive processes in adults, and, in turn, confers resilience against drug-taking and stress.

Mots-clés : adolescence,decision making,exploration,dopamine,resilience,functional networks
Projet ERC : AstroDarkLS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CERN
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 793750.0 €

The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is a successful, extremely well-verified theory. Nevertheless, the SMappears far from being complete. There are still many theoretical and experimental open questions: the strong-CP problem, the origin of neutrino masses, the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The need for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) is undeniable, but the question The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is a successful, extremely well-verified theory. Nevertheless, the SM appears far from being complete. There are still many theoretical and experimental open questions: the strong-CP problem, the origin of neutrino masses, the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The need for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) is undeniable, but the question is: how and where will we find it? The aim of the AstroDarkLS project is to try to discover or falsify important theoretical models of light particles, such as axions and dark photons, considering their impact in astrophysical and cosmological systems which were never considered in depth by the particle physics community. The project is organised around three main themes, spanning various length scales in the universe: the use of stars and astrophysical objects to look for new physics; the impact of motivated BSM models on star formation; the investigation of electromagnetic signals both from galaxies and the interstellar medium between them. For each theme groundbreaking objectives are identified, such as the first simulation of Supernovae radiative transport including axions, the first public code for star formation in the presence of light physics, the innovative use of line intensity mapping (LIM) to detect dark matter decay or annihilation into photons. All the objectives are located at the interface between particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, building on the unique experience of the PI in these various disciplines and in perfect alignment with the European Commission vision.

Mots-clés : dark matter,axions,dark photons,stars and new physics,astroparticle physics
Projet ERC : RIBO-PHAGE (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and I mmunotherapy
Entité participante : Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HGF
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Bacterial viruses called phages are highly diverse predators with multifaceted life cycles. Recent major breakthroughs in phage biology brought phages back into the spotlight, highlighting their tremendous potential in basic and applied research. For instance, bacterial immune systems were shown to be the origin of human innate immune systems and there was significant progress in developing phages into therapeutics to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.  However, this recent renaissance of phage research neglected the study of phages with RNA genomes, which are a historically understudied group of phages with a fundamentally different biology from that of phages with DNA genomes. Consequently, the current developments in phage biology left the potential of RNA phages untapped. RNA phages rely on unique regulatory mechanisms during their replication cycles while requiring their hosts to employ specific immune systems to combat the infection. These unique phage and host mechanisms must be highly specific to guarantee efficient phage replication and avoid auto-immunity, respectively. I posit that understanding these processes is a prerequisite to utilize RNA phages as therapeutic agents and bears the potential to discover new biotechnological tools. In RIBO-PHAGE, I therefore aim to elucidate the unique lifestyle of RNA phages at the molecular level. Specifically, I will  1) Decipher how RNA phages regulate their replication for efficient propagation. 2) Elucidate the host factors RNA phages hijack during replication. 3) Determine how bacteria defend themselves against RNA phage infection.  Building on my extensive background in RNA and phage biology, I will combine molecular biology and biochemistry methods with global high-throughput techniques using RNA phages of the Fiersviridae (e.g., MS2) and Cystoviridae (e.g., φ6) families as models. This project will provide a detailed picture of the molecular processes involved during RNA phage infection.
Projet ERC : RELiCS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe Sciences
Entité participante : Istituto nazionale di fisica nucleare — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : INFN
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498451.0 €

Neutrinos and other well-motivated particles from the Big Bang are gateways to much awaited new physics that will sharpen our understanding of Nature. Cosmology offers a unique arena to unveil their secrets in a way that is separate from, but complementary to astrophysical and terrestrial searches. The next generation of cosmological surveys will supersede the current, which is already highly sensitive to these particles’ fundamental properties. The first-ever measurement of the neutrino mass scale, a handle to its beyond-standard-model origin, has never been so close. A novel approach to data exploitation is both necessary and timely. Perfect command of theoretical predictions of key observables and instrument knowledge must inform each other. A robust inference framework is required to compare and combine the wide datasets soon to be available. Without this interconnected analysis pipeline, the richness and complexity of new data will spoil detection prospects. RELiCS is the project to lead new Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments towards discoveries in particle physics. I propose a program built around my expertise in particle cosmology and CMB data analysis that will deliver new and robust limits on neutrino and light relics properties. The flagship experiment is the ground-based Simons Observatory, for which I already lead key parts of the analysis. RELiCS is timely: the analysis pipeline will be immediately applied to fresh data from 2024. The same pipeline will shape the analysis strategies of the two ultimate CMB experiments, of which I am a key member of: the ground-based CMB-S4, and the space-borne mission LiteBIRD. My expertise is unique in that embraces understanding of the theory, instrument, data analysis and high-level science exploitation. Through RELiCS, I will lead work that will crucially support cosmology towards first discoveries in the neutrino and light relics sector and pave the way to robust exploitation of ultimate surveys.

Mots-clés : neutrino and particle cosmology neutrino masses light relics thermal axions neutrino interactions cosmic microwave background instrumental systematics in cmb experiments likelihood analysis bayesian inference terrestrial laboratory searches of neutrino properties
Projet ERC : FRIDOM (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Entité participante : Université de Technologie de Kaiserslautern — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUK
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1849843.75 €

A ~70% increase in food production is required to feed the world population by 2050, putting increased productivity on a collision course with environmental and sustainability goals. Aiming to meet this growing demand, photosynthesis-related pathways are regarded as a promising target for crop improvement to increase agricultural yield, however, they remain mostly unexploited. Furthermore, while empirical studies have shown that photosynthetic efficiency is higher in microalgae than in both C3 or C4 crops, the underlying reasons remain unclear. Identifying metabolic bottlenecks in photosynthetic cells remains a holy grail of plant research. However, with recent progress made in cross-kingdom plant flux analyses, the time is ripe to tackle photosynthetic metabolism with state-of-the-art experimental and computational approaches as a target for plant yield improvement. In this project, I propose to address the following key questions: (1) What role is played by photosynthetic metabolism in setting the upper limits for growth of photosynthetic cells? and in this respect, (2) What makes some photosynthetic cells grow faster than others? We will combine cutting-edge tools for comparative flux analyses with genetic approaches applied on algae and higher-plants to identify and validate metabolic bottlenecks for plant growth as targets for crop yield improvement. These research aims fall well within my unique set of expertise. I’ve characterized the metabolism of the fastest growing photosynthetic cells, and mapped the metabolic networks of algae compared with C3 and C4 plant models, using a novel microfluidics setup which I developed, facilitating non-stationary stable isotope analysis at steady state conditions in liquid algal cultures. Successful outcome of this project will shed light on the magnitude of photosynthetic metabolism effects on plant growth and help reshape the field of targeting photosynthetic-related pathways for crop-plant yield improvements.

Mots-clés : flux analysis,metabolomics,algal metabolism,plant metabolism,growth rate,photosynthesis,algae
Projet ERC : DEDUCE (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Conseil national de la recherche — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNR
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1149775.0 €

Online platforms apply moderation interventions (MIs) to mitigate misbehavior. Today, MIs are one-size-fits-all, meaning that each intervention is applied in the same way for all users. However, not all users are the same, as they have diverse demographics, ideologies, and personalities. This naive approach to content moderation is platform-centered and neglects user differences. Moreover, content moderation resembles art more than science. The design of MIs is based on common sense and intuition, and progress is sought via trial-and-error rather than via a rigorous scientific process. The inevitable consequence is that current MIs have variable effectiveness, are highly unreliable, and fall short of the moderation needs. The ambitious goal of DEDUCE is to initiate a paradigm-shift in content moderation, by building the theoretical and methodological foundations to move from intuition-driven approaches enforced via one-size-fits-all MIs, to science-driven strategies grounded on personalized moderation interventions (PMIs). We will develop causal methods and indicators to evaluate the effectiveness and fairness of current content moderation practices. Then, we will study how user characteristics influence the outcomes of moderation. Finally, we will leverage the acquired knowledge to design and evaluate PMIs, a first-of-its-kind endeavor. Our data-driven approach will enable us to evaluate in advance the effects of many MIs (what-if analyses) and to plan ahead their application, rather than to assess and correct afterwards. The high-gain nature of DEDUCE is evident, as it will open new directions of research (e.g., the design of PMIs), while also providing major practical and social benefits. Our results will yield groundbreaking advancements in the theory and practice of content moderation, and will be embodied in (i) practical guidelines for moderators and policymakers and (ii) an open-source proof-of-concept system to support both human and automated moderation.

Mots-clés : content moderation,toxic behavior,personalization,personality profile,online platforms
Projet ERC : QLR-Net (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Conseil national de la recherche — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNR
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497801.0 €

Long-range interactions enable a wide range of novel scaling phenomena in the out-of-equilibrium behaviour of quantum systems. These dynamical phases are particularly relevant to quantum computation as they feature enhanced coherent properties and fast spreading of quantum correlations. Currently, long-range interacting systems evade description in terms of the conventional many-body theory toolbox due to their high-connectivity and to the appearance of metastable states, which pose a formidable challenge to state- of-the-art numerical simulations. QLR-Net hinges on the construction of a unified tool, exemplified in terms of a prototypical many-body theory model, which reproduces the spectral properties of long-range interactions in a modular structure amenable to extensive numerical investigations. Then, the project will focus on the spreading of quantum correlations and entanglement, anomalous dynamics and ergodicity breaking, universal quasistatic dynamics, dynamical phase transitions, pre-thermal phases and universal defect formation. The QLR-Net approach is organized in such a way to provide both basic intuition and formal understanding, while making quantitative predictions for scaling phenomena that can be realised in experiments. The study of quantum long-range networks will provide at least two solid paths to uncover new physics: 1) First, by reproducing the low-energy physics of long-range interactions in a system with “reduced" connectivity it will give access to novel phenomena, which shall also appear in fully-connected long-range interacting systems. 2) Secondly, it will provide quantum many-body theory with a novel toolbox to understand critical phenomena in non-homogeneous systems and their role as a source of fresh and vital problems, which could be realised in atomic molecular and optical experiments. QLR-Net will open a new era of many-body theory, where novel dynamical phases are realised by tuning the low-energy property of interacting systems.

Mots-clés : long range interactions,out of equilibrium quantum matter,critical phenomena,universal scaling
Projet ERC : LINMOS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Inserm
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1710000.0 €

Organisms develop through cell divisions generating clones that progressively organize to form different tissues. This process can be visualized as a cell phylogeny by lineage tracing. In order to track cell lineages, each cell division has to be permanently and uniquely marked. In model systems, this is done by genome editing. In humans this is not applicable, which has historically made impossible to accurately study cell phylogenies. Very recently, however, studies showed that human tissues contain a set of natural markers in the form of somatic DNA variants that permanently and cumulatively label every cell division during development. My work showed that somatic variants are reliable at tracking cell lineages directly in human tissues. Human brain development has historically been difficult to address since human-brain-specific features are hardly recapitulated in any existing model. My project now builds on the use of somatic variants to reveal the cellular processes that form the brain starting from available human material. Somatic variants will be identified at unprecedent sensitivity in a large set of human foetal tissues, including multiple different brain regions. In work package (WP)1, I will identify and study the lineage segregation steps defining the brain phylogeny starting from the zygote. Mathematical modelling will elucidate mechanisms of clone dynamics. In WP2, I will focus on the cerebral cortex and reconstruct cell phylogenies of neural progenitors and the distribution of cortical clones. Furthermore, I will compare normal versus overgrowth cortical malformation brains, where cell proliferation and migration are altered. In WP3, I will develop new strategies to simultaneously assess cell phylogenies and cell-type specification by identifying somatic variants in multi-omics data. This project will reveal the unfolding of the cellular lineages building the human brain, while providing a methodology that is applicable to any tissue and pathology.

Mots-clés : human brain development,lineage tracing,cell divisions,somatic mutations,cortical malformations