Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : PIEZOZYMES (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Entité participante : Université de Saragosse — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

The cost-efficient production of sustainably derived biochemicals and biofuels is a critical goal of modern biotechnology. Redox-biosynthetic pathways are fundamental in chemical manufacturing for establishing a bio-based economy. The sustainable regeneration and recycling of redox cofactors is a pre-requisite for the viable industrial exploitation of many described redox-biosynthetic pathways. These boundaries hamper the employment of cofactor-dependent biotransformations at large-scale production processes. To overcome these limitations, the main objective of this project, PIEZOZYMES, pushes the forefront of technology, pursuing novel biotechnological tools aimed at the efficient regeneration of redox cofactors powered by mechanical sources. Such progress will bring several advantages over the current cofactor-regeneration systems, where the traditionally employed biochemical, electrochemical and photonic sources will be replaced by mechanical ones. The resulting technology of this project will have valuable social impact, paving new pathways for the cost-efficient exploitation of cofactor-dependent enzymes as economically suitable biocatalysts in a plethora of industrial catalytic biotransformations.

Mots-clés : piezoelectric materials,enzyme immobilization,biocatalysis
Projet ERC : CritPDEsRand (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Université d'Édimbourg — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1496455.0 €

This proposal is concerned with the study of the dynamics of partial differential equations (PDEs), broadly interpreted, in the presence of randomness, with a particular focus on dispersive equations. This is a young but promising emerging field, and it has deep connections with the more established field of constructive quantum field theory. In recent years, we have witnessed outstanding advances in the theory of singular stochastic parabolic PDEs, and while several breakthroughs have been obtained for the dispersive counterpart, many fundamental questions are still open. In particular, many of these questions are "critical" or "supercritical" according to our current understanding. The main goal of this proposal is to develop novel mathematical ideas and tools to break this barrier of criticality, and provide a resolution to these fundamental problems. Over the last ten years, there has been significant progress at the interface of dispersive PDEs and probability. In my short career, I have been one of the leading figures of this field and I have achieved significant breakthroughs. Particularly, my works on phase transitions for focusing Gibbs measures, ergodicity results for stochastic wave equations and global well posedness result for fractional NLS in negative regularity have opened the door to new exciting possibilities. In this proposal, In this proposal, 1. I will work on the Φ^p_d quantum field theories on R^d, both in the focusing and defocusing regime. This will answer major open questions related to the soliton resolution conjecture and in constructive quantum field theory. 2. I will improve our understanding of how Gaussian measures are transported by the flow of nonlinear PDEs. 3. I will develop a theory of (regular) Lagrangian flows for dispersive PDEs, and use it to break the barrier of criticality for these equations.
Projet ERC : GeoFEM (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Université d'Édimbourg — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1487870.0 €

Partial differential equations (PDEs) describe important models in science and engineering. Many of these PDE-based models encode fundamental geometric and topological principles. For general relativity, gravity is described as the curvature of spacetime governed by the Einstein equations. For materials, defects and microstructures can be modelled as geometric quantities such as curvature. Since controlled experiments and analytical solutions are only available in very special cases, it is essential to simulate these equations on computers. Despite significant progress in the past decades, cutting-edge applications still call for reliable numerical methods. In numerical relativity, codes may break down or significantly lose precision in long term simulation of black holes due to the violation of geometric constraints. For continuum with microstructures, convergence may degenerate as multiple length scales are present. The common challenge behind these examples is to find an intrinsic way to discretise high-order tensors in geometry with certain symmetries.  My research will address the fundamental problem of discretising high-order tensors by bringing together geometry, algebra, PDEs and numerical analysis. I will develop an algebraic framework and a systematic construction of tensorial finite elements with symmetries. By clarifying mathematical structures at both continuous and discrete levels, I will investigate reliable methods for discretising the Einstein equations and continuum models with microstructures. The new framework will also inspire the development of fundamental concepts and models, and establish novel connections between numerical schemes, discrete geometry, measure-valued solutions of PDEs, and discrete physics, e.g., quantum gravity and lattice gauge theory.

Mots-clés : finite element exterior calculus,structure preserving discretisation,discrete exterior calculus,discrete differential geometry,numerical relativity,continuum mechanics,geometric mechanics
Projet ERC : morphoPRINT (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Materials Engineering
Entité participante : Université nationale d'Irlande à Galway — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499906.0 €

During embryonic development, organs emerge through highly dynamic processes driven by complex shape-transformations that sculpt their final shape, composition, and function. Despite this, existing approaches to organ bioprinting employ static hydrogels that are not capable of supporting morphogenetic shape changes. Further, we lack an understanding of how key morphogenetic forces such as volumetric tissue growth can be leveraged to re-engineer fundamental tissue shape-morphing behaviours such as bending, buckling, bulging, or twisting. These are major barriers preventing the design of bioprinted tissues that undergo shape-transformations essential for their evolution into a functional final form. Recognising this, the goal of morphoPRINT is to develop a dynamic hydrogel platform that can spatially turn “on” or “off” volumetric growth in bioprinted tissues to direct 4D shape-morphing, and to use this platform to re-engineer morphogenetic shape changes that sculpt the tissue into a more mature form. To realise this goal, we propose ground-breaking technological advances to create hydrogels with independent networks of 1) supramolecular crosslinks that support volumetric growth and 2) photoresponsive covalent crosslinks that can be spatially activated to resist volumetric growth. We will use this platform to explore how spatial patterns of volumetric growth can drive tissue bending, buckling, and bulging, which will lead to a new conceptual understanding of the physical principles that drive tissue shape-morphing. We will then apply these principles towards the design of bioprinted heart tubes that undergo embryonic-like looping into an early 4-chamber structure. morphoPRINT will enable, for the first time, bioprinted organs that undergo programmable shape-morphing. This will set the stage for a new horizon in organ-engineering research focused on recapitulating physical aspects of morphogenesis rather than just the end-stage geometrical structure of the organ.

Mots-clés : bioprinting,hydrogels,tissue engineering
Projet ERC : OriCellDiff (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Entité participante : Université nationale d'Irlande à Galway — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1872506.0 €

During animal development the process of cell differentiation gives rise to terminally differentiated cell types with cell-type-specific gene expression programs. In the most closely related group to animals, the choanoflagellates, cell differentiation occurs but cells do not commit irreversibly to specific fates. Instead, they transition through cell identities as they progress through their life cycle, known as temporal cell differentiation. Animal cell differentiation is thought to have evolved from temporal differentiation, but the mechanisms are largely unknown due to a lack of information on the molecular processes underpinning temporal differentiation.  This proposal will test the hypothesis that chromatin-based transcriptional regulation underlies temporal cell differentiation in choanoflagellates. Utilizing S. rosetta as a model, I will compare transcription and chromatin across cell types using genome-wide omics techniques. This will allow me to assess the role of different histone modifications in cell-fate transitions and discover whether various aspects of animal developmental gene regulation, e.g., the use of repressive histone modifications in cell-type-specific gene regulation, are also utilised in choanoflagellates. I will also examine the cis-regulatory landscape in S. rosetta and use both molecular and functional assays to examine the types of cis-regulatory elements present, and particularly if enhancer elements are used to regulate gene expression. Finally, I will test the role of selected chromatin regulators in temporal cell differentiation and cell-type-specific gene expression. This ground-breaking work will be the first to study these processes in choanoflagellates, thus pioneering the comparison between definitive cell differentiation, seen in animals, and choanoflagellate temporal differentiation. In a broader context, this will deliver fundamental new insights into the evolution of animal gene-regulation during development.

Mots-clés : choanoflagellates,holozoans,cell differentiation,evodevo,chromatin
Projet ERC : MechanoGAP (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université nationale d'Irlande à Galway — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499693.0 €

Personalised cancer medicine presents an exciting frontier in healthcare that tailors disease mitigation and intervention to an individual patient. However, existing technologies fail to leverage the physical forces that underpin stress-dependent tumour growth and the subsequent evolution of biomechanical resistance to anti-cancer drugs. Furthermore, the fundamental mechanisms governing such force-sensitivity have yet to be uncovered; this deficiency in scientific understanding of the active biomechanical behaviour of tumours and control of drug penetration has hindered the progression of anti-cancer therapy.  In this project, an advanced computational modelling framework will first be developed to uncover the mechanisms underlying stress-dependent cell and tissue growth, coupling the thermodynamics of cellular volume control with active force generation and intracellular transport. Novel experimental analysis of 3D tumour spheroid growth and single cell biomechanics will reinforce the framework to gain a new understanding of how mechanical loading can prevent tumour cell division and the role of intracellular exchange in multi-cellular growth control. The models will then be extended to determine the role of growth-induced stress and cell compaction in restricting drug penetration, and whether this can be mitigated by promoting intracellular drug perfusion. Finally, integrated patient-derived computational and tumour organoid models will be developed for prediction of growth and emergent biomechanical resistance to anti-cancer drugs, motivating model-led mechanobiological therapy in an animal model of breast cancer. The overarching objective of this ground-breaking project is to pioneer a personalised healthcare framework for prediction of mechanically-regulated cancer and treatment outcomes, with remarkable potential to drive a paradigm shift in patient-specific diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Mots-clés : computational biomechanics cancer mechanobiology tumour growth modelling
Projet ERC : COLLABOR (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Entité participante : Université d'Édimbourg — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1383447.0 €

In recent years, the European Commission and national competition authorities have shown significant interest in collusion and anticompetitive practices in labor markets. While extensive research has enhanced our understanding of imperfectly competitive labor markets, a critical gap remains in our comprehension of modern anticompetitive practices and explicit collusion by employers. Additionally, recent evidence suggests that unions might alleviate the negative wage effects of employment concentration on wages, but we know little about how unions might serve as a remedy against anticompetitive employment practices.  To address these gaps, I propose the following research agenda: First, I will develop a benchmark theoretical model to study various anticompetitive practices in labor markets, including wage-fixing, no-poaching agreements, and noncompete clauses. A main purpose of this model is to provide a transparent approach to quantify the impact of these practices on wages, employment, and overall economic welfare using readily available data. Second, I will extend this model to incorporate the role of unions and asymmetric information, exploring how unions might counteract anticompetitive practices and interact with pay transparency initiatives. Third, I will confront the theoretical framework with empirical evidence on firm pay dynamics, thereby working to reconcile two large literatures on firm dynamics and pay premiums across firms. I will document empirical patterns using recently developed reduced-form methods and employer-employee data and examine the implications for the structure of labor market frictions. This analysis will assess the consistency of the models with observed patterns in wages, productivity, and worker mobility. Ultimately, this research aims to inform antitrust policies by developing and empirically assessing a comprehensive model of anticompetitive practices in labor markets, incorporating unions, information frictions, and firm dynamics.
Projet ERC : UnMaP (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Université Ca' Foscari de Venise — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1186250.25 €

Contrary to the popular belief that philosophy in Arabic declined around the 12th century, it has actually thrived in forms that are largely unexplored. Arabic philosophical manuscripts present a wealth of textual and visual annotations by students, teachers, and individual scholars who have kept selecting, manually copying, teaching, and studying philosophical texts until the 19th century. Well after the printing revolution, the margins of manuscripts served across the Arabo-Islamic world as material platforms – akin to today’s academic journals – for this choral philosophical enterprise.  With a few notable exceptions, this “real-life” philosophy is cut out of historico-philosophical accounts, in which the spotlight is often on a selection of great minds. The views shared by professors, students, and scholars have hitherto remained on the uncharted margins of manuscripts and on the fringe of the global history of philosophy.  “The Uncharted Margins of Philosophy” (UnMaP) aims to bring those contributions from the margins of manuscripts into the forefront of philosophical discourse.  By delving into the paratextual annotations within 207 manuscripts of the Logic of Avicenna’s (d. 1037) Book of Healing, spanning seven centuries and three continents, UnMaP promises to broaden the horizons of the global history of philosophy. It will (1) shed new light on the uncharted routes of cultural transfer in the pre-modern, globalising world; (2) provide a generalisable model of research on neglected sources for the history of philosophy; (3) challenge the paradigm of knowledge as the product of a few soloists and their intellectual hegemony by bringing to light marginalised traditions from the past.  With innovative techniques, including AI-driven handwriting analysis on manuscripts with Convolutional Neural Networks, this project pioneers a new “Material History of Philosophy”, bridging the gap between Material Philology, Philosophy, History, and Digital Humanities.

Mots-clés : arabic philosophy history of logic medieval studies philosophical manuscripts arabic manuscripts marginalia
Projet ERC : ALiDiM (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Université Ca' Foscari de Venise — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1496241.0 €

The ALiDiM project proposes a metalinguistic analysis of the process of standardization of Classical Arabic as it has been described by early Arabic scholars. By analyzing the earliest Arabic grammatical texts under one metalinguistic roof, this project aims to find new ways to account for and analyze texts that challenge conventional conceptions of the origins of the Arabic linguistic tradition. Embedding linguistic production into a wider cultural framework, the project introduces methodological innovations by devising an interdisciplinary approach. The investigation will focus on the metalinguistic process of language description itself, rather than on the linguistic features described. With the objective to develop an unconventional new reading of the origin and formation of the Arabic linguistic tradition, the ALiDiM project will explore a variegated corpus of Arabic grammatical and lexicographical sources and picture the narratives presented by early Arabic scholars. The focus will be on identifying, tracing, and elaborating the earliest stages of formation of the Arabic linguistic tradition, through a reconstruction of the internal factors that gave rise to the emergence of the linguistic studies as well as the points of convergence between the Arabic and neighboring traditions. The ALiDiM project will trace origins and receptions of the linguistic themes, identifying the factors that altogether contributed to the process of language standardization of Classical Arabic. The methodology applied by the early Arabic scholars will also be studied with a twofold approach that accounts for both the local Arab-Islamic framework and possible external influences. Research data will be made available via the project’s website as a digital corpus of TEI-encoded, semantically-annotated original sources.

Mots-clés : arabic philosophy of language metalinguistics circulation of knowledge digital humanities
Projet ERC : REGINDEX (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Université Ca' Foscari de Venise — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1385743.0 €

Sorting is, arguably, the most powerful algorithmic primitive when it comes to indexing data. At the same time, the regularities exposed by sorting are precisely those enabling data compression. In the last two decades, this fascinating duality has led researchers to the design of compressed full-text indexes: data structures supporting fast pattern matching queries over compressed text. In this project, we revisit the natural generalization of the problem to labeled graphs from a new perspective: we interpret graphs as finite-state automata and investigate the connections existing between their propensity to be sorted and the languages they recognize. Our novel language-theoretic approach makes it possible to transfer fundamental results between the mature fields of regular language theory and compressed text indexing. We aim at building this bridge by developing a new theory of compressed regular language indexing. This project finds fundamental applications to the rapidly-expanding field of computational pan-genomics, where the goal is to study the variations contained in the genomes of an entire population. Recent research has shown that representing pan-genomes as labeled graphs is an important step to reduce reference allele bias. Existing approaches, however, can index only restricted classes of graphs, thereby limiting the practical applicability of such powerful pan-genome representations. Our innovative approach, based on sorting regular languages by partial co-lexicographic orders, changes the perspective from which the compressed indexing problem has been tackled in the literature. This project aims at developing a theory of graph indexing and compression based on the natural interplay between sorting and regular language theory. We will apply these findings inside practical tools for aligning arbitrarily-long DNA fragments against compressed pan-genome graphs.

Mots-clés : compressed data structures,pattern matching algorithms,graph data structures,data compression,regular languages computational pan genomics