Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : DHaptics (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of Sussex — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 83797.5 €

A fundamental shift is underway in how we interact with our computers and devices. Products such as Microsoft’s Kinect and Leap Motion’s desktop controller enable us to dispose of the keyboard and mouse and instead control our devices without touching them. Touchless sensing products are being launched across the consumer electronics, automotive and healthcare industries. A significant and well noted problem with touchless sensing is a lack of tactile feedback. The PI and his team are the first in the world to create a novel haptic feedback system that allows users to feel tactile sensations in bare hand while interacting in mid-air with a system. This is likely to be a huge commercial success provided we can make some improvements to the distinct audible hum that is generated by our system. This project will realize a proof of concept phased-array haptic system that is silent and sharp. Our prototype will enable two advantages over the existing haptic system. a) Elimination of audible noise when creating a single and multiple tactile points b) Maintaining perceptual sharpness of the tactile focal point while eliminating the audible sound

Mots-clés : haptics,human computer interaction,interactive systems,gaming devices,consumer electronics
Projet ERC : PolControl (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Ben-Gurion University of the Negev — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BGU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1328712.0 €

A general and versatile technology to engineer visible light-responsive biological agents will enable spatio-temporal manipulation and interrogation of proteins, pathways, and cells, and the design of “smart” biomaterials that can direct and respond to biological processes on-demand. Site specific incorporation of multiple visible-light-responsive chemical groups at the polypeptide level will constitute a universal methodology for precise production of light-responsive proteins and protein-based materials. However, inadequate engineering of the protein translation apparatus limits the number and complexity of chemical groups that can be incorporated into proteins as synthetic amino acids (sAAs). This limitation precludes the incorporation of recently discovered visible-light-responsive chemical groups, hinders protein engineering efforts, and excludes production of biomaterials in which multiple identical sAAs provide new physical or biophysical properties. We propose to overcome this challenge by generating a genomic-engineering based platform for co-evolution of multiple components of the translation machinery (the aminoacyl tRNA synthetase, tRNA, and elongation factor) to select for cellular machinery capable of multi-site incorporation of highly substituted azobenzenes with a range of biologically relevant photochemical properties. We will then utilize these translation systems to produce libraries of azobenzene-containing protein-based materials to elucidate the sequence-function requirements for directing light-responsive self-assembly of macromolecular structures, and to generate biomaterial formulations for control of various intra- and extra-cellular processes. By developing and marrying technologies in synthetic biology, chemistry, and biomaterials, this study will enable the synthesis of light-responsive proteins, deepen our understanding of natural and evolved translation systems, and create new classes of functional light-responsive biomaterials.

Mots-clés : synthetic biology,synthetic amino acids,genome engineering,orthogonal translation systems,drug delivery,biomaterials,genetically encoded polymers,protein engineering,protein evolution
Projet ERC : CLCLCL (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of St Andrews — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2161502.0 €

A highly significant division in present-day Europe is between two types of legal system: the Continental with foundations in Civil Law (law with an ultimately Roman law basis), and English Common Law. Both trace their continuous history back to the twelfth century. The present project re-evaluates this vital period in legal history, by comparing not just English Common Law and Continental Civil Law (or “Ius commune”), but also the customary laws crucially important in Continental Europe even beyond the twelfth century. Such laws shared many features with English law, and the comparison thus disrupts the simplistic English:Continental distinction. The project first analyses the form, functioning and development of local, national, and supra-national laws. Similarities, differences, and influences will then be examined from perspectives of longer-term European legal development. Proper historical re-examination of the subject is very timely because of current invocation of supposed legal histories, be it Eurosceptic celebration of English Common Law or rhetorical use of Ius commune as precedent for a common European Law. F. W. Maitland wrote that ‘there is not much “comparative jurisprudence” for those who do not know thoroughly well the things to be compared’. A comparative project requires collaboration – PI, senior researcher, post-doctoral and doctoral researchers, and Advisory Board. It also needs an integrated approach, through carefully selected areas, themes, and sources. The purpose is not just to provide geographical and thematic coverage but to assemble scholars who overcome divisions of approach in legal historiography: between lawyers and historians, between national traditions, between Common Law and Civil Law. The project is thus very significant in developing methods for writing comparative legal history - and legal history and comparative law more widely - in terms of uncovering patterns, constructing narratives, and testing theories of causation.

Mots-clés : comparative legal history
Projet ERC : NEPA (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 369942.46 €

A key challenge in biological and soft-matter physics is to identify the principles that govern the organisation and functionality in non-equilibrium systems. Living systems are by definition out of equilibrium and a constant energy input is required to assemble and disassemble the molecular machinery of life. Only out of equilibrium, can proteins assemble to form functional sub-cellular structures, bind cells into dynamic tissues, and form complex biological machines. Our understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying robust protein assembly in driven systems is far from complete. Here I propose to develop a computer-simulation based framework to discover the physical principles of non-equilibrium protein assembly in biological or biomimetic systems. I will focus on systems where chemical gradients and active mechanical forces control protein assembly pathways and morphologies, and in which protein assembly far from equilibrium performs mechanical work. The particular case studies that I will investigate include mechanosensitive protein channels, fibrils of mechanical proteins, and active elastic filaments that remodel cells. As I aim to uncover generic design rules, my simulation model will only retain essential information on the shape and interaction of the assembling proteins needed to capture the complexity of the assembly. Using such minimal models, the simulations will be able to reach experimentally relevant time and length-scales, and will make quantitative predictions, which will be validated against data obtained by my experimental colleagues. The proposed programme will deliver an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control the emergence of function in protein assemblies driven far from equilibrium. This knowledge should enable us to program or reprogram assembly phenomena in living organisms, and will provide principles that will guide the design and control of functional biomimetic assemblies and bio-inspired nano-machines.

Mots-clés : protein assembly,nucleation,coarse grained computer simulations
Projet ERC : DisMaLS (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
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 : 1598433.0 €

A key development in the “dismal science” has been the incorporation of explicit heterogeneity into models of the macroeconomy. As a result of taking micro data seriously, these theories study macroeconomic questions in terms of distributions of microeconomic variables like income or wealth rather than just aggregates. This approach opens up the door to examining the distributional implications of macroeconomic trends, shocks or policies, and to examine the two-way interaction between these distributions and the macroeconomy. DisMaLS will advance this “distributional macroeconomics” agenda both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, it will do so by developing new theories of the income and wealth distributions and their interactions with the macroeconomy in both the long and short run. Empirically, DisMaLS will bring to the table high-quality Norwegian administrative data to discipline and enrich these theories. In terms of long-run trends, a striking feature regarding economic growth in many developed countries is that it has been unequally distributed. For example, in the U.S., real household incomes have grown by roughly two percent per year on average but income percentiles corresponding to the bottom 50% of the distribution have stagnated since the 1970s. DisMaLS will use its theory of income and wealth distribution to examine the potential drivers of these distributional trends, for example automation and tax policy. Turning to the short-run, DisMaLS aims to understand the causes of infrequent but large economic crises, like the Great Recession. I aim to develop a quantitative macroeconomic theory that incorporates asset price booms driven by individuals switching out of liquid assets to buy real or illiquid financial assets, and crashes driven by the reverse movement. As part of the project, I aim to develop a new methodology for solving heterogeneous agent models with aggregate risk and both micro and macro non-linearities.
Projet ERC : OptiQ-CanDo (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Tel Aviv University — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1916250.0 €

A major challenge in the field of optical imaging of live cells is to achieve label-free but still fully quantitative measurements, which afford high-resolution morphological and mechanical mapping at the single cell level. In particular, developing efficient, non-subjective, quantitative optical imaging technologies for cancer cell diagnosis is a challenging task. The ground-breaking goal of this research project is to establish a robust experimental toolbox for label-free optical diagnosis and monitoring of live cancer cells in-vitro and their potential of metastasis. Optical interferometry is able to provide a platform for imaging live cells quantitatively without the risk of effects caused by using external contrast agents. By overcoming critical technological barriers, I suggest novel hybrid optical interferometric approaches that provide a powerful nano-sensing tool for label-free quantitative measurement of cancer cells. This will be obtained by recording the dynamic quantitative, three-dimensional sub-nanometric structural and mechanical characterization of live cancer cells in different stages. For this aim, I will develop a novel low-noise broadband, common-path, off-axis interferometric system for sub-nanometric physical thickness and mechanical mapping of live cells in thousands of frames per second. Additionally, I will develop rapid tomographic approach for fully capturing the cell three-dimensional refractive-index distribution, as a tool to characterize cancer progression. Interferometry will be combined with multi-trap holographic optical tweezers and dielectrophoresis to enable complete cell manipulations including full rotation, imaging of non-adherent cells, and mechanical measurement validation. New set of interferometry-based quantitative parameters will be developed to enable characterization of cellular transformations, and used to characterize cancer cells with different metastasis potential, for cell lines and for circulating tumor cells.

Mots-clés : interferometric microscopy,digital holographic microscopy,quantitative optical cell imaging,label free cell imaging
Projet ERC : MORE-TEM (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : Sapienza University of Rome — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1935113.0 €

A major mission of condensed-matter physics is to understand material properties via the knowledge of the energy vs. momentum (q) dispersion and lifetime of fundamental excitations. Unfortunately, none of the available techniques can be applied to emerging nanomaterials: inelastic x-ray scattering & electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in reflection lack the spatial resolution whereas EELS in transmission electron microscopy lacks the needed combined spatial, energy & q-resolution. In MORE-TEM, we develop a new spectrometer enabling to map excitations q-resolved with 0.01 Å-1 resolution and q-averaged down to atomic level, at unprecedented 1 meV energy resolution and at variable temperature between 700K & 4K. This breakthrough is possible by bringing together our synergy group with complementary skills in electron microscopy, electron optics, experimental & theoretical spectroscopy. This opens the so-far unexplored possibility to investigate dispersion and lifetime of phonons, plasmons & excitons in nanomaterials including (organic) molecules, 1D nanotubes, 2D materials, heterostructures & nanocrystals in minerals with a few nm of lateral resolution on samples as thin as an atomic monolayer. Mapping out the spatial and q-landscape of primary excitations will allow us to gain control on quantum phases, like charge-density waves and superconductivity, to engineer new materials for energy (e.g. batteries), (opto-)electronic devices in (organic) electronics, and to model the physical and chemical properties of natural geological systems. This will hugely impact a wide range of applications in physics, chemistry, engineering, as well as in environmental-, geo- & material science. MORE-TEM not only implements features of a large scale facility on a cheaper table-top instrument, but it also pushes q-resolved spectroscopy to the realm of the nanoscale, providing thus a fundamentally new & unique infrastructure for the characterization and optimisation of nanomaterials.

Mots-clés : eels,nanospectrosocopy,electron optics,energy,momentum dispersion of quasiparticles,phonons,plasmons,excitons,hierarchical quantum matter,graphene,nanotubes,2d materials,heterostructures
Projet ERC : CUNDA (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth system science
Entité participante : University of Reading — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2597754.0 €

A major problem in understanding complex nonlinear geophysical systems is to determine which processes drive which other processes, so what the causal relations are. Several methods to infer nonlinear causal relations exist, but often lead to different answers, often perform hypothesis testing on causality, need long stationary time series, can be misleading if an unknown process drives the processes under study, or, if a numerical model is used, reflect model causality instead of real-world causality. Furthermore methods that use the governing evolution equations directly lead to intractable high-dimensional integrals. In this proposal I will tackle these problems by firstly embedding causality into a Bayesian framework, moving from testing causality to estimating causality strength and its uncertainty in a systematic way. Knowledge from several causality methods can be combined, new knowledge can be brought in systematically, and time series can be short. Furthermore, new knowledge can be incorporated into the existing knowledge basis, and several methods can be combined in a consistent manner. Secondly, a new formulation to infer causal strength exploring evolution equations that avoids high-dimensional integrals will be explored. Thirdly, numerical models are combined with observations by exploring fully nonlinear data assimilation to study real-world causality. I will test the new techniques on simple models and then apply them to a high-resolution model of the ocean area around South Africa where the Southern Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean meet. This area plays a crucial role in the global circulation of heat and salt by bringing warm and salty Indian Ocean water into the Atlantic in a highly turbulent manner. The techniques allow to infer what sets this interocean transport, the turbulent local dynamics or the global climate-related dynamics, crucial for understanding the functioning of the ocean in the climate system.

Mots-clés : msc2010 62mxx inference from stochastic processes  pe6 10 data fusion
Projet ERC : BACCO (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : Donostia International Physics Center — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : DIPC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1334240.0 €

A new generation of galaxy surveys will soon start measuring the spatial distribution of millions of galaxies over a broad range of redshifts, offering an imminent opportunity to discover new physics. A detailed comparison of these measurements with theoretical models of galaxy clustering may reveal a new fundamental particle, a breakdown of General Relativity, or a hint on the nature of cosmic acceleration. Despite a large progress in the analytic treatment of structure formation in recent years, traditional clustering models still suffer from large uncertainties. This limits cosmological analyses to a very restricted range of scales and statistics, which will be one of the main obstacles to reach a comprehensive exploitation of future surveys. Here I propose to develop a novel simulation--based approach to predict galaxy clustering. Combining recent advances in computational cosmology, from cosmological N--body calculations to physically-motivated galaxy formation models, I will develop a unified framework to directly predict the position and velocity of individual dark matter structures and galaxies as function of cosmological and astrophysical parameters. In this formulation, galaxy clustering will be a prediction of a set of physical assumptions in a given cosmological setting. The new theoretical framework will be flexible, accurate and fast: it will provide predictions for any clustering statistic, down to scales 100 times smaller than in state-of-the-art perturbation--theory--based models, and in less than 1 minute of CPU time. These advances will enable major improvements in future cosmological constraints, which will significantly increase the overall power of future surveys maximising our potential to discover new physics.

Mots-clés : n body simulations,galaxy clustering
Projet ERC : LASSO (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
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 : 1996291.0 €

A new resource for quantum information processing has emerged recently in the form of the valley pseudospin in layered transition metal dichalcogenides. By virtue of strong spin-orbit and Berry curvature effects, these non-centrosymmetric crystals provide a quantum optical interface between spin- and valley-polarized electrons and circularly polarized photons. Such valley-contrasting optical selection rules in turn establish means to address the multivalley quantum resource all-optically. At this interface, where light meets valley quantum states of matter, the proposed research will aim at tailoring and mastering electron-hole-pair excitations and their coupling to photons in layered transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors, heterostructures and hybrid systems. The project will combine semiconductor monolayers with ferroelectric and ferromagnetic supports to achieve synthetic opto-valleytronic functionality of substrate-modified excitons for the development of novel linear, non-linear and chiral quantum optical elements. Reciprocally, interfacial effect of the substrate on the valley dynamics of monolayer excitons will be utilized for the development of quantum-enhanced imaging of ferroic domain textures to facilitate fundamental studies of phase transitions in condensed matter systems. In parallel, we will develop on chip-circuitry to control long-lived dipolar excitons in hetero-bilayer semiconductors. Finally, light-matter quasiparticles in the form of exciton-polaritons with weak and strong mutual interactions in monolayer- and heterobilayer-cavity systems will be created, engineered and condensed at ultra-low temperatures into a macroscopic ground state. The realization of interacting polariton gases and condensates, paired with the opto-valleytronic phenomena inherent to layered transition metal dichalcogenides, will contribute topologically protected polaritons to the realm of systems with an integral role in all-optical quantum science and technology.