Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : MICROCODE (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Université Charles de Prague — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Does the success of military alliances ultimately hang on the whims of public opinion? The historical record shows that allied states often do not honour their collective defence commitments, but existing scholarship has not yet explained the role of public views in these high-stakes decisions. The MICROCODE project aims to initiate a new research agenda on the microfoundations of collective defence that puts public opinion in allied countries at the centre of inquiry. Building on cutting-edge approaches in experimental political science, international relations, and political psychology, I aim to conduct an extensive, cross-national investigation in the key NATO member states, with the views of individuals as the principal unit of analysis. I introduce a complex theoretical model to explain (1) how individuals form attitudes towards allied assistance in different collective defence scenarios; (2) how these individual attitudes aggregate to form public opinion shaped by societal cues; and (3) how, in turn, public opinion shapes the views of decision-makers in allied states. My main set of hypotheses concerns the critical impact of the strategic context on the formation of public opinion and its relevance for policy-making: I propose that whereas conventional scenarios of direct armed aggression leave a limited role for public opinion, the more ambiguous “grey zone” conflicts potentially open a wide “contestation space” where public views become more polarised, elastic, and simultaneously more relevant for decision-makers. As a methodological innovation, I will use novel immersive mixed-media experiments to create an interactive, engaging, and realistic experience for the participants and examine how their attitudes towards defending allies change under different conditions. At a time of dramatic deterioration of the international security environment, the MICROCODE project’s findings could redefine how we view the stability and credibility of military alliances.

Mots-clés : military alliances collective defence public opinion war nato experimental methods
Projet ERC : eWaveShaper (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Université Charles de Prague — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1835895.0 €

Advanced techniques of electron microscopy and spectroscopy require tools, which enable to control various degrees of freedom of electron beams (phase profile, temporal structure, orbital angular momentum, etc.). The inelastic quantum coherent interaction between light waves and electron wavepackets allows to structure the temporal probability distribution of electrons with attosecond precision, which may enable probing the coherent dynamics of optical excitations or plasmonic near-fields of nanostructures and metamaterials. Up to now, only electron-photon interactions mediated by solid-state structures have been considered, which have severe limitations. In this project I will develop a versatile tool for quantum coherent shaping and full characterisation of the phase profile and amplitude of the electron wave function in electron microscopes. The interaction will be mediated by the ponderomotive potential of spatio-temporally shaped light fields in vacuum. The electron wavepackets will be controlled on nanometer spatial and sub-femtosecond time scales that are natural for light waves. The optical coherence imprinted to the electron wavepackets will be exploited in two ways: i) I will explore the possibility to transfer the temporal coherence from density-modulated electron wavepackets to radiation and bound electron excitations in two-level quantum systems by detecting phase-resolved cathodoluminescence and coherent Smith-Purcell radiation driven by swift electrons. ii) I will introduce time-domain electron holography, which will exploit the temporal coherence of shaped electron wavepackets for phase-resolved imaging of optical excitations in nanostructures. The approaches proposed in this project open new pathways for electron-mediated optical quantum-coherent control and spectroscopy with atomic spatial resolution.

Mots-clés : electron microscopy,quantum control,electron holography
Projet ERC : SAMIR (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
Entité participante : Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 74157.5 €

The impact of climate change is the largest in polar regions, due to multiple feedback loops leading to polar amplification. In Antarctica, short meteorological time series hamper our ability to evaluate the climate variability at interannual and decadal scale, and in particular the one linked with the anthropogenic climate change. It is also not clear though whether climate variability in polar region will increase, despite significant consequences on the global climate system. In this proposal, I will evaluate how climate variability in Antarctica varies for changing climatic conditions, using ice core isotopic composition (δ18O, d-excess and 17O-excess). The objectives of this project are to study the climate variability thanks to a large network of ice core records at high resolution and high precision. A large number of ice cores are available through large European projects (Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice (BE-OI), EAIIST, …) but the analytical platform to measure all this ice at high precision is missing. By implementing the new generation of infrared spectrometer in an ice core measuring line, we will be able to increase both the throughput and precision, and measure triple isotopic composition on a large number of cores and resolve the climate variability in Antarctica.
Projet ERC : BEE HEALTHY (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Entité participante : Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Inrae
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499993.0 €

Honey bees, Apis mellifera, have experienced the full impacts of globalization, including the recent invasion by the parasite, Varroa destructor. This deadly mite has rapidly become one of the main causes of colony losses worldwide, with a huge economic impact on beekeeping. Despite the lethal effects of varroa, some colonies survive infestation. In such colonies, honey bees are able to work together to selectively remove highly parasitized brood, thereby limiting mite spread. Defensive hygiene plays a role at society level that parallels that of an immune system, and the ‘social immunity’ it confers provides the basis for colony resistance to varroa and other brood diseases. How compromised individuals are accurately diagnosed, and how the collective actions of hygienic bees are regulated at colony level pose central but yet unsolved challenges. The BEE HEALTHY project aims to decipher the mechanisms that underpin collective behavioural defences against unhealthy brood in honey bee colonies. Four key breakthroughs support my high-risk high-gain and wide-scoped approach: (1) a new conceptual framework postulating that bees maintain the integrity of the colony by constantly assessing the wellness of conspecifics; (2) a new hypothesis that considers distinct hygienic behaviours as components of a single suite of defences that must be considered together; (3) a cutting-edge experimental strategy that tightly associates studies at the individual bee and superorganism colony level; (4) an integrative biology approach that combines chemical ecology and neurophysiology. This ambitious project promises an unprecedented journey in the understanding of social immunity. In the face of increasing threats from invasive species events, revealing how hosts adapt to detrimental foes has never been more pressing. This research also opens avenues to deliver tools for a more sustainable beekeeping and agriculture through preserved pollination ecosystem services.

Mots-clés : host parasite relationship chemical ecology social immunity resistance honey bee varroa destructor apis mellifera social insects
Projet ERC : InterMet (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Institute of Biotechnology — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BTÚ AV ČR
Type d'entité : Autres
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1450000.0 €

Anticancer therapy is >70 years old, and nucleotides are the oldest target in cancer treatment. Despite its long history, this treatment suffers high rates of resistance and toxicity. What are the reasons? A cell can gain nucleotides via de novo synthesis (DNS) or from salvage pathways. DNS inhibition can be bypassed by nucleotides produced by surrounding cells or distant organs, causing resistance. Cancer cells were traditionally studied in isolation, with (bulk) techniques precluding identification of cell type-specific targets, causing toxicity. To date, the cellular sources of nucleotides in healthy and tumor tissues are poorly characterized. Can the complexity of metabolic crosstalk in tissues be captured by the traditional means? I hypothesize that cancer and stromal cells differ in how they utilize nucleic acid building blocks from external and internal sources. A single cell resolution is needed to disentangle their interactions, and inhibition of both DNS and cancer-specific salvage is required for a successful blockade. I aim to define the nucleotide sources in heathy tissues and tumors, characterize their adaptations to DNS blockade to uncover the network of metabolic interactions in tissues and find effective and specific combinations of targets. To reach this goal, I will use a unique combination of single cell multi-omics and tailored mouse models, an expertise and tools that I took the lead to set up. I will selectively disable DNS in the stroma (host mouse) and in cancer cells (syngeneic lung tumors) to generate tumors dependent on internally or externally produced nucleotides. In an integrative approach using spatial and single cell transcriptomics & metabolomics in situ, and functional genetic screen, I will search for targetable metabolic vulnerabilities of DNS-disabled cancer cells. This innovative research opens the path to understanding the organization of tissue metabolic homeostasis for new personalized metabolism-based anticancer medicine.

Mots-clés : metabolism cancer single cell transcriptomics nucleotides de novo synthesis spatial omics
Projet ERC : PGTI (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention,  Diagnosis and T reatment of Human Diseases
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 : 1398969.0 €

Particle Therapy (PT) is potentially the most conformal and selective form of radiotherapy, but its clinical outcome is still limited, mainly because of the numerous sources of uncertainties affecting both treatment planning and delivery. The objective technical complexity of predicting and verifying the ion path in the patient has led to conservative treatments that, in order to increase safety, sacrifice efficacy. Having the full control of the dose gradient within the patient in real time would allow to fully exploit the ballistic advantage of PT. The healthy-tissue sparing effect can be enormous, further encouraging the use of PT for paediatric malignancies. Alternatively, the target dose could be increased to achieve better tumour control, and dose escalation procedures could be envisaged to treat radio-resistant tumours. With the aim of increasing both safety and efficacy, I propose a new medical-imaging modality to monitor PT treatments in real-time. It exploits the signal of secondary prompt gamma-rays emitted from nuclear interactions in the patients to recover information on ion range, tissue density and dose. I refer to this technique as Prompt Gamma Time Imaging (PGTI). An original reconstruction algorithm and a dedicated detector will be developed to prove the clinical advantages of PGTI, and bring this technique at the doorsteps of its clinical application. I will develop models to correlate the images provided by PGTI to real-time dose distributions, in order to enable the use of this technique for adaptive dosimetry. PGTI will be also explored as a potential approach to proton tomography. For the first time, it would be possible to control the uncertainties affecting both treatment planning and treatment delivery with a unique device. PGTI may be the missing step towards the birth of image-guided particle therapy.

Mots-clés : gamma ray detection
Projet ERC : MANUNKIND (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Entité participante : Université de Maastricht — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 490937.5 €

Chattel slavery and other forms of collaborative exploitation are with us since ancient times, inflicting unfathomable suffering on countless generations of victims. And even though slavery is outlawed globally today, its modern-day successors continue to cause severe harm for millions.  Previous research has compiled rich datasets on the prevalence of collaborative exploitation across cultures and across time. A startling gap exists in the literature, however, with respect to modeling the fundamental incentive structures of collaborative exploitation and understanding the psychological processes involved. Hence, we do not understand well how the macro-level patterns and dynamics observable in the existing data emerge from micro-level traits, decisions, and behavior. Addressing this knowledge gap, this research proposal - analyzes collaborative exploitation as a strategic interaction between exploiters and exploited, - scrutinizes the psychological mechanisms and traits involved in exploitative interactions, and - traces how the aggregation of these micro-level components into macro-level patterns and dynamics is shaped by, and interacts with, the ecological, economic, and ideological conditions it is situated in.  In doing so, I develop, test, and disseminate a versatile game theoretic framework and corresponding new paradigms for behavioral experiments to advance the multidisciplinary study of collaborative exploitation. Being the first to apply rigorous formal modeling and transparent preregistered tests of theory-grounded hypotheses against experimental and archive data to understand collaborative exploitation, this proposal advances into uncharted territory. Thus, it breaks new ground for research in several disciplines and at multiple levels of analysis. Moreover, its results can inform policy-making aiming to end modern-day slavery and other contemporary forms of exploitation -- in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 8.

Mots-clés : exploitation forced labor slavery human trafficking economic oppression
Projet ERC : INDIGO (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
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 : 1992500.0 €

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is a powerful spectroscopy method which allows to identify paramagnetic species and quantify their interactions with their environment. Because of the weak spin-microwave coupling, conventional EPR spectroscopy has a low sensitivity which limits its use to samples of macroscopic size. Recent experiments demonstrated that superconducting quantum circuits have the potential to drastically enhance the spin detection sensitivity down to the detection of ~10 spins within 5 fL. However, these demonstrations have so far been done using well-known model spin systems and in restrictive conditions: very narrow spin and detector linewidths, extremely low microwave losses, and low static magnetic fields. They are thus incompatible with modus operandi that are typical in EPR spectroscopy: probing aqueous or non-crystalline samples, applying strong magnetic fields, or studying species with short coherence lifetimes or spin-spin interactions which require large excitation bandwidth. The restrictive conditions of these proof-of-concepts are however not a prerequisite for achieving high-sensitivity EPR detection. Using recent advances made in the fabrication process and in the design of quantum circuits, I propose to lift these restrictions and build a quantum-circuit based EPR spectrometer able to probe a large scope of spin species and to detect, characterize and image EPR signals in micron-sized samples. We will meet this goal by 1) developing a resilient high-sensitivity spectrometer able to probe spins with short coherence times and characterize spin-spin interactions; 2) implementing imaging techniques with sub-micron resolution; and 3) benchmarking our spectrometer for typical volume-limited applications. Our EPR spectrometer will open interesting research paths in biology chemistry or condensed matter, for instance by allowing to detect EPR signals in single cells, micro-protein crystals or from organic semiconductors.

Mots-clés : electron spin resonance high sensitivity detection and imaging quantum circuits technologies application to biology and chemistry
Projet ERC : BORDERS (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : London School of Economics and Political Science — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LSE
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499956.0 €

Border changes through secession, unification, and territorial transfers have reshaped almost all states in Europe since 1815 and revisionism continues to threaten states worldwide until today. While the causes of border change are well-studied, its consequences for local development have been much less scrutinized. BORDERS therefore analyzes the mechanisms through which border change has affected local development in Europe and beyond over the past two centuries using new theory, data, and methods.  BORDERS’ central contributions are delivered by four work packages (WP). WP1 develops a theory of the impact of border change on socio-economic development through changes in local ethnic demography, economic market exchange, state capacity, and ethnic politics. WP2 produces unparalleled longitudinal data on local development across Europe since the 18th century by using machine learning to measure village-level development from historical survey maps. Additional data from historical administrative and geographic sources will be collected to capture the relevant causal mechanisms. WP3 empirically examines the theory and mechanisms developed in WP1 across the more than 200 border changes in post-1815 Europe using methods for causal inference in geographically disaggregated panel data. WP4 tests the applicability of the theory across a global sample of border changes since 1945, examines contextual factors that explain variation over time and across cases, and investigates divergences with effects observed in historical Europe.  In times of renewed border contestation, BORDERS contributes new theory and robust evidence on the local effects of border change in Europe and beyond. The project enriches debates on long-run development and provides data on historical development in Europe of unprecedented detail. Innovations in map digitization and methods to gauge the generalizability of causally identified micro-level effects contribute to the social sciences more generally.

Mots-clés : border change,local development,socio economic development,europe,historical political economy,infrastructure,ethnic geography,state formation,state building,machine learning,gis,causal inference
Projet ERC : REVEAL (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Entité participante : University Hospital Aachen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UKA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498775.0 €

Coughing is one of the most frequent reasons for physician appointments, and chronic coughing affects one in every 10 people in Europe. It has severe consequences on the patients’ quality of life. Treatment options are limited. Because animal models do not accurately replicate the human disease, the underlying mechanisms that trigger the onset of chronic coughing remain unclear and several promising drug candidates have failed in clinical testing. Human in vitro models could overcome these hurdles if all relevant cell types are integrated. In the REVEAL project, we will develop a comprehensive airway in vitro model to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the onset and manifestation of neuronal hypersensitivity in chronic cough. We will develop a novel airway-on-a-chip that replicates the complex architecture of human airway tissue with innervation, immunocompetence, differentiated epithelium, and perfusable vascularization using primary cells and iPSC-derived neurons. The novel chip will facilitate high-throughput experiments. Disease models will be created using cells from chronic cough patients followed by the induction of inflammation. We will investigate neuroimmune interactions that trigger neuronal hypersensitivity and use the chip for drug screening. The REVEAL model will help to reduce the burden of chronic cough by offering a better understanding of neuronal hypersensitivity in the airways. It will facilitate the development and testing of new drugs, offer a tool for personalized medicine, and provide a new approach methodology for risk assessment and toxicity testing. This will support the 3R principles, replacing and reducing animal testing in basic and applied research. The anticipated outcome of this project will also have an impact on other highly prevalent chronic airway diseases by providing a platform technology to study conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), achieving a positive impact for many patients.

Mots-clés : in vitro modelling,tissue engineering,microfluidic systems,3d tissues,organ on a chip