Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Multi GRAPH (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and Communication Engineering
Entité participante : Université hébraïque de Jérusalem — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HUJI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1596612.47 €

My research ultimate goal is to develop novel approaches for multispectral detection in emerging 2D hybridsilicon technology and unify in one single technological platform high-performance photodetectors in all spectral bands from visible to mid-infrared. Theoretical and experimental methods will be applied to study new concepts and physical phenomena for broadband photodetection in integrated 2D/Silicon hybrids, aiming for innovative solutions, novel device architectures and disruptive technological development of multispectral photodetection systems-on-chip. A diversity of modern applications ranging from remote healthcare and environmental monitoring, gas sensing and hazard detection, food and water inspection to biosensing and automotive vision share similar urgent needs for high-performance, miniaturized and lightweight multispectral optical sensors monolithically integrated with low-cost and high-functionality silicon electronics. However, current semiconductor photodetectors technologies are mainly tailored and optimized to specific spectral bands. Their roadmaps have so far prevented the development of universal detectors that could simultaneously address multiple spectral domains. Thus, there is a pressing need for a radically new approach that could combine high-performance broadband photodetectors in all spectral bands in one single silicon-compatible technological platform. Graphene and 2D materials integration with silicon technology open an unprecedented opportunity to reach this goal, leveraging unique ultra-broadband absorption properties of graphene and diversity of 2D-family with mature silicon fabrication facilities for monolithically integrated, scalable and cost-effective multispectral imaging systems. The fundamental study, exploration, and technological development of novel 2D/Silicon multispectral PD technology beyond the state-of-the-art and increasing its potential impact on modern application domains is the core objective of the Proposal.

Mots-clés : multi spectral photodetectors,2d materials integration with silicon technology,graphene silicon broadband detectors,hybrid van der waals heterostructures
Projet ERC : Chloro-Import (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
Entité participante : Université hébraïque de Jérusalem — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HUJI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1700000.0 €

Protein import into a membrane-bound organelle in eukaryotes has been intensively studied, leading to the discovery of the central intracellular import machineries. Yet, this field has undergone a fundamental paradigm shift following recent discoveries of non-canonical import pathways in the mitochondria and ER. While the chloroplast is still thought to have but one import machinery (TIC/TOC), accumulating evidence indicate it, too, has non-canonical pathways. Technological constraints have so far barred the systematic search for alternative import pathways, as well as the exploration of central aspects relating to this import system: Are there additional import pathways other than the canonical chloroplast translocon apparatus? What ensures correct targeting of proteins in the highly crowded cytosol to the chloroplast? What mediates between quality control processes and protein import?  In Chloro-Import, we will go beyond the state-of-the-art by implementing multipronged, genome-wide, unbiased approaches we developed or adopted to elucidate all the targeting pathways en route to the chloroplast in Chlamydomonas. Specifically, we will use advanced genome-wide screening to comprehensively elucidate chloroplast import pathways (Aim1); uncover the functional organization of import pathways using genetic-interaction profiling and protein-protein-interaction mapping (Aim2); and conduct an in-depth biochemical investigation of the function of unstudied/novel import factors (Aim3). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-ever study of this scale in a photosynthetic eukaryote cell. The outcome will be a complete map of the chloroplast protein-import system (pathways, components, regulators) and a genetic platform for this system’s in-depth characterization. It will further offer insight into basic questions in chloroplast functioning, and may also pave the way to the synthetic engineering of crops that are more efficient for projected climate changes.

Mots-clés : high content microscopy,next generation sequencing,genetic interactions,chloroplast
Projet ERC : ImmuBRAIN (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : FCRB
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499625.0 €

Autoimmune encephalitides (AE) are severe brain disorders mediated by antibodies against neuronal proteins, such as the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor (NMDAR). The antibody effects are reversible, explaining recovery after antibody-depleting therapies. However, it is unknown why many patients have incomplete recovery and persistent deficits. In these cases, additional immune mechanisms might be at play.  The objective of ImmuBRAIN is to define how the adaptive immune response (autoantibodies) cross-talks with innate immune-mechanisms, resulting in neuronal dysfunction or death, by using NMDAR encephalitis as a disease model. Cutting-edge antibody engineering will define the unexplored contribution of antibody glycosylation (which modulates innate functions) to neuropathology.  ImmuBRAIN combines human studies with experimental models. Human studies will extensively profile patients’ NMDAR antibodies using a novel antibodyomics platform; characterize the compartmentalized antibody responses between brain and periphery using B-cell receptor repertoire analyses; define the distribution of brain innate infiltrates and quantify neuronal death using advanced microscopy. In vitro models will determine the effects of patients’ and glycan-modified antibodies on neurons using confocal microscopy and electrophysiology; explore the neuron-microglia interactions during trogocytosis using super-resolution and live cell imaging. Finally, a new mouse model of NMDAR encephalitis will serve to define the dynamics of antibody and innate responses over time and at different disease stages, and explore the therapeutic role of in vivo antibody glycan modifications in reversing the observed behavioural and molecular alterations.  These findings will revolutionize the current understanding of innate immune mechanisms in AE and other inflammatory brain disorders, and will provide novel antibody-modulating therapies (e.g., glycan modifications) that will ultimately improve patients’ outcomes.

Mots-clés : autoimmune encephalitis pathogenic immune mechanisms antibody and innate immunity neuronal death clinical outcomes
Projet ERC : TENTATION (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Leibniz-Gemeinschaft — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WLG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498895.0 €

Thermoelectric (TE) technology – whereby heat is converted to electrical power and vice versa – holds great potential for cooling and power generation in many applications because its unique solid-state nature enables TE devices to be free from emissions and maintenance; thus providing extraordinary reliability. Realizing this potential requires developing modules that have high performance at around room temperature (-70 ˚C to 300 ˚C). Currently, almost all commercial modules are based on bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) because of their until now unparalleled performance. However, Bi2Te3 cannot meet the rapidly increasing demand of TE technology, because tellurium (Te) is very scarce, with the Earth’s crust having a concentration of <0.001 ppm. Therefore, it is vital to develop a next-generation technology to mitigate the potential bottleneck in raw materials supply for a sustainable future. Here I propose to develop, on Mg-based compounds, a new TE paradigm completely free from Te with groundbreaking performances that transcend the record of state-of-the-art (S.O.A.) Bi2Te3. To that end, I will bring together interdisciplinary know-how with unique technical capabilities to enable a full-chain development to 1) innovate synthesis methods to produce superior materials, 2) establish contact materials and methods to optimize TE modules, 3) develop methods for scale-up production of materials and module sizes, 4) enhance and secure the modules’ robustness, 5) assemble device prototypes use the obtained modules. I aim to realize conversion efficiency of ~12% in the temperature range from 30 ˚C to 300 ˚C (S.O.A. is 3-6%), and cooling ΔT of ~90 ˚C (S.O.A. is 70-75 ˚C). These proof-of-principle demonstrations will pave the way for large-scale, high-performance, robust, and sustainable solid-state power generation and cooling for numerous applications, ranging from geothermal power generation to cold-chain boxes for medical storage and transportation including mRNA vaccines.

Mots-clés : solid state waste heat recovery semiconductor cooling
Projet ERC : ReinforceBG (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Hôpital universitaire de la Charité de Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Charité
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499580.0 €

Dopamine and the basal ganglia have been conserved over more than 500 million years of evolution. They are fundamental to animal and human behaviour. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with loss of dopaminergic innervation to the basal ganglia. Over 6 million people suffer from the debilitating symptoms of PD that span disturbance of emotion, cognition and movement. There is a pressing need to understand the pathogenesis of these symptoms, but an integrated account of dopamine and basal ganglia function is lacking. This constitutes a significant roadblock to scientific and therapeutic advances. To overcome this roadblock, ReinforceBG poses the novel unconventional hypothesis that loss of dopamine in PD does not impair movement per se but leads to chronic negative reinforcement of neural population dynamics. Conversely, in the healthy state, transient dopamine signals may stabilize cortex–basal ganglia activity to facilitate reentry and refinement of cortical output. To address this hypothesis, ReinforceBG will combine invasive electrocorticography and local field potential recordings with closed-loop deep brain stimulation in PD patients. Aim 1 will investigate how basal ganglia pathways coordinate neuromuscular adaptation. Aim 2 will shed light on basal ganglia reinforcement in multiple behavioural domains, including movement, gait, speech, and spatial navigation in virtual reality. Aim 3 will develop a neuroprosthetic brain-computer interface that aims to modulate basal ganglia reinforcement. ReinforceBG deviates from outdated models on pro- vs. antikinetic “Go” and “NoGo” pathways and promises a holistic-reinforcement centred view of basal ganglia function. It will leverage the unprecedented spatiotemporal precision of neuromodulation for the development of an innovative brain circuit intervention that modulates neural reinforcement in real time. This opens new horizons for the interdisciplinary treatment of brain disorders affecting the dopaminergic system.

Mots-clés : neuromodulation,electroencephalography,parkinson s disease,neurosurgery,brain computer interface
Projet ERC : PaDiESeM (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
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 : 1438541.0 €

Partial differential equations (PDEs) are ubiquitous in science, whether it is in physics, engineering, biology or economics, as they naturally arise in the modelling of continuous objects. Recently, several PDEs have been derived to characterize complex objects such as: the best response by a player facing a continuum of adversarial players, the optimal control used to manage a distributed system or also the free energy or rate function of some distributed physical systems. All the associated PDEs are written on a set of measures on a smooth finite dimensional domain and raise new and difficult analytical challenges such as regularity and stability of the solutions, or the existence of weak notions of solutions. A systematic understanding of those equations is missing at the time, but it would lead to: derive rigorously the PDEs form the underlying models, justify numerical computations and, most importantly, to prove quantitative estimates and several properties of the modelled systems, which are otherwise out of reach because of the absence of explicit solutions. The key challenges targeted in this proposal are concentrated on two PDEs on spaces of measures, which are for the moment only understood in particular regimes, often very simplified compared to their original motivations. The first one is the mean field game (MFG) master equation: we intend to obtain a precise theory of regularity which will then help us both to extend the actual theory to more realistic MFGs and to have a better understanding of the stability of MFG equilibria. The second one is the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation: we aim to obtain much more general stability properties in order to treat practical mean field optimal control problems and mean field physical systems. Moreover, we also plan to introduce new PDEs modelling the optimal control of MFG master equations, thus raising new mathematical challenges. The design of numerical schemes for such equations will complement the program.

Mots-clés : mean field games,master equations,hamilton jacobi bellman equations
Projet ERC : STORM-CHASER (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe Sciences
Entité participante : Nederlandse organisatie voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NWO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1487199.0 €

Are there other worlds out there that can sustain life? A key factor in the ability of a planet to host life is its atmosphere. Stars can erode planetary atmospheres by bombarding the planet with plasma. How well planets can protect their atmospheres depends on the strength of their magnetic fields. We do not know the ultimate fate of exoplanet atmospheres because we have neither detected massive plasma ejections on stars nor measured the magnetic fields of exoplanets. Both of these shortcomings can be solved with sensitive radio observations at low frequencies (< 300 MHz). Previous radio observations did not simultaneously have the sensitivity and on-sky exposure to detect the faint, transient radio signals from stars and exoplanets. In this project, I will deploy a novel strategy to mine over 20,000 hours of existing data from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), the most sensitive telescope at low frequencies. I will achieve two orders of magnitude better sensitivity and/or time-on-sky than previous efforts to accomplish two goals: (1) the first detection of massive plasma ejection events on stars and (2) the first measurement of exoplanetary magnetic fields. My novel data-mining strategy, aided by my theoretical expertise in the generation and propagation of radio waves in astrophysical plasma, has already led to pioneering discoveries. These include the first evidence for radio emission from the magnetic interaction between a star and its exoplanet and the first discovery of a brown dwarf using radio data. An ERC grant will allow me to scale up my efforts to tackle petabytes of data and search for radio signals over trillions of image pixels to achieve the goals of this project. It will lead to a leap in our understanding of the plasma environment of exoplanets around stars of different types and ages and the underlying laws that determine the magnetic field strength of exoplanets.

Mots-clés : space plasma,magnetospheres
Projet ERC : CybercrimePathways (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Entité participante : Nederlandse organisatie voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NWO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499875.0 €

Cybercrime is on the rise and the digitization of crime raises an array of fundamental questions. The CybercrimePathways Programme focuses on one of the major issues in criminology today: changing offline and online pathways in and out of cybercrime. Individuals do not become cybercriminals overnight. They tend to move through different stages, with each stage bringing them a little closer to crime involvement. The opposite is true for desistance, the process of quitting crime, whereby each step takes individuals further away from criminal activities. Together, these stages are called pathways.  The overarching aim of this study is to acquire fundamental knowledge on pathways into and out of cybercrime. Without knowledge about the pathways, it remains unclear if existing theories can still be used to explain cybercriminal activities.  A recent systematic review of the literature shows that the empirical evidence on the factors leading into cybercrime is often incomplete, weak, and fragmented, and that there is a gap between insights from qualitative studies and quantitative studies on the potential drivers of recruitment. The Programme will go beyond the existing literature and propose a mixed method design that combines much-needed explorative qualitative insights with rigorous quantitative field experiments. Using unique qualitative data (a combination of interviews with criminal and ethical hackers, and police data), mechanisms will be distilled and experimented in studies with rigorous experimental designs. Criminological research using online platforms is scarce; however, the pioneering work conducted by both my colleagues and me confirms that these platforms are most promising for performing experimental studies.  To reconceptualize and future-proof traditional theories, the Programme will study both cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crimes, which will enable us to identify the similarities and differences between those two types of cybercrime.

Mots-clés : cybercrime pathways desistance
Projet ERC : SURPLAS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Nederlandse organisatie voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NWO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Renewable energy is key to tackling climate change and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. The intermittent supply of renewable energy hampers its efficient usage and creates a pressing need for innovative energy conversion approaches. Energy-to-fuel conversion using plasma-assisted catalytic conversion (PLAC) is highly promising for producing urgently needed fuels from greenhouse gases. In PLAC, reactants are activated in a plasma discharge, allowing for remarkable efficiencies beyond the limits of thermal catalysis. The catalyst surface defines the reaction pathway and selectivity, and is thus key in catalyst design. However, at present the active state of catalyst surfaces in plasma is unknown, limiting the impact of PLAC by inhibiting the design of dedicated plasma catalysts. In SURPLAS, I will overcome this challenge and unlock the full potential of PLAC by determining the surface reaction mechanisms of catalysts in plasma and demonstrating the rational design of plasma catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation. My expertise in surface reactions, materials design, and in situ spectroscopy forms the basis of a pioneering approach to analyzing surfaces while they are exposed to microwave plasma. My group’s unique embedding with plasma experts from industry and academia will facilitate the study of complex catalyst-plasma interactions. I will be the first to determine the active state of single-crystal surfaces and applied powder catalysts in plasma and to derive trends in selectivity and metal-support interactions in PLAC. This breakthrough in understanding will allow for the rational design of plasma catalysts, which I will validate by catalytic performance measurements.  This project will revolutionize PLAC by demonstrating catalyst design based on atomic-scale understanding of surface reactions in plasma. SURPLAS will allow me to lead the way into a new era of energy conversion, at a time when urgent need for fuels meets record growth in renewable energy.

Mots-clés : surface chemistry plasma chemistry
Projet ERC : NeuroQuality (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Entité participante : Université Masaryk — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1400000.0 €

Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) is crucial for degrading truncated nascent proteins produced on aberrant mRNAs. This is done by elongation of the nascent chain on the large ribosomal subunit in the absence of mRNA and the small ribosomal subunit (CAT tailing) and by marking the nascent chain for degradation. Mutations in RQC components cause neurodegeneration both in animal models and human patients. Moreover, RQC insufficiency and subsequent protein aggregation critically contribute to proteostasis impairment and systemic decline during ageing. Strikingly, we lack mechanistic understanding of this crucial process in humans. This project stems from my post-doctoral research, in which I have solved the structure of the yeast RQC complex and discovered a novel RQC factor, the eIF5A. This conserved protein is critical in yeast RQC and was recently implicated in brain development and Huntington's disease. Moreover, I have developed a human cell-free translation extract, which enables structural studies of co-translational processes in the human system. In the proposed research, we will provide mechanistic understanding of CAT tailing and nascent chain degradation in human RQC using cryo-EM. We will define working principles of RQC components and the mechanisms by which their disease-causing mutations specifically affect neurons in vivo using the C. elegans as a model organism. Our approach utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to provide detailed mechanistic understanding of the critical RQC system in combination with an in vivo study to reveal processes leading to RQC-driven pathological changes in neural tissue. Since the RQC pathway is conserved in all kingdoms of life and serves a pivotal role in protein homeostasis with critical implications for neurodegenerative disorders and ageing, our findings will have important implications for human health and the potential to reveal novel drug targets.

Mots-clés : translation,quality control,rqc