Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : BlackHoleMergs (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe Sciences
Entité participante : Université de Copenhague — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1919186.0 €

Gravitational wave (GW) astrophysics is bound to have an exceptional future building on the success of LIGO/Virgo and propelled by the next generation of ground-based detectors (expected to see hundreds-of-thousands of GW sources per year) and space-borne observatories, such as LISA and DECIGO (that will make multi-band GW astrophysics a reality). This ERC research program will lead to new ideas and tools to probe in unprecedented ways the origin of binary black hole (BBH) mergers, with particular focus on constraining the dynamical formation of GW sources. I will address the outstanding question of how BBHs form and merge in our Universe by providing the GW community with: (1) - The first and largest public BH scattering data-base, with BBH merger probabilities and GW observables derived from general-relativistic few-body interactions, thought to dominate BBH assembly in environments from globular clusters to Active-Galactic-Nuclei disks. This initiative fills out a major gap and will ensure a consistent progress in this field. (2) – A new method for modeling the formation of BBHs in dense stellar clusters throughout cosmic time. It will be based on a new hybrid approach that evolves BBHs on top of a stellar background that is evolved using statistical mechanics. Combined with our BH scattering database, this framework will be the fastest and most accurate way of modeling BBH mergers in stellar clusters. (3) - A new way of directly observing the formation of eccentric GW mergers in three-body scatterings through GW phase-shifts measurements, caused by tidal-forces and time-delay effects from the third body. This idea opens up for the possibility of probing the origin of individual BBH mergers using LIGO/Virgo and future detectors. We will be the first group to present a new search strategy for quantifying what can be learned about each individual triple system and its astrophysical environment.

Mots-clés : gravitational wave astrophysics,black hole dynamics,black hole mergers,n body dynamics,stellar clusters,eccentric gravitational wave mergers
Projet ERC : TOPOGRAND (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Université rhénane Frédéric-Guillaume de Bonn — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 571250.0 €

Topology is a powerful paradigm for the classification of phases of matter. One of its direct manifestations in the widely studied Hermitian systems, which are isolated from the environment, are robust states that emerge at the interfaces between matter with distinct topological order. Real systems, however, are never truly isolated from their surroundings and the influence of the environment on the topologically protected states remains to a large extent unknown. Even more importantly, understanding and controlling the openness of non-Hermitian systems can provide fundamentally new ways to create novel topological states of matter. TopoGrand will realise a new experimental platform to synthesise non-Hermitian topological materials. It will employ a room-temperature photonic platform combining nanostructured optical microcavities with a molecular medium, to achieve non-Hermitian topological lattices of photon condensates. The system will feature tuneable openness that is unique among other presently available experimental platforms: a controlled flux of excitations via spatially selective pumping and loss, energy dissipation at variable rates, and coherence modified by grand canonical reservoirs. New physics will be accessed in the course of this work: TopoGrand will demonstrate genuine non-Hermitian topological phases and edge states without a Hermitian counterpart. Specifically, we will test the emergence of interface states at a topological phase boundary and their robustness against lattice disorder, as well as reservoir-induced fluctuations. The project presents a completely new approach to topology, which will allow us to create reconfigurable photonic materials with topological protection simply by controlling the environment. With the novel toolbox, I will explore the emerging links between photonics, condensed matter systems and quantum computing, and emulate finite-temperature topological systems, which are at the forefront of research in quantum physics.

Mots-clés : topological materials,nanophotonics,lasers,dissipative systems,nonequilibrium states of matter
Projet ERC : FORAGENCY (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Study of the Human Past
Entité participante : Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497190.0 €

FORAGENCY offers a new take on indigenous agency in colonial Central Africa. It will study how local communities managed to counter, alleviate and/or minimize their encroachment by outside forces through the maintenance and adaptation of pre-existing uses of the environment. Inhabitants of Central Africa indeed mobilised foraging, fishing and hunting to avoid wage labour, cultural suppression and economic dependency in several ways. First, consuming, transforming and selling foraged or hunted products constituted sources of income outside of the networks of colonial capitalism. Second, these practices necessitated the maintenance and diffusion of knowledge fostered within vernacular social structures, which ran contrary to the colonial “civilizing mission”. Third, by trading and consuming such products, local communities circumvented the colonial market economy.  The project addresses four questions: [1] Which techniques are mobilised for hunting, fishing and foraging? [2] Which strategies are used to trade and consume hunted and foraged products against colonial laws and values? [3] How are economic structures such as marketplaces and money mobilised outside of colonial capitalism? [4] Which knowledge is necessary to hunt, forage and transform natural products? They will be answered through four thematic sub-studies: on intoxicating substances; on hunted and foraged foodstuffs; on curative uses of nature; and on vernacular environmental agency. Each sub-study will consider the ecological interactions between four colonial cities and their hinterland: Léopoldville, Brazzaville, Stanleyville and Usumbura.  FORAGENCY will combine archival data, material culture, oral testimonies and participatory observation. It will lead to the development of a new conceptual framework on indigenous ecologies, at the crossroads of decolonial and posthumanist studies, which will open new perspectives on the history of vernacular responses to colonialism and capitalism.

Mots-clés : central africa,historical ecology,posthumanism,decolonialism,material culture,ethnography
Projet ERC : LLMpathy (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Université rhénane Frédéric-Guillaume de Bonn — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1486073.0 €

This research project aims to advance the field of social intelligence in Large Language Models (LLMs) by investigating the interplay between human modeling and social behavior. I challenge the current unsystematic approach to social intelligence benchmarking in LLMs and propose a novel framework incorporating personalized mental models and contextual understanding to determine the components with the biggest influence on the discourse. Through a combination of longitudinal psychometric studies, gamified data collection and evaluation, advanced representation learning, and explainable AI techniques, I will investigate the role of fine-grained personal and social context in shaping human and LLM interactions. Through extensive simulations via social LLM agents, combined with data analysis techniques, this research will help to shed light on the relation between psychological traits and processes, their demonstrations in social discourse, and the representation and controllability of these in LLMs, and ultimately contribute to the development of more socially adept and effective LLMs for potential applications in more vulnerable domains such as assisted living or health counseling.

Mots-clés : large language models llms,computational social sciences,social intelligence in ai,perspective taking,cognitive empathy,representation learning,human factors in ai,llms and personality psychology,situated evaluation of llms,llm reasoning,social intelligence benchmarking,llm personalization,simulative reasoning,mentalizing,perspective taking in ai,representation learning and explainability,socially intelligent llms,longitudinal psychological studies in ai,human language modeling,theory of mind,gamification,llm based social agents
Projet ERC : QUEEN (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université technique d'Istanbul — Pays : Turquie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1424625.0 €

Batteries are a major driving force behind EU’s goal to be climate neutral by 2050–with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, all batteries suffer from severe performance and safety challenges (fire and explosion) and fast-charging limitations due to two fundamental challenges:1) The complex and uncontrollable microscopic electron and ion interactions at dynamic interfaces; 2) The highly in-homogeneous electric field inside the battery cell that leads to chaotic carrier migration. In this project, I tackle these problems by developing a quantum super-exchange energy storage platform (QUEEN), which enables atomically precise fabrication of 2D hybrid nanomaterials effectively transforming them into programable matter. In QUEEN, my aim is 1) Developing a quantum arc pen electro pulse lithography (Q-ARC) technique including a nanoscale “pen” (ARC-PEN) with uniquely modified tips (special gas inlets/outlets) to remove/replace targeted atoms with great precision. 2) Using Q-ARC techniques, investigating novel patterns to fabricate an in-plane hybrid 2D material system with band gap engineering, Coulomb blockage and ballistic transport. 3) Leveraging QUEEN’s near atom-by-atom fabrication, to create an in-situ testing platform to investigate quantum phenomena at complex interfaces. QUEEN will enable the development of superior battery architectures with i) precise and programmable control carrier transport, ii) groundbreakingly thin battery operation distances (2nm-5nm between anode and cathode), iii) very high mobility/instantaneous ion transport, iv) blueprint for extra charge storage mechanism. My multidisciplinary background in advanced device engineering and physics will enable me to accomplish the ambitious goals of this project, which will transform battery technology going well beyond the state of art by introducing control to carrier dynamics. Furthermore, QUEEN unlocks the potential for 2D materials in areas like biology, flexible electronics and spintronic.

Mots-clés : 2d materials,batteries,electrochemical energy storage,energy storage,programmable matter,borophene,nanobatteries,host structure,metal ion batteries,beyond lithium ion batteries,nano fabrication,nanoelectronics,ballistic carrier transport,coulomb blockage
Projet ERC : TEXWEAROTS (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université technique d'Istanbul — Pays : Turquie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1479262.5 €

Wearable soft robotic devices for rehabilitation and motion assistance have emerged in the past decade as promising robotic systems owing to their adaptable morphologies. Soft robotics allow safer human-robot interactions, as opposed to rigid exoskeletons made of metals. Elastomers and textiles have become attractive low-cost and flexible material solutions to build wearable soft robots. Despite their high potential, the demonstrated solutions of previous studies are bulky, unreliable, non-scalable, and have limited portability and mobility. All those drawbacks do not allow practical applications of soft robotic devices for at home assistance and rehabilitation during activities of daily living, where they are intended and most needed. The core objective of TEXWEAROTS is to develop untethered knitted soft robotic assistive devices to overcome current drawbacks related to the wearable soft-robotic system reliability, mobility, sustainability, and integration. TEXWEAROTS focuses on the development of a knitted robotic glove free from bulky components with seamlessly integrated actuation, sensing, and self-powering functionalities. With my solid experience in textile manufacturing, soft sensors, and soft robotics, I will leverage the latest advances in digital machine knitting to manufacture 3D actuator shells with the integrated functionalities in a monolithic manner. This will lead to garment-like customizable textile-based robotic devices which are highly scalable and reliable. Furthermore, I will enable thermally powered fluidic actuation mechanism through integration of soft Peltier cooling functionality which enhances the actuator response time needed for motion assistance applications. TEXWEAROTS combines textile and material science, physiotherapy, robotics, electronics, and biomedical engineering. The proposed novel technologies and manufacturing techniques of the glove will lead to a breakthrough in wearable soft robotics and wearable electronics at wide

Mots-clés : textiles,soft sensors,soft actuators,knitting technology,soft robotics,electronic textiles,wearable electronics
Projet ERC : PREJUDICE (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Entité participante : Université de York — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1709681.0 €

Prejudice and discrimination have undeniable consequences for people’s lives and well-being. Our knowledge of stereotyping and prejudice is predominantly based on studies of simple dichotomies of “us” vs. “them”, whereas every person we interact with in real life will simultaneously belong to multiple social groups. In this project, I introduce the differential information processing (DIP) model of intergroup attitudes to explain how we process information about others’ multiple group memberships to form impressions of them. The key proposition of the model is that the mechanisms of impression formation depend on inferences we make from social categories: categories that are seen as informative of beliefs (e.g., religion) give rise to ingroup bias, whereas categories that are seen as informative of status (e.g., education) give rise to status bias. I propose to comprehensively test this new model by addressing three essential questions: what inferences do we make from people’s membership in different social groups? why do we make them? and how do we make them? The proposed set of studies will utilize diverse methodological approaches, including cross-cultural survey experiments to capture variation in inferences people make and type and strength of biases they show across the globe; text analysis of children’s literature and experimental work with children to understand how socialization experiences shape children’s beliefs about differential informativeness of social categories; and neuroimaging work to understand if distinct neural processes can be linked to belief and status inferences and the corresponding biases. If supported, this new theoretical model will connect disparate strands of literature and bring a step-change in how we study stereotyping and prejudice, opening new avenues for more generalizable interventions for prejudice reduction.

Mots-clés : prejudice,bias,social cognition,beliefs,status,intersectional stereotyping,impression formation
Projet ERC : ENSURE (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Université Koç — Pays : Turquie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497920.0 €

ENSURE addresses the challenge of self-driving in uncertain situations of the real world. Due to the difficulty of reasoning in complex real-world scenarios, self-driving remains one of the most difficult research problems today. For safe navigation, the driving agent needs to be able to anticipate the consequences of its actions. Current solutions are reactive without any planning for what might happen in the future. This poses major safety issues and delays the deployment of self-driving vehicles. Without a change in our approach to self-driving, we risk not only realizing fully autonomous driving but also half-baked solutions that endanger lives in uncertain situations. The future is inherently uncertain due to some scene structures such as intersections and the unknown intentions of the other agents. The errors in the perception of the scene and the prediction of the future cause another type of uncertainty. Furthermore, there are rarely encountered situations that might require passing the control to the human driver such as an unknown object on the road. As a way of managing uncertainties in the real world, ENSURE proposes a world model to predict the future with different types of uncertainty in a compact bird's eye view representation. To realize the potential of the world model, ENSURE will put it into action first online in simulation and push its performance to the limit under a controlled setting. The most ambitious goal of ENSURE is to learn to drive in an offline manner from already collected real driving data based on the predictions of the world model. The different types of uncertainties will be used to safeguard against the model's expected failures in the offline setting. Every step of ENSURE will build towards enabling end-to-end driving in the real world and its success in achieving this goal will allow similar success stories in other domains that require reasoning under uncertainty.
Projet ERC : SatelliteHomeostasis (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
Entité participante : Université Koç — Pays : Turquie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1588710.0 €

Membrane-less compartmentalization has emerged as a powerful, yet mysterious, process for the spatiotemporal control of fundamental cellular processes. How the identity of a membrane-less organelle is established, maintained, and dynamically altered remains unclear. In this project, I will investigate the fascinating biology of the centriolar satellites (hereafter CS), a vertebrate-specific membrane-less organelle. CS was first discovered as granules that cluster and move around centrosomes – major microtubule-organizing centers of animal cells. Recently, my lab and others have placed CS in a new pathway for targeting proteins to centrosomes and cilia, and identified an important role for CS in cell division, cellular signalling and neurogenesis. While CS functions shone light in these organelles, little is known about their own biochemistry and how that affects their function. Recent studies, including my own, revealed unique and intriguing CS properties that likely underlie the rules underpinning their regulation and function. The properties of CS granules are regulated in space, time and tissue, as we observe differential size and composition within the cell and in different cell types. Building on these discoveries, I hypothesise that CS perform its different functions by acting as adaptive organelles that remodel its granule features in response to intrinsic and extrinsic cues. With this project I propose to investigate the molecular basis of (1) CS scaffold assembly and disassembly, (2) CS granule size, composition, architecture and dynamics; and (3) CS heterogeneity within a cell and in different cell types. This project will combine in vitro reconstitution, imaging-based assays, a new SatelliteGFP mouse and our expertise in proximity proteomics and biochemical purifications. Our results will have broad implications in unveiling how cells organize its cytoplasm in time and space appropriate to its differentiation status, environment and organismal health.

Mots-clés : centriolar satellites,cilia,primary cilium,motile cilia,centrosome,microtubule organizing center,microtubules,mitosis,membrane less organelles
Projet ERC : MSpin (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Université rhénane Frédéric-Guillaume de Bonn — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1893184.0 €

Defect spins in solids provide a promising platform to realize a range of quantum technologies. Recent advances demonstrated their basic functionalities as quantum network nodes. Yet, the realization of a real-scale quantum network requires solving outstanding challenges posed by the inhomogeneity of elementary systems and decoherence from environmental couplings.  MSpin aims to tackle these challenges employing a bottom-up route. A single molecule sets a compact, nanoscopic stage to house an array of nuclear spins in atomically defined configurations. Accessing and controlling these spins will uncover the tremendous potential of molecules for quantum technology. Moreover, the toolbox of organic chemistry allows producing identical molecules at large scales and fine-tuning their intrinsic and extrinsic environments.  With MSpin, I will push the frontiers of single-molecule spectroscopy, single-spin control, and cavity quantum electrodynamics to fully exploit the potential of molecules for quantum technology. The overarching goals are: i) Detect and control single nuclear spins in a molecule and demonstrate for the first time a molecular quantum register; ii) Achieve robust nuclear quantum memory hosted in a molecule through deterministic switching of hyperfine coupling, and by harnessing the decoherence-free subspace provided by nuclear spin pairs; iii) Realize an efficient molecule-photon interface through strong-coupling to a Fabry-Pérot microcavity and demonstrate the first molecule-photon entanglement.  The success of MSpin will open an exciting new field on controlling and exploiting spin-photon, spin-spin interactions at the sub-molecular scale. The experimental mastery of these interactions developed through this proposal, will not only shine new lights on spins in molecular physics and chemistry, but also foster an intriguing range of applications in quantum communication, computation, and sensors with unprecedented, sub-molecular resolution.

Mots-clés : orangic dye molecules,cavity quantum electrodynamics,nuclear spins,photon spin interface