Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : PABIR (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
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 : 1090686.0 €

The principal tool for macroeconomic policy analysis both in the empirical literature and in actual practice at policy institutions is Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVARs). This research project aims to address the key controversy surrounding SVARs, namely the fact that the policy conclusions crucially depend on the choice of identifying restrictions. This choice is in practice arbitrary as there is no consensus in the literature about the credibility of the restrictions that are commonly used in applications. The central idea of this project is to allow a user to specify beliefs about the credibility of identifying restrictions. The goal is to propose methods for policy analysis that allow for flexible use of identifying restrictions, for example only using those supported by economic theory or incorporating restrictions with different degrees of credibility. These types of beliefs cannot be straightforwardly embedded into standard Bayesian analyses of SVARs and will require the development of new econometric tools. The research project aims to make both methodological and empirical contributions. On the methodological front, it will introduce to the time series literature and build on ideas from robust (multiple-prior) Bayesian analysis. At the same time, it will go beyond existing results and develop new methods that make not only a theoretical contribution, but also have useful applications outside of time series, for example to microeconometrics or, more in general, to Bayesian decision making under ambiguity. On the empirical front, the tools will enable a broad range of new applications that can help one investigate to what extent existing findings about the effectiveness of macroeconomic policy may be driven by the imposed assumptions and, ultimately, make it possible to search for policy conclusions that are robust to the choice of identifying restrictions.

Mots-clés : impulse response analysis,partial identification,beliefs,bayesian inference,robustness,ambiguity,model combination
Projet ERC : YORUBAPRINT (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : Ghent University — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UGent
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1234793.99 €

The print culture that Europe introduced to the world allowed other cultures to showcase their own modernity. Yoruba people use the words “olaju” (opening of the eye) and “ilosiwaju” (progress) to describe ideas around modernity. Both words have been in use before the arrival of the printing press in Africa, so therefore the idea of modernity for the Yoruba people did not emanate from the project of colonial modernity. There is no study yet that examined how networks of people with shared and sometimes diverged interests in journalism and literature managed to change the course of Yoruba and Nigerian history through the printing press. This project fills this research gap by looking at over 150 years of print culture in the Yoruba-speaking region of Nigeria, and its cross-cultural connections. It is important because of its articulation of the relationship between transcontinental print networks (between Lagos and London, for instance) and local contexts of production. It aims to uncover a robust history of West African engagements with modernity and the project can be a starting point for articulating Nigerian literary history. Working with local researchers and archivists, it will examine arguably the largest collection of rare samples ever undertaken by researchers working on print cultures in Nigeria. The methodologies will include network analysis, cultural criticism, media studies and political theory from a postcolonial perspective. Since these methodologies will produce data and literary theories - and display them on different platforms including social media and blogs - the final results will allow researchers and students from all over the world, to see the role that Yoruba print culture played in the World Republic of Letters. And as parts of the research materials are precarious and endangered, its final outcome will help to preserve knowledge about Yoruba modern history, which is currently in danger of being lost forever.

Mots-clés : yoruba culture,nigerian literature,african literature,yoruba cinema,yoruba religions,nigerian history
Projet ERC : IDEM (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : Université de Bordeaux — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UBx
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 20850.0 €

The problem of biological identity (what counts as one individual organism, and what makes each individual organism “the same” though it constantly changes through time?) has a long history both in philosophy and in science. Recent data coming from immunology, microbiology and developmental biology may revolutionize our conception of the construction of biological identity through time, by showing that this construction depends crucially on environmental factors and, most importantly, on a constant dialogue with symbiotic microorganisms integrated into the organism. IDEM, a fundamentally interdisciplinary project at the interface between philosophy and biology, aims at: i) determining to what extent it is adequate to see this shift as an ongoing “microbial revolution” in today’s biology; ii) understanding the exact processes by which developmental processes in organisms depend on microbial symbionts; iii) asking whether the role of the immune system (usually seen as a system that rejects genetically foreign elements from the body) in the maintenance of the organism needs to be reevaluated; iv) how traditional conceptions of biological individuality will be modified by this revolution. If funded, this project will provide a new understanding of the way living things are continuously constructed through time and interact with their biotic environment.

Mots-clés : philosophy of biology,symbiosis,microbiota,immunity,development,identity,self
Projet ERC : EUROHERIT (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : University of Jyväskylä — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1339755.0 €

The problematic of transnational cultural heritage has become topical in a new way in Europe with the utilization of the idea of heritage for political purposes in the EU policy. Since the turn of the century, the EU has launched or jointly administered several initiatives focusing on fostering the idea of a common European cultural heritage. The heritage initiatives are the EU’s ‘technologies of power’ aiming to legitimate and justify certain political ideas and ideologies, such as European-wide identity politics and the cultural integration in Europe. However, the politics, discourses, and practices of heritage—and of transnational heritage in particular—are often intertwined with contentions over its symbolical and factual ownership, meanings, and uses. The project investigates the EU as a new heritage agent and its heritage politics as an attempt to create a new trans-European heritage regime in Europe: How does the EU aim to create common European cultural heritage in a politically shaking and culturally diversified Europe, and what kind of explicit and implicit politics are included in its aims? The project will focus on the legitimation processes of European cultural heritage at different territorial levels and the power relations formed in the processes between diverse agencies. The academia still lacks a comparative empirical investigation on the politics and practices of trans-European cultural heritage and the theoretical discussion on the role of the EU in them. The project aims to respond to this lack with a broad comparative empirical research including cases from various parts of Europe, penetrating different territorial scales (local, regional, national, and the EU), and theorizing cultural heritage from a multisectional perspective (stressing its concurrent use in diverse societal domains and discourses). The project participates in a critical discussion on the current identity and integration politics and policies in the EU and Europe.

Mots-clés : cultural policy,europe,the european union,politics,power,territory
Projet ERC : BCELLMECHANICS (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : Imperial College London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1295875.64 €

The production of antibodies against pathogens is an effective mechanism of protection against a wide range of infections. However, some pathogens evade antibody responses by rapidly changing their composition. Designing vaccines that elicit antibody responses against invariant parts of the pathogen is a rational strategy to combat existing and emerging pathogens. Production of antibodies is initiated by binding of B cell receptors (BCRs) to foreign antigens presented on the surfaces of antigen presenting cells. This binding induces B cell signalling and internalisation of the antigens for presentation to helper T cells. Although it is known that T cell help controls B cell expansion and differentiation into antibody-secreting and memory B cells, how the strength of antigen binding to the BCR regulates antigen internalisation remains poorly understood. As a result, the response and the affinity maturation of individual B cell clones are difficult to predict, posing a problem for the design of next-generation vaccines. My aim is to develop an understanding of the cellular mechanisms that underlie critical B cell activation steps. My laboratory has recently described that B cells use mechanical forces to extract antigens from antigen presenting cells. We hypothesise that application of mechanical forces tests BCR binding strength and thereby regulates B cell clonal selection during antibody affinity maturation and responses to pathogen evasion. We propose to test this hypothesis by (1) determining the magnitude and timing of the forces generated by B cells, and (2) determining the role of the mechanical properties of BCR-antigen bonds in affinity maturation and (3) in the development of broadly neutralising antibodies. We expect that the results of these studies will contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the antibody repertoire in response to infections and have practical implications for the development of vaccines.

Mots-clés : b cell,antibody,immune synapse,antigen,endocytosis,signalling,single molecule,force,affinity maturation
Projet ERC : ReNewHydrides (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999837.5 €

The production of chemicals, plastics, solvents, etc., contributes to 20 % of the Gross Value Added in the EU, where sales have doubled over the last 20 years. Despite this dynamism, the chemical industry is energy intensive and 95 % of organic chemicals derive from fossil oil and natural gas. To sustain the growth of this industry, the replacement of fossil feedstocks with renewable carbon, phosphorus and silicon sources should be encouraged. Nonetheless, such a sourcing shift represents a paradigm shift: while the development of petrochemistry has relied on the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons, the conversion of renewable feedstocks (e.g. CO2, phosphates, silicates or biomass) requires efficient reduction methods and catalysts to overcome their oxidized nature. Today, no reduction method meets the criteria for a versatile and energy efficient reduction of oxidized feedstocks and the aim of the ReNewHydrides project is to design novel reductants and catalytic reactions to achieve this important aim. At the crossroads of main group element chemistry, organometallic chemistry, electrochemistry and homogenous catalysis, I propose to develop innovative and recyclable reductants based on silicon and boron compounds, and to utilize them to tackle catalytic challenges in the reduction of C–O, P–O and Si–O bonds. The overarching principle is to build a balanced synthetic cycle, where the electrochemical reduction of functionalized and oxidized substrates is ensured by silicon and boron based hydride donors, with a high energy efficiency and selectivity. This project will foster innovative routes in the utilization of renewable carbon, phosphorus and silicon feedstocks. It is therefore of high risk, but ultimately extremely rewarding. The results will also also open-up new horizons in silicon and boron chemistry and they will finally serve the scientific community involved in the fields of organic and inorganic chemistry, sustainable chemistry and energy storage.

Mots-clés : reduction,transition metals,hydrosilylation,hydroboration,electrochemistry,phosphorus,organometallic chemistry,silicon,boron,hydrides,mechanisms
Projet ERC : GlassRoutes (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
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 : 1982401.0 €

The production of raw glass up until the early medieval period was restricted to few primary glassmaking centres in the Levant and Egypt producing glasses with distinct chemical fingerprints that were then shipped all over the Mediterranean. The study of glass thus provides a unique perspective on long-distance communications and shifts in economy, trade and cultural interactions. This project explores the production, trade and consumption of glass as a major economic activity in the medieval Mediterranean. The chronological parameters are the 4th to 12th centuries CE, covering a period of significant diversification and technological innovations in glass production. The project addresses three broad gaps in our understanding of these developments: Byzantine glassmaking; the spread of Islamic plant ash glass; and the role of the Iberian peninsula. GlassRoutes will push the frontiers of glass research by integrating chemical, archaeological and documentary data about these three key players in the medieval glass economy. By comparing the material and artistic aspects of glass assemblages from selected Mediterranean sites it will identify patterns in the manufacture, trade and usage of glass. The aim of GlassRoutes is to establish the socio-cultural and geopolitical dimensions of glass. What types of primary (raw) glass are found at different sites? How do they compare in terms of secondary use (types of artefacts)? What are the reasons for the differential use of glass and its colours? Research will examine the provenance of the material in relation to its use for selected artefacts to reveal the economic and cultural mechanisms underlying the culture-specific use of glass. This project is unique in its interdisciplinary approach; it combines archaeological, historical and analytical data as well as statistic tools to characterise the dynamic relationship between supply and consumption and its implications for artistic practices and technological innovation.

Mots-clés : byzantine glass,early islamic glass,technological innovation,cross cultural connections
Projet ERC : EXACTYMER (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
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 : 1642244.35 €

The production of synthetic polymers with precisely defined monomer sequences – exact polymers, which I call “exactymers” – is highly challenging. Iterative synthesis, in which specific monomers are added one-at-a-time to the end of a growing polymer chain, affords exquisite control over the final sequence, but requires accurate purification of the growing polymer with each and every cycle. EXACTYMER will create new super-stable, ultra-selective nanomembranes, with high permeances, enabling rapid, repeated purifications, which will transform exactymer fabrication. Multiple growing polymer chains will be attached to a central hub molecule to create a macromolecular homostar with enhanced molecular size, promoting accurate separation of the growing exactymer from reaction debris via nanomembrane processing. Automation and engineering will enable rapid, accurate and precise cycles of exactymer chain growth. EXACTYMER objectives will be achieved through curiosity-driven research into (1) the creation of nanomembranes with exquisite molecular selectivity between growing homostars and monomer plus reaction debris; (2) advancing the chemistry of iterative synthesis by creating strategies for step-wise growth of polyethers, polysiloxanes, and polyesters, and side chain functionalised monomers of these species; (3) combining iterative chemistry and nanomembranes together in an automated homostar nanofiltration platform, and; (4) exploring the use of exactymers in healthcare, nanotechnology and information storage. EXACTYMER will undertake pioneering research at the boundaries of membrane technology, polymer synthesis, process engineering and nanotechnology. The most profound anticipated outcome is a new capability to produce synthetic polymers, over 20 monomers in length, with exactly defined monomer sequences to an unprecedented accuracy, at multi-gram scale. New scientific insights will derive from the properties and performances of these newly accessible molecules.

Mots-clés : nanomembranes for molecular separations,iterative synthesis,automated lab plant for reaction and homostar nanofiltration
Projet ERC : AVATAR (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Spanish National Cancer Research Centre — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CNIO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 501459.36 €

The prognosis of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (PDAC) is very poor. Recent studies have started to elucidate the genetic landscape of this disease to show that PDAC is a genetically complex, unstable, and heterogeneous cancer. However, in-depth analysis of individual patient genomes couple with personalize Avatar mouse models is providing highly effective therapeutic opportunities for the individual patient. Thus, metastatic PDAC appears a candidate disease to implement a genomics-base, personalized treatment approach. In this project, we will conduct an open label, multicenter, randomized phase III study in patients with standard of care resistant metastatic pancreatic cancer aiming to test the hypothesis that an integrated personalized treatment approach improves survival compare to a conventional treatment. Patients randomized to the personalize treatment arm will undergo a biopsy of a metastatic lesion to perform a targeted genome analysis using next generation sequencing. In addition, we will generate a personalize Avatar mouse model from the same patient. We will employ sophisticated bioinformatic analysis as well as mining of drug response-genetic databases to select, for each individual patient, candidate therapeutic targets that will be experimentally tested in the patient´s Avatar model to select the most effective regimen that will ultimately applied to the patient. In addition, based on the genomic data, we will design an individualized monitoring plan for each patient using BEAMing technology to monitor circulating levels of mutated genes. Furthermore, with a discovery goal, we will perform in depth genomic analysis of metastatic PDAC lesions in this cohort of clinically well-annotated patients with Avatar mouse models for therapeutic validation. Overall we expect this work will contribute to our understanding of PDAC and will favourably impact the treatment of this dismal cancer.

Mots-clés : pancreatic cancer,avatar mouse model,personalized treatment
Projet ERC : PrintPack (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : VUB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2488812.5 €

The progress in liquid chromatography (LC), basically following Moore’s law over the last decade, will soon come to a halt. LC is the current state-of-the-art chemical separation method to measure the composition of complex mixtures. Driven by the ever growing complexity of the samples in e.g., environmental and biomedical research, LC is constantly pushed to higher efficiencies. Using highly optimized and monodisperse spherical particles, randomly packed in high pressure columns, the progress in LC has up till now been realized by reducing the particle size and concomitantly increasing the pressure. With pressure already up at 1500 bar, groundbreaking progress is still badly needed, e.g., to fully unravel the complex reaction networks in human cells. For this purpose, it is proposed to leave the randomly packed bed paradigm and move to structures wherein the 1 to 5 micrometer particles currently used in LC are arranged in perfectly ordered and open-structured geometries. This is now possible, as the latest advances in nano-manufacturing and positioning allow proposing and developing an inventive high-throughput particle assembly and deposition strategy. The PI's ability to develop new parts of chromatography will be used to rationally optimize the many possible geometries accessible through this disruptive new technology, and identify those structures coping best with any remaining degree of disorder. Using the PI's experimental know-how on microfluidic chromatography systems, these structures will be used to pursue the disruptive gain margin (order of factor 100 in separation speed) that is expected based on general chromatography theory. Testing this groundbreaking new generation of LC columns together with world-leading bio-analytical scientists will illustrate their potential in making new discoveries in biology and life sciences. The new nano-assembly strategies might also be pushed to other applications, such as photonic crystals.

Mots-clés : separation science,liquid chromatography,microfluidics,lab on a chip,ordered hierarchical materials