Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : HIPER-G (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : TU Dresden — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUD
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The worldwide increasing need for resources and energy as well as the foreseeable depletion of fossil fuels has led scientists into a race towards finding cleaner, more efficient and sustainable technologies. Graphene is believed to be able to play a crucial role in these developments due to its outstanding properties like excellent conductivity, mechanical strength, flexibility and chemical stability. A possible large-scale application is foreseen in polymer composites, where next to increased mechanical stability, graphene can introduce additional functionalities such as conductivity, antistatic properties or flame retardancy to specialty and commodity polymers. In addition, the potential to integrate cheap graphene-based, printed sensors, actuators, or networking capabilities into every-day products opens up completely new fields of application (e.g. the Internet of Things vision). Current industrial preparation techniques are available to provide graphene at large scale but the materials suffer from drawbacks in terms of processability, which is why despite the great potential, only a very limited number of graphene-enhanced products are available on the market. Recently, we were able to demonstrate a novel technology for the functionalization of graphene. With this approach, we are now focusing to produce functionalized graphene with tailorable properties and improved processability. This breakthrough will open up new possibilities and prospects for the application of graphene. To exploit the potential impact of this approach we are aiming to prove the usability of our functionalized graphene in different applications in cooperation with experienced partners from industry.

Mots-clés : graphene,graphene production,functionalized graphene,up scaling,electrochemical exfoliation,conductive inks,printed electronics,wearable electronics,graphene composites,sustainable processing
Projet ERC : AngioUnrestUHD (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Ministry of Health — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998500.0 €

Therapeutic modulation of vascular cell proliferation and migration is essential for the effective inhibition of angiogenesis in cancer or its induction in cardiovascular disease. The current view is that an increase in growth factor levels or mitogenic stimulation is beneficial for angiogenesis, since it leads to an increase in both endothelial proliferation and sprouting. Through the use of innovative genetic and imaging approaches, we have recently elucidated a previously unappreciated, context-dependent mechanism whereby highly mitogenic environments can be detrimental for angiogenesis and lead to the cell-cycle arrest of endothelial cells (ECs), which ultimately impairs vascular growth. The identified mechanism may explain the failed or inefficient promotion of functional angiogenesis by vascular growth factor delivery therapies, such as those used to treat ischemic cardiovascular disease. We propose that a better understanding and modulation of the identified hypermitogenic arrest process may allow angiogenesis to be induced more effectively. Taking advantage of recent advances in DNA synthesis, CRISPR gene editing, microscopy and single-cell profiling technologies, we have developed new genetic tools, animal models and methods of broad relevance that enable the study of gene function with higher reliability, throughput and definition. We propose to use these novel research tools and methods to significantly increase understanding of the biology of blood vessels in distinct physiological and pathological contexts. We will then use this new knowledge to identify better strategies to promote vascular development in ischemic cardiovascular disease, heal vascular malformations, or inhibit angiogenesis in tumours.

Mots-clés : angiogenesis,vascular biology,endothelial,genetic mosaics,notch
Projet ERC : EUROSTUDENTS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
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 : 288000.19 €

There are currently over 35 million students within Europe and yet, to date, we have no clear understanding of the extent to which understandings of ‘the student’ are shared. This project thus investigates how the contemporary higher education student is conceptualised and the extent to which this differs both within nation-states and across them. This is significant in terms of implicit (and sometimes explicit) assumptions that are made about common understandings of ‘the student’ across Europe – underpinning, for example, initiatives to increase cross-border educational mobility and the wider development of a European Higher Education Area. It is also significant in relation to exploring the extent to which understandings are shared within a single nation and, particularly, the degree to which there is congruence between the ways in which students are conceptualised within policy texts and by policymakers, and the understandings of other key social actors, such as the media, higher education institutions and students themselves. This proposal outlines plans for a significant body of work that, by the end of the five year period, will have: developed a new theoretical framework for understanding the ways in which the higher education student is conceptualised, based on an innovative and inter-disciplinary comparative approach; generated a comprehensive and cross-national dataset on constructions of the higher education student; and established international networks that will provide a platform for taking forward research in this field after the grant has ended. The proposed work will also have a considerable impact on my own career development, through: consolidating my leadership experience by giving me experience of managing a six-nation comparative research project and mentoring research staff; providing me with dedicated time to publish widely across several academic disciplines; and extending my profile further amongst the international research community.

Mots-clés : higher education,sociology of education,students,higher education policy
Projet ERC : EUROSTUDENTS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Surrey — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1465935.81 €

There are currently over 35 million students within Europe and yet, to date, we have no clear understanding of the extent to which understandings of ‘the student’ are shared. This project thus investigates how the contemporary higher education student is conceptualised and the extent to which this differs both within nation-states and across them. This is significant in terms of implicit (and sometimes explicit) assumptions that are made about common understandings of ‘the student’ across Europe – underpinning, for example, initiatives to increase cross-border educational mobility and the wider development of a European Higher Education Area. It is also significant in relation to exploring the extent to which understandings are shared within a single nation and, particularly, the degree to which there is congruence between the ways in which students are conceptualised within policy texts and by policymakers, and the understandings of other key social actors, such as the media, higher education institutions and students themselves. This proposal outlines plans for a significant body of work that, by the end of the five year period, will have: developed a new theoretical framework for understanding the ways in which the higher education student is conceptualised, based on an innovative and inter-disciplinary comparative approach; generated a comprehensive and cross-national dataset on constructions of the higher education student; and established international networks that will provide a platform for taking forward research in this field after the grant has ended. The proposed work will also have a considerable impact on my own career development, through: consolidating my leadership experience by giving me experience of managing a six-nation comparative research project and mentoring research staff; providing me with dedicated time to publish widely across several academic disciplines; and extending my profile further amongst the international research community.

Mots-clés : higher education,sociology of education,students,higher education policy
Projet ERC : Market Design (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Entité participante : Carlos III University of Madrid — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1516287.5 €

There are two components to my research plan. First is the study of dynamic markets for real and financial assets in which traders might have asymmetric information. In particular I aim to understand how different characteristics of the market such as frequency of trade and transparency affect the efficiency with which these markets operate. This is a stepping stone to then be able to understand how these markets can be designed or regulated to improve their efficiency. Allowing for competition among market places can also indicate if the best way to intervene in these markets is by fostering competition or if direct government intervention is called for. Second, market imperfections are exacerbated in developing countries due to the poor rule of law and poor institutional framework. Thus, important welfare gains can potentially be achieved by mitigating these imperfections and fostering the development of markets. I plan to work on these issues by combining theoretical analysis with controlled randomized trials to validate the theoretical insights in the field. For example there are many durable goods such as solar lights that would greatly enhance the welfare of poor rural households. These markets have been very slow to develop due to the lack of credit of final consumers and uncertainty about product quality. By properly designing the self-enforcing agreements between the producers of these goods and the retailers we can ensure retailers get access to financing from the producers. In turn this would allow retailers to extend financing to final consumers. Work on the field will surely uncover other frictions which we can study theoretically how to overcome and again test in the field with further controlled randomized trials.

Mots-clés : mechanism design,asymmetric information,dynamic incentives
Projet ERC : COGNIBRAINS (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Sorbonne Université — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Sorbonne U
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

There is a common perception that larger brains mediate higher cognitive capacity. Social insects, however, demonstrate that sophisticated cognition is possible with miniature brains. Honeybees display higher-order learning such as categorization, non-linear discriminations, concept learning and numerosity, which are unique among insects. These capacities are mediated by a miniature brain with only 950 000 neurons. Despite extensive behavioral analyses, no study has attempted to elucidate the neural mechanisms underpinning the higher-order learning of bees. Our current breakthrough establishing virtual-reality protocols for tethered honeybees offers a unique opportunity to uncover the minimal circuits that mediate higher-order forms of cognitive processing in the brain of a behaving bee. We have recently shown that bees learn to solve elemental and non-elemental problems in this experimental context, which allows integrating behavioral, neurobiological and computational approaches to unravel the neural mechanisms underlying non-elemental learning in the honeybee. I will combine behavioral recordings of bees learning non-linear discriminations and relational rules in a virtual reality environment, with access to their brain via multi-photon calcium imaging and multielectrode recordings of neural populations. I will determine the neural circuits of elemental and non-elemental visual learning along the visual circuits of the bee brain, and the necessity and sufficiency of these circuits for these capacities via selective knockdown and rescuing via wavelength-selective multi-photon uncaging of neurotransmitters. Data will be fed into computational models to test hypotheses about minimal neural architectures for visual cognition, working towards whole-brain modeling. This project will expand the information available on the neurobiology of insect learning, and will provide the first integral characterization of the mechanisms underlying cognition in a miniature brain.

Mots-clés : cognition,higher order learning,invertebrates,insects,honey bee
Projet ERC : CRIMGOV (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Fondation nationale des sciences politiques — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FNSP
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 731600.0 €

There is a consensus that organized crime (OC) is harmful and its profits are immense. Yet the concept of OC itself lumps together people engaging in very different activities—from peasants in Colombia to professional enablers in London to mafias in Italy—, and the data used by scholars are generally of poor quality. We are in urgent need to establish this field of study on solid analytical grounds and to produce good data. CRIMGOV is designed to do precisely that. We first present a framework that distinguishes three key activities of OC groups: Production, Trade and Governance. We will ask: How do groups engaged in (criminal) Production, Trade or Governance differ from each other? Do they each have a different organizational structure, members with different ‘professional’ profile and skills? To what extent is there overlap between them? Finally, under which conditions would one group specializing in Production or Trade evolve into a Governance-type OC group? The project will study a broad range of organized crime in depth: local cybercrime production hubs in Europe, the international trade of drugs from Colombia to Europe, the emergence of criminal governance inside and outside prisons. The project will produce high-quality data sets that are hard to collect and time-consuming to code, a challenging and risky yet highly rewarding contribution to knowledge. Breaking traditional disciplinary boundaries between the social sciences and adopting a global outlook, CRIMGOV will overturn long-held theoretical approaches, produce substantial new findings and data, and speak to scholars across different disciplines.

Mots-clés : organized crime,governance,drugs trafficking,prisons
Projet ERC : The insect cochlea (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : University of Lincoln — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1989789.0 €

There is a critical need for high-resolution acoustic sensors for numerous applications in engineering/medicine. The human cochlea has been a source of inspiration for acoustic sensors due its improved sensitivity, higher frequency range, and sharp frequency discrimination. Current methods for measuring cochlear mechanics are inherently invasive, and deep understanding of its process remains elusive, proving challenging its simulation in electromechanical devices. Yet cochlear organ for frequency selectivity is not unique to mammalian audition. A simpler analogous mechanism for frequency analysis was recently found in the ears of bush-crickets (insects). These insects are endowed with outer middle and inner ear, but unlike mammals their cochlea is small (~0.6 mm), uncoiled, and exceptionally accessible through transparent cuticle. These attributes facilitate the clean measurements of complex auditory processes impossible to attain in the mammalian cochlea, and open an exceptional opportunity for miniaturization and simplification of artificial acoustic sensors. Using bush-crickets and relatives as model systems this project is designed to fulfil the following two main objectives: (1) to dissect the three ear components to i) identify the elements involved in acute hearing sensitivity, ii) characterise the role of multiple sound inputs in directional hearing, iii) associate the activation patterns of auditory afferents with mechanical waves in the insect cochlea. (2) Use experimental data to produce computer models and theoretical analogues of the insect cochlea to propose innovative alternatives in the design of acoustic sensors. By using a multi-disciplinary approach between biology, engineering, physics and mathematics, this project is designed to develop new technological improvements that constitute the grounds of the next-generation of miniature, super-sensitive acoustic sensors.

Mots-clés : hearing,auditory transduction,circuits
Projet ERC : MMAF (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Universität Hamburg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UHH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999305.0 €

There is a growing need for novel risk schemes in atrial fibrillation (AF) to permit prevention, contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology, and discover targets for individualized treatment. Primary prevention efforts are scant despite the imminent AF epidemic. In international cohorts I have developed and validated the first risk prediction algorithm. However, it explains only 60% of the attributable risk and efforts at improving discrimination are urgently required. Therefore, my overall goal is to develop an enhanced risk prediction algorithm based on cutting-edge technology. The specific focus will be on parameters representative of early stages of the disease process and intermediate phenotypes such as atrial electrical and structural remodelling, chronic subclinical inflammation, oxidative stress, and autonomous tone in manifest and incident AF. Subclinical, potentially reversible changes are ideally suited to provide independent information complementary to known risk markers. My ambitious concept is to choose a multimodal approach in an interdisciplinary team to systematically assess: 1) Blood and tissue omics (genomics, expression, proteomics, metabolomics), 2) Advanced electrocardiography, 3) Imaging (echocardiography, cardiac MRI), and 4) Gender applying innovative tools and analyses strategies aimed at a systems biology integration of the accumulated information. I have collected comprehensive biological and epidemiologic information on distinct AF phenotypes in unique prospective population (N>60,000) and clinical cohorts (N>1,000). We are not aware of other groups with access to such a well-established prospective AF biobank. Informed by omics, electrocardiography and imaging we will provide pathophysiological insights into the disease process, highlight targets for intervention, and develop a contemporary risk scheme. Our results will lay the ground for rapid translation into clinical practice with significant public health impact.

Mots-clés : atrial fibrillation,aging,gender
Projet ERC : Hotspot (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : University of Lausanne — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1994500.0 €

There is accumulating evidence for a new gene expression paradigm, in which genes and transcription factors cooperate to create specialized nuclear hotspots optimized for transcription. How hotspots form, and how they impact transcription, however, is unclear. This is mostly because mechanistic and functional approaches have been limited by the large number of hotspots per nucleus, their small size, and their transient nature. Here, wThere is accumulating evidence for a new gene expression paradigm, in which genes and transcription factors cooperate to create specialized nuclear hotspots optimized for transcription. How hotspots form, and how they impact transcription, however, is unclear. This is mostly because mechanistic and functional approaches have been limited by the large number of hotspots per nucleus, their small size, and their transient nature. Here, we will take advantage of two hotspots that precede all other transcription during zebrafish embryogenesis. The hotspots are large, isolated, and relatively long-lived, and we can interfere with their formation specifically. They therefore provide an excellent opportunity to study nuclear hotspots. The stereotyped activation of transcription during embryogenesis further provides the opportunity to determine the effect of hotspots on gene expression. In Aim 1, we will determine what triggers hotspot formation, identify the components of hotspots and the order in which they come together, and determine the enrichment of components in hotspots compared to nucleoplasm. In Aim 2, we turn our attention to the genes that come together in these hotspots. We will develop a method to visualize single copy genes live and use this to determine how genes come together in transcription hotspots to be activated. Together, the work we propose will reveal how stable gene expression programs can emerge from the self- organizing interactions between chromatin, transcription factors and emergent properties of transcribed sites.

Mots-clés : nuclear organization,transcription,phase separation