Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : TIMEKEEPER (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Tampere — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Accurate time interval measurement and synchronization between two or more pulses are highly desirable in different fields of science and technology. Electronic components-based approaches can not measure the time difference between two events precisely below two-digit picosecond scale. Additionally, the use of highly expensive electronic components and temperature increase due to the heat generated within the system are other drawbacks, limiting its long-term use and performance. To address these issues, we propose to develop a novel, extremely high precision, low energy, all-optical timekeeping methodology and Timekeeper device with epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials. Besides timekeeping, the technologies developed in this project can also become a powerful toolbox or an optical metamaterials technology platform, contributing to the creation of low-cost, accurate, practically light-based computing processes in future devices. Our work will have substantial implications on various areas of science and technology, including time and frequency metrology, geodesy, and astronomy. The developed all-optical time interpolation will enable extremely high precision of time events up to femtosecond scale using ultra-low power and exclude the high-speed electronics and high-temperature complications. The project results will apply novel metasurface-enhanced epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials to realize all-optical time-to-frequency converters and optical switches that can be used to realize low-cost, high-resolution (femtosecond) time-interval counters and optical gates.
Projet ERC : I-BIRDS (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Ginatec solutions — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

I-BIRDS proposes the development of the first intelligent system capable of generating high-resolution 3D maps of noise and air quality in urban and industrial environments using bio-inspired flapping-wing robots. This system will significantly reduce the cost of manual sampling for noise and pollutant levels, as well as the deployment and maintenance of static sensor networks. Flapping-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as ornithopters, offer key advantages over conventional propeller-driven drones. They are quieter, safer, and better suited for operations in populated areas. In particular, the use of traditional UAVs is not suitable for noise sampling due to the internal noise generated by the propellers. I -BIRDS builds on the expertise of the Principal Investigator, who successfully developed ornithopters with an unparalleled level of autonomy, capable of stable and precise flight without human intervention. He also validated models and demonstrated that the combination of flapping and gliding is significantly more efficient than conventional UAV propulsion systems. With the new system, environmental sampling can be carried out with higher spatial resolution than static methods, at a lower cost—especially across large areas—and with minimal noise and enhanced safety, due to the absence of propellers and the use of low-weight, soft materials. I-BIRDS aims to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of previous autonomous flapping-wing prototypes, delivering an innovative and disruptive solution for environmental monitoring. The objective is to integrate and test a fully functional system, obtain operational flight authorisation, and bring a viable product to market within a few months after the project concludes.

Mots-clés : aerial robotics,unmanned arial systems,bio inspired systems,enviroment conservation,noise monitoring,air quality monitoring
Projet ERC : EVO-LC (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In most high-performance analytical instruments, which are used to carry out blood analysis, for example, the first step is separation, in which the various components in a sample to be examined are divided into groups before being presented to a detector. Further improvement of the process is limited due to the slow spontaneous transport of the components in the traditionally exploited, naturally occurring, diffusion process. In the context of ERC Starting Grant EVODIS, the µFlow group of Prof. Wim De Malsche of VUB was able to generate a vortex mixing effect between channel walls of microdevices, in order to accelerate the mass transport rate much more than what is possible by pure diffusion only, therewith reducing dispersion. This effect was achieved by applying an oscillating electric field. In EVO-LC these lateral vortices will be integrated in an HPLC column to realize an improvement in chromatographic efficiency by a factor of 2-3 under relevant chromatographic conditions. As part of the ERC POC a demonstrator for such miniaturized HPLC column will be built. The new column promises faster and higher-performance separations in a miniaturized system, which can be used in analytical labs, but also for patients in a point-of-care setting. One possible application is the analysis of haemoglobin levels for better diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes.
Projet ERC : GyroRevolutionPlus (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université rhénane Frédéric-Guillaume de Bonn — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Sensors for rotation are ubiquitous in our daily life, ranging from consumer electronics to navigation systems. Applications that require highest sensitivity for very small rotation rates rely on active ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs) or fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOGs). These devices, however, suffer from intrinsic bias drift and do not reach the sensitivity requirements of applications such as seismology and monitoring of ground motion.  Out of the parent ERC project on optical precision measurements grew the innovative concept of a three-dimensional array of so-called passive RLGs which would be entirely fiber-coupled and digitally controlled. This concept circumnavigates the shortcomings of previous designs and has the potential to reach the low drift rates at high sensitivity required in the field of environmental sensing. Such a scalable device would have a revolutionary impact on natural disaster early warning systems, in particular earthquakes and landslides, and structural health monitoring, each with a market size in excess of 2 bn USD.  In preliminary work, we demonstrated the feasibility of our approach and tested individual technology packages outside the lab. A market analysis has been issued, and the IPR situation has been clarified. With no patents close to our innovation, we filed patent applications for a total of six individual inventions and methods of our approach.  Within this project, we will prepare the ground for a successful market entry. Objectives of GyroRevolutionPlus include the removal of remaining uncertainties related to FPGA selection and performance, operation of the RLG outside the lab (TRL 5-6), drafting a go-to-market strategy, and selecting business partners for a reliable supply chain. We will assemble a powerful team to drive the founding of a spin-out company. Promising technology developments and a favorable IPR situation in combination with large market volumes create an exquisite starting point for the transition.
Projet ERC : FOR REAL (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Pérouse — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UniPG
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

As the global population keeps growing and the effects of global warming intensify with relevant health implications, the demand for cooling is expected to more than triple by 2050. This surge in demand will not only double electricity consumption but also significantly increase CO2 emissions. Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling (PDRC) is acknowledged as a promising solution for regulating the Earth’s energy budget. By cooling objects through radiative heat emission into space without energy consumption, it is expected to reduce global cooling demand by 24%, saving US$3 trillion in capital costs by 2050. Quantifying the cooling contribution of innovative PDRC materials-such as radiative exchange within the atmospheric window, photoluminescence, and durability-poses significant challenges that cannot be tackled by current testing methods (both in-lab and outdoor). Building on the foundational insights from the ERC-StG HELIOS, we address these challenges with a robust and scalable in-lab testing procedure able to evaluate the performance of PDRC, as in the outdoor realistic climate exposure conditions, ensuring reliability across diverse settings.By integrating the compact and cost-effective FOR REAL testing kit into standard climatic chambers with solar simulators, various end users-e.g. companies producing building envelope systems and urban pavements, public/private certification labs,R&D teams,building designers etc.-can obtain reliable and comparable performance data on PDRC materials.The introduction of the FOR REAL system in established characterization procedures will propel radiative cooling toward practical real-world applications while supporting informed decision-making across multiple sectors. Confirming the unique values through an intense validation campaign to reach TRL4 and paving the way to TRL5 with testing in the operational environment,FOR REAL reshapes PDRC role in urban heat mitigation and energy efficiency, positioning EU as an innovation leader.

Mots-clés : radiative cooling urban heat island urban overheating cool material environmental simulation chamber
Projet ERC : MODEM (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Padoue — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UniPd
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Tectonically active crustal settings such as volcanic fields and seismogenic fault systems are characterized by evolving stress critical conditions that can be detected by continuously measuring isotropic and, more importantly, anisotropic elastic properties. This is because these observables are strongly sensitive to the opening of fractures and to the infiltration and migration of magma and crustal fluids, which are more prominent before major volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. With this respect, the team members of the ERC StG 758199 NEWTON are currently finalizing a novel 4D seismic imaging technique that allows the automatic detection of relevant changes in the crustal isotropic and anisotropic structural patterns and, by inference, of the crustal stress state. The new seismic inversion strategy has been tested with synthetic and real seismic datasets from the Etna volcanic field, with results indicating that it can detect robust changes in seismic anisotropy related to variations in the crustal stress state preceding volcanic eruptions and local earthquakes. Given the current limited capacity to determine the evolving plumbing system dynamics (which, in turn, hampers the forecasting of major paroxysmal events), the activities of MODEM will focus on the development and distribution to volcano observatories of an open-source software which will include the novel methodology for monitoring the crustal structure and stress state evolution in volcanic fields. The software will be firstly validated and integrated with the monitoring apparatus of the Etna volcano, and subsequently disseminated over other European and international volcano observatories. As the monitoring system can be applied to any crustal setting, our future goal is to commercialize the software providing a service to oil and geothermal companies interested in characterizing time-dependent fracturing patterns and fluid/brine/oil distribution in economically sensitive fields.

Mots-clés : 4d seismic imaging,seismic anisotropy,volcanic hazard
Projet ERC : PRESERVE (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Institut Pasteur — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The success of organ transplantation depends on the lifelong use of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the donor cells by the recipient’s immune system. These immunosuppressive drugs have several limitations, most notably major side effects, namely opportunistic infections and cancers. We have recently shown that the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) induces the resistance of infected cells to T-cell mediated killing. This project aims to protect grafted cells from T cell-mediated killing and thereby mitigate organ rejection. This will lay the groundwork for patent filing and the establishment of a robust business model to ensure further development and clinical translation. This innovative approach is expected to reduce the need for immunosuppressive therapy in transplant recipients, thereby improving outcomes and quality of life for the 130,000 patients who receive transplants worldwide each year. This proof-of-concept project is based on our recently published study (Maudet et al, Nature 2022) supported by the ERC Invadis grant.
Projet ERC : trEM4all (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : VIB
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Knowledge of protein structure is fundamental for the understanding of biology, disease mechanisms, drug development, and biotechnology. Recent progress with electron cryogenic microscopy (cryo-EM) simplified and tremendously accelerated the determination of protein structures including multiple protein conformations. Many functionally important protein conformations and protein-protein complexes are transient and are not easily accessible by conventional cryo-EM. These transient states can, however, be freeze-trapped and their structures solved to high resolution using the time-resolved cryo-EM (trEM). Despite its long history and high interest from the cryo-EM community, technical difficulties prevented the spread of the methodology, and no commercial devices enabling trEM sample preparation exists. During the ERC-CoG project, we developed a new approach to the preparation of trEM samples which has advantages over the other reported technologies. In this POC project, we propose to undertake steps that will explore the suitability of our technology for application to a wide variety of protein samples and to evaluate the commercial potential of the technology with aim of bringing it to cryo-EM users rapidly. To achieve this, we plan to (1) expand the number of protein samples to be tested on our instrument thus enabling rapid user access and simultaneous validation of the methodology, (2) perform additional research to further improve the method by addressing the remaining bottlenecks, (3) make steps towards defining the best process and materials for industrial production of microfluidic chips, and (4) redesign the time-resolved plunger into a compact pre-industrial prototype. These steps will broadly validate, improve, and derisk the technology to make it more attractive to cryo-EM instrumentation-making companies to bring the technology to the cryo-EM community.
Projet ERC : NODRY (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : CIC energigune — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 50000.0 €

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is the leading separation technology in research and industry, which often relies on potentially hazardous and environmentally harmful organic solvents. Water is the ideal environmentally friendly mobile phase, which would open the way to green HPLC. However, its broad applicability is hindered by the phenomenon of dewetting of the stationary phase – the formation of bubbles in the hydrophobic nanoporous material – which makes it unavailable to the substances that need to be separated (“retention loss”). NODRY proposes to develop a unique, experimentally validated simulation testbed based on the PI expertise in theory and simulation of dewetting of nanopores acquired in ERC-StG HyGate. These simulation tools will be deployed to rationally design HPLC protocols capable of eliminating or alleviating the problem of dewetting in most HPLC columns operating with pure water as the solvent, thus opening the way to a green and energy efficient chromatography.
Projet ERC : SPLiDAR (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Cologne — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In the realm of advanced optical systems, particularly within the emerging field of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, which are pivotal for 3D sensing applications across various sectors, a significant commercial challenge emerges from the inherent limitations posed by optical interference in thin-film filters. The core of this challenge lies in the phenomenon known as 'angular dispersion,' a fundamental constraint of interference-based structures in thin-film filter design. Angular dispersion refers to the shift in transmission wavelength of optical filters as the angle of incidence changes, typically resulting in a pronounced blue-shift. This effect, while intrinsic to the operation of optical interference, undermines the performance of LiDAR systems by requiring the filters to have sufficiently broad pass bands to accommodate the angular shift. The SPLiDAR initiative is set to revolutionize the landscape of photonic applications by introducing a groundbreaking approach that transcends the traditional constraints of angular dispersion. This approach harnesses the quantum optical phenomenon of merging light and matter states to create angle-independent transmissive filters, referred to as polariton filters here. This project is poised to redefine of optical filtering and sensing by introducing a novel class of spectrally sharp and angle-independent transmission filters, thereby overcoming the fundamental limitations of angular dispersion in conventional optical devices. The SPLiDAR project will leverage the team's profound expertise in thin-film optics, including transfer matrix and FDTD calculations and structure design optimization, along with a deep understanding of organic absorber properties and a wealth of experience in optoelectronics.
Projet ERC : CELL-FORCE (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université de Cologne — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

The conventional thinking in cell biology, which often assumes that cells communicate mostly via bio-chemical signalling, has recently been challenged with several examples where mechanical rather than chemical cues play an important role in development, physiology and disease. Biological cells continually exert forces on their environment, which can vary substantially in magnitude, spatial distribution and temporal evolution. These forces are key to many processes including cell growth, tissue formation, wound healing and the invasion of cancer cells into healthy tissue. Understanding how cellular forces affect the micro-environment hinges on our ability to image them with sufficient local and temporal resolution (e.g. continuously over several days with subcellular spatial resolution), adequate field of view (e.g. to study cell sheets) and relevant sensitivity (typical forces are in the pico to nano Newton range). Despite significant advances made in this area of functional bioimaging over the last years, existing methods still struggle to meet the requirements, thus precluding new commercial opportunities in cell biomechanics. CELL-FORCE will demonstrate Elastic Resonator Interference Stress Microscopy (ERISM) as a new microscopy method that allows direct, robust and non-destructive imaging of forces associated with various mechanical cell-substrate interactions, and validate its commercial feasibility. The greatly increased sensitivity offered by ERISM over other methods allows for accurate measurements of vertical forces and of cells exerting only weak force. Moreover, with a low light intensity requirement and no need to detach cells after a measurement, using ERISM makes it possible to take long-term measurements of multiple cells without photodamage and facilitates downstream applications such as immunostaining. This will open up new commercial opportunities in fundamental research, drug development and (long-term) in diagnostics.
Projet ERC : BURnOUT (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Italian Institute of Technology — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Mammalian cell engineering has emerged as a new ground-breaking modality for the development of cell based therapies to treat several hard-to-cure diseases, including cancer (T cell-based immunotherapies) and to produce molecule with diagnostic and therapeutic applications such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), that are now a dominant product class in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, the pipeline for efficient design-test-commercialization of the product is long and expensive, even more so when cells must be engineered with two or more transgenes, an increasing need in T cell-based therapies or drug production (e.g., cells engineered to produce enzyme and co-enzymes, or antibody cocktails). At the core of the problem is the competition for a finite number of intracellular resources, transcriptional and translational, that cause an unbalanced expression of products thus hampering the therapeutic effect. BURnOUT is an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning based software that will provide, in an automated manner, paired gene sequence optimisation to accelerate the process of mammalian cell engineering. BURnOUT will be validated in two different settings: one for the biopharmaceutics (engineered CHO cell lines for antibodies production) and one for cell therapy (engineering T cells for multiple CARs expression). The successful validation of the technology will be of trans-and multi-disciplinary interest and will have the goal of targeting the amplest variety of markets in Life Science, from AI to synthetic biology for cell and gene therapies and global cell technologies for drug industry. We envision that BURnOUT will respond to current strategic societal needs and challenges such as reduced costs of biopharmaceutics, and more effective treatment for cancer.