Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : OCP (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Dutch Research Council — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NWO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2496750.0 €

The ability to respond to changes in the environment is a defining property of life. Strikingly, experiments have vividly demonstrated that even single-celled organisms can leverage correlations in the environmental fluctuations to predict the future environment and mount a response ahead of time. Yet, how reliably single cells can do so and what the fitness benefit of prediction is, are wide-open questions. To predict the future environment, cells need to compress the past signal into the dynamics of the intracellular biochemical network from which the future input is inferred. Yet, storing information is costly while not all features of the past signal are equally informative on the future input signal. Using measures from information theory and ideas from statistical physics, we will study network motifs and environmental stimuli of increasing complexity to derive the fundamental limit to the prediction accuracy as set by the information on the past. We will determine how close biochemical networks can come to this bound, and how this depends on the topology of the network and the resources to build and operate it – protein copies, time, and energy. We will elucidate how the features of the past signal that are most informative about the future signal are encoded in these optimal networks, and how the cell decodes these. The studies on these minimal model systems will uncover general principles of cellular prediction. We will use our theoretical framework to set up experiments that allow us to test whether two specific biological systems – the E. coli chemotaxis system and the glucose sensing system of yeast – have implemented the uncovered design principles for optimal cellular prediction. We will measure how close these systems come to the fundamental bound on the prediction precision and how this constrains their fitness. We envision that this program will establish information transmission efficiency as a paradigm for understanding cellular function.

Mots-clés : information theory,stochastic thermodynamics,biochemical networks,cell signalling
Projet ERC : SCALED (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
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 : 1499978.0 €

The accelerating loss and fragmentation of natural habitats are major threats to biodiversity, the very foundation of our life-supporting system. High land pressure at the global scale reduces opportunities to preserve large amounts of habitat. Habitat configuration (i.e. spatial arrangement) and matrix resistance (i.e. easiness for animals to move between habitat patches) remain the only possible adjustment variables to sustain biodiversity. What the management of habitat configuration and matrix resilience offers as "window of opportunity" for conservation has been subject to debate since the 1970s. Resolving this debate is now critical. This is the objective of this project. SCALED will investigate key ecological processes for multiple organisms and at multiple scales to: 1) understand the circumstances under which different habitat configurations - at fixed habitat amount - can lead to higher or lower levels of biodiversity; 2) understand and quantify the role of matrix resistance - at fixed habitat amount and habitat configuration – in shaping biodiversity in landscapes; 3) generalize and predict how habitat amount, habitat configuration and matrix resistance affect biodiversity with trait-based and process-based modelling. SCALED combines a new model based on traits and processes at the individual-level with a set of multi-scale innovative empirical experiments, monitored with ambitious sampling designs and a range of advanced tools including landscape genetics and movement telemetry. SCALED will offer a unique opportunity to validate our predictive model with unprecedented observations of movement, demographic and species-interaction processes under crossed conditions of habitat amount, habitat configuration and matrix resistance. SCALED can also bring wide applications, because public and private land planners deeply need effective decision guidelines and readily usable tools able to bring scientific support to land planning decision-making.

Mots-clés : landscape ecology,habitat loss and fragmentation,land management,habitat connectivity,landscape genetics,movement ecology,demography,species interactions,spatial ecology
Projet ERC : ArpComplexity (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Synergy grants)
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 : 3359131.0 €

The actin cytoskeleton of the cell is critical for the complex, integrated processes associated with development, operation and sustainability of the human body. The Arp2/3 complex consisting of seven protein subunits is essential to stimulate dynamic branched actin networks needed for multiple cellular processes. The Arp2/3 complex has always been considered as a single entity, but in humans and other mammals, three of the Arp2/3 complex subunits are encoded by two isoforms, thus allowing the formation of eight distinct Arp2/3 complexes. The Way lab has shown that Arp2/3 subunit composition dramatically affects the formation and stability of branched actin networks. The Way and Gomes labs have shown how specific Arp2/3 isoforms are essential for muscle development. Our synergistic, high-risk, high-gain goal is to define the role of Arp2/3 complex diversity at three hierarchies of biology: 1. Molecular basis of Arp2/3 diversification With purified isoform-specific complexes we will perform cryo-electron microscopy and single molecule fluorescence microscopy to reveal the structural variations and influence of Arp2/3 diversity on actin networks in vitro. 2. Cellular function of different Arp2/3 complexes With cells expressing specific Arp2/3 isoforms, we will use quantitative live cell imaging and cryoelectron tomography to reveal the dependence of cellular actin networks on Arp2/3 diversity and its functional consequences. 3. Developmental and physiological role of individual Arp2/3 complexes. With genetically modified cultured myofibers and transgenic mice, we will use an array of imaging approaches to reveal the contribution of different Arp2/3 family members to muscle development, structure and physiology. Our interdisciplinary plan builds on the strengths of our three labs, takes advantage of unique reagents and powerful model systems, and will allow us to determine how Arp2/3 diversity contributes to biological complexity at multiple scales.

Mots-clés : actin,arp2,3 complex,skeletal muscle,cryo em
Projet ERC : DissectPcG (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Entité participante : Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : IRCCS
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1170067.5 €

The activities of the Polycomb group (PcG) of repressive chromatin modifiers are required to maintain correct transcriptional identity during development and differentiation. These activities are altered in a variety of tumours by gain- or loss-of-function mutations, whose mechanistic aspects still remain unclear. PcGs can be classified in two major repressive complexes (PRC1 and PRC2) with common pathways but distinct biochemical activities. PRC1 catalyses histone H2A ubiquitination of lysine 119, and PRC2 tri-methylation of histone H3 lysine 27. However, PRC1 has a more heterogeneous composition than PRC2, with six mutually exclusive PCGF subunits (PCGF1–6) essential for assembling distinct PRC1 complexes that differ in subunit composition but share the same catalytic core. While up to six different PRC1 forms can co-exist in a given cell, the molecular mechanisms regulating their activities and their relative contributions to general PRC1 function in any tissue/cell type remain largely unknown. In line with this biochemical heterogeneity, PRC1 retains broader biological functions than PRC2. Critically, however, no molecular analysis has yet been published that dissects the contribution of each PRC1 complex in regulating transcriptional identity. We will take advantage of newly developed reagents and unpublished genetic models to target each of the six Pcgf genes in either embryonic stem cells or mouse adult tissues. This will systematically dissect the contributions of the different PRC1 complexes to chromatin profiles, gene expression programs, and cellular phenotypes during stem cell self-renewal, differentiation and adult tissue homeostasis. Overall, this will elucidate some of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of cellular identity and will allow us to further determine the molecular links between PcG deregulation and cancer development in a tissue- and/or cell type–specific manner.

Mots-clés : polycomb,chromatin modification,histone modifications,cell identity,intestinal stem cells,intestinal cancer,adult stem cell,embryonic stem cells,transcription
Projet ERC : CoDiM (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Entité participante : Bocconi University — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1721425.0 €

The advent of digital markets is affecting all economic activities. From how consumers discover and purchase products to how firms connect to consumers and other businesses, from the way workers and firms learn about each other to the way labor itself is organized, digital platforms are creating new opportunities and challenges for individuals, businesses and governments. The tendency for digital platforms to assume a “winner takes all” form, where the market tips to a situation of highly concentrated oligopoly or even monopoly, puts into question whether the forces of free market competition are enough to guarantee that this concentration does not harm consumers and businesses. This proposal describes three empirical projects that will advance the frontier of our understanding of the role of competition in digital markets. 1) The Role of Intermediaries in Digital Advertising. This part studies how competition in digital advertising is evolving due to the emergence of intermediaries. Using data on both the links between advertisers and intermediaries and on internet search ad campaigns, it estimates a model of many-to-many matching to examine how advertisers and intermediaries select each other. 2) Competition and Defaults in Online Search. This part studies how consumer bias interacts with competition in internet search. Exploiting a public intervention mandating changes to the default settings for search engines on Android smartphones in Europe, it studies how the design of default options impacts search engine market shares, search quality and advertiser behaviour. 3) The Price of Privacy in Digital Markets. Competition in digital markets involves combinations of prices and forms of monetization of users’ data. Using data from the smartphone app market, this part estimates a structural model of demand and supply to quantify the interplay between prices, ads and privacy and to counterfactually evaluate interventions limiting firms’ ability to monetize users' data.

Mots-clés : digital markets,competition,online advertising,marketing agencies,internet auctions,market structure,privacy
Projet ERC : BAPS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : University of Southampton — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1413286.25 €

The aim of BAPS is to develop a ground-breaking simulation model of international migration, based on a population of intelligent, cognitive agents, their social networks and institutions, all interacting with one another. The project will transform the study of migration – one of the most uncertain population processes and a top-priority EU policy area – by offering a step change in the way it can be understood, predicted and managed. In this way, BAPS will effectively integrate behavioural and social theory with modelling. To develop micro-foundations for migration studies, model design will follow cutting-edge developments in demography, statistics, cognitive psychology and computer science. BAPS will also offer a pioneering environment for applying the findings in practice through a bespoke modelling language. Bayesian statistical principles will be used to design innovative computer experiments, and learn about modelling the simulated individuals and the way they make decisions. In BAPS, we will collate available information for migration models; build and test the simulations by applying experimental design principles to enhance our knowledge of migration processes; collect information on the underpinning decision-making mechanisms through psychological experiments; and design software for implementing Bayesian agent-based models in practice. The project will use various information sources to build models bottom-up, filling an important epistemological gap in demography. BAPS will be carried out by the Allianz European Demographer 2015, recognised as a leader in the field for methodological innovation, directing an interdisciplinary team with expertise in demography, agent-based models, statistical analysis of uncertainty, meta-cognition, and computer simulations. The project will open up exciting research possibilities beyond demography, and will generate both academic and practical impact, offering methodological advice for policy-relevant simulations.

Mots-clés : bayesian methods,cognitive psychology,decision making,experimental design,migration,uncertainty
Projet ERC : CATALIGHT (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting 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 : 1500000.0 €

The aim of CATALIGHT is to use sunlight as a source of energy in order to trigger chemical reactions by harvesting photons with plasmonic nanoparticles and channelling the energy into catalytic materials. Plasmonic-catalytic devices would allow efficient harvest, transport, and injection of solar energy into molecules. To achieve this, imaging the energy flow at the nanoscale will be crucial for establishing the true potential of plasmonics, both in the context of yielding fundamental knowledge about the light-into-chemical energy conversion processes, and for moving from active towards efficient reactive devices within nanoscale environments. CATALIGHT has roots in three underlying components, making this project an interwoven effort to break new grounds in a crucial field for the further development of nanoscale energy manipulation: A) Super-resolution imaging of the energy-flow at the nanoscale – with a view to unravel the most efficient mechanisms to guide solar energy into catalytic materials using plasmonic structures as photon harvesters. B) Scaling-up this process through the fabrication of hierarchical photocatalytic colloids – using image-learning for the design of colloidal sources for energy manipulation. C) Light-into-chemical energy conversion – boosting efficiencies in environmental and industrial catalytic processes using tailored photocatalysts. The outcomes of this project will not only yield a substantial amount of fundamental knowledge in these crucial areas for the further development of the field, but also provide directly exploitable results for the applied sciences, particularly photocatalysis and fuel cells.

Mots-clés : plasmonics,super resolution microscopy,interfaces,photo catalysis,colloidal chemistry
Projet ERC : M-Runners (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Technical University of Munich — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : TUM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 631029.0 €

The aim of M-Runners is to thoroughly advance the understanding of fundamental dynamic principles of legged locomotion to the point that those principles can be used to design robots which display similar motion characteristics, versatility, and efficiency as their biological paragons. The central hypothesis of the project is that biological locomotion is fundamentally determined by the mechanical resonance properties of the body and that a breakthrough in robot locomotion is essentially linked to understanding and exploiting these phenomena. If body design is such that walking and running correspond to intrinsic periodic motions of the body, then the control is simple and efficiency and robustness are natural consequences. However, large-amplitude nonlinear oscillations of such complex systems are today still not well understood. Mathematical methods to describe, analyze, design and control elastic resonant robots are lacking to a large extent. The project is thus dedicated to develop a new theory of nonlinear oscillations, applicable to elastic multibody systems, be they biologic or robotic. M-Runners will perform interdisciplinary research at the border between robotics, nonlinear dynamical systems and vibration theory, biomechanics, and machine learning. We will take inspiration from biology regarding the basic motion sequences and the muscle arrangements (couplings, redundancies, compliance distributions). Conversely, we expect our theory to generate new hypotheses for a deeper understanding of locomotion biomechanics and its control by the nervous system. We will design and demonstrate robots which can move at similar speed and mechanical energetic efficiency as animals and humans and which have comparable uneven terrain versatility and robustness. The primary application scenario is space exploration on Mars in canyons, caves or steep ridge slopes. Applications of the technology reach, however, from health-care over personal-assistance to disaster management.

Mots-clés : bio mechanics,mechatronics,system dynamics
Projet ERC : SENSIS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Utrecht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

The aim of SENSIS is to write a cultural history of the senses in Islam, by examining how the senses have been conceptualised, and calibrated, in a variety of Muslim environments. Sensory perception is not only a physical but also a cultural act: how people experience and understand sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch differs according to the historical, geographical, social and intellectual contexts in which perception occurs. Accordingly, this project comprehensively studies the Muslim sensorium, past and present. The topic is timely and important because (1) questions relating to the sensorium inform, and often complicate, intercultural encounters as well as inner-Muslim debates over identity and alterity; (2) there is a critical need to examine the scholarly contention that Islam’s alleged denigration of vision undermines its ability to modernise; and (3) the hackneyed notion that Islam celebrates the senses, as opposed to a disembodied, rationalised West, is likewise in need of a thorough revision. No sustained, comprehensive reflection on these issues exists in current scholarship, whether in historical-critical, text-based Islamic Studies, the field of study in which this project is primarily located, or in any of its cognate disciplines. Researchers in SENSIS (PI, 2 postdocs, 2 PhDs) will study the topic diachronically through the centuries as well as synchronically across diverse traditions of thought in Islam (in five subprojects: epistemology, mysticism, ethics, law, and aesthetics), thereby avoiding a monolithic, essentialising account of Islam’s attitude toward the senses. The project combines textual approaches in Islamic Studies with methods and theories from religious studies, anthropology, and the emerging field of sensory history. Additional financial support is solicited to facilitate five interdisciplinary workshops, each devoted to a sense organ, as well as a concluding, synaesthetic conference on the senses in Islam.

Mots-clés : islamic and middle eastern studies,historical critical,textual studies,sensory history
Projet ERC : SUSTAIN (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 670326.21 €

The aim of SUSTAIN is to elucidate how early agricultural societies in Europe maintained their capacity to self-generate and persist through time. It examines societies that have only recently settled in new environments and begun to practice mixed agro-pastoral husbandry. This at the time novel way of interaction with the environment involved a different scale of interference with the life cycles of plants and animals, and was of fundamental importance for subsequent developments in Europe. While archaeological research traditionally centres on the question of how societies and livelihoods changed, the project asks what made them capable to carry on, i.e. to remain sustainable. The project weaves together approaches from social anthropology, biogeography, bioarchaeology and complexity science in a manner that has not been attempted previously. We will examine the relationship of domesticates’ past range expansions and climate using correlative species distribution models (SDMs) and will derive past agropastoral practices from isotope signals in plant and animal remains. Novel approaches of quantitative inference will allow us to estimate parameters of crop and livestock productivity and to directly compare agropastoral performance across time and space in Europe. Using this knowledge, we will employ spatially explicit agent-based simulation to explore the social parameters of growth and decline of the first agricultural societies in Europe in previously unconsidered detail. We will examine the role of social webs of lateral insurance in colonising populations, and the extent to which fragmentation of these relationships constrained population expansion into new regions. The project will produce insights that challenge conventional wisdom about farming and environmental sustainability, particularly in regard to social connectedness, relations of sharing, and mobility, which will have value and impact beyond archaeology.

Mots-clés : stable isotope analysis,agent based modelling,bioarchaeology,biomolecular archaeology,model based archaeology,neolithic archaeology,computational social science,sustainability science,environmental humanities