Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : SouthHem (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : National University of Ireland — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NUI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1487938.0 €

SouthHem is a five-year research project designed to rethink and realign the nature and scope of British Romanticism by giving settler and indigenous literatures produced in the British-controlled Southern Hemisphere a more central role in defining the literary culture of the period 1783-1870. The project will carry out, for the first time, a detailed comparative analysis of these literatures and their interactions with British Romantic writing by focusing on case studies of encounter and transculturation in three transnational zones: “Zone 1” (Oceania): Australia and New Zealand; “Zone 2” (Southern Africa): the Cape Colony and Natal; and “Zone 3” (South-East Asia): Singapore, Java, and Malacca. The project has three inter-related aims: first, to consider the reciprocal transformations of literary themes, genres, standards, and forms in the British-controlled Southern Hemisphere and Britain; second, to rethink the ways in which nationhood, nationalism, and, in particular, national literature emerged in Britain and elsewhere by considering the global origins of nationalism; and third to problematise traditional periodisations of British Romanticism as beginning in the 1790s and ending in the 1830s. By radically expanding the type, provenance, and sample size of texts typically considered in studies of British Romanticism, this project will not only result in an important geographic, temporal, and conceptual rethinking of the field, but it will also provide a better understanding of how literary modernity emerged and developed outside of Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. As such, the project will facilitate larger cross-imperial and synthetic studies of the indigenous and settler literatures of the period.

Mots-clés : british romanticism,southern hemisphere,transnational,comparative,imperialism,nationalism,modernity,postcolonialism,indigenous literatures,white settler communities
Projet ERC : SpeciationBehaviour (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LMU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499540.0 €

Speciation is a fundamental evolutionary process, which relies on the accumulation of reproductive barriers. These barriers often act before mating, and many taxa remain separate not because they fail to produce viable offspring, but because they ‘choose’ not to mate in the first place. Although the significance of behavioural barriers has long been recognized, an integrated understanding remains elusive: How is behavioural isolation mediated through changes in the sensory systems? Are these changes driven by selection? And what is the genetic and developmental basis of behavioural divergence in natural populations? My research will address these questions to understand how behavioural barriers are generated, both during development and across evolutionary time. This project will be novel in uniting genomic and neurosensory data, with ecological and behavioural studies across a single radiation. Heliconius butterflies offer an excellent opportunity to achieve this as they are a group of closely related species with well-characterised ecologies, high-quality genomic resources, and are emerging as a model of evolutionary neurobiology. These attributes will allow me to address the enduring problem of how natural selection and genetics interact to drive divergence in behavioural preferences. I will determine how components of behavioural isolation vary with ecology, both within and between species; and then explicitly test whether changes in sensory perception and processing in the brain are driven by selection imposed by the external environment. Genetic mapping will allow me to test for a link between changes in the sensory systems and mate choice. By combining these data with expression and functional analyses I will identify genes strongly implicated in the divergence of behavioural preferences. This will lead to novel insights into the developmental and neurological bases of behavioural isolation, a process fundamental to biodiversity.

Mots-clés : ecological speciation,mate choice,behaviour,genetics
Projet ERC : Honeyguides-Humans (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Cape Town — Pays : Afrique du Sud — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UCT
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 590625.0 €

Species interactions such as mutualism, parasitism and predation underpin much of life’s diversity. We aim to understand the mechanistic role of learnt traits in the origin and maintenance of mutualistic interactions between species, and to test their evolutionary and ecological consequences. To do so, we shall study a remarkable mutualism: the foraging partnership between an African bird species, the greater honeyguide Indicator indicator, and the human honey-hunters whom it guides to bees’ nests. Honeyguides know where bees’ nests are located and like to eat beeswax; humans have the ability to subdue the bees and open the nest, thus exposing beeswax for the honeyguides and honey for the humans. This model system gives us a wonderful opportunity to study mutualisms, because local human and honeyguide populations vary strikingly in whether and how they interact, and because we can readily manipulate these interactions experimentally. We have already demonstrated that it is fully feasible to carry out observational and experimental work at a study site we have established in cooperation with a honey-hunting community in northern Mozambique. Here, and at a series of comparative field sites we have identified in south-eastern Africa, we shall ask: is learning involved in maintaining a geographical mosaic of honeyguide adaptation to local human cultures? How does reciprocal communication between humans and honeyguides mediate their interactions? What are the effects of cultural co-extinctions on each partner and their ecosystems, and how quickly can such cultures be re-ignited following their loss? In so doing we shall test for the first time the hypothesis that reciprocal learning can give rise to matching cultural traits between interacting species. Understanding the role of such phenotypic plasticity is crucial to explain how and why the outcome of species interactions varies in space and time, and to predict how they will respond to a rapidly changing world.

Mots-clés : avian behavioural ecology,human animal ecological interactions,learning and cultural evolution
Projet ERC : JSPEC (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Collège de France — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1651232.5 €

Spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe matter. By measuring the spectrum of elementary excitations, one reveals the symmetries and interactions inherent in a physical system. Mesoscopic devices, which preserve quantum coherence over lengths larger than the atomic scale, offer a unique possibility to both engineer and investigate excitations at the single quanta level. Unfortunately, conventional spectroscopy techniques are inadequate for coupling radiation to mesoscopic systems and detecting their small absorption signals. I propose an on-chip, Josephson-junction based spectrometer which surpasses state-of-the-art instruments and is ideally suited for probing elementary excitations in mesoscopic systems. It has an original design providing uniform wideband coupling from 2-2000 GHz, low background noise, high sensitivity, and narrow linewidth. I describe the operating principle and design of the spectrometer, show preliminary results demonstrating proof-of-concept, and outline three experiments which exploit the spectrometer to address important issues in condensed matter physics. The experiments are: measuring the lifetime of single quasiparticle and excited Cooper pair states in superconductors, a topic relevant for quantum information processing; determining whether graphene has a bandgap, a fundamental yet unresolved question; and recording a clear spectroscopic signature of Majorana bound states in topological superconductor weak links. Various applications of the superconducting circuits developed for the spectrometer include a Josephson vector network analyzer, a cryogenic mixer, a THz camera, a detector for radioastronomy, and a scanning microwave impedance microscope. In itself the proposed JJ spectrometer is a general purpose tool that will benefit researchers studying mesoscopic systems. Ultimately, Josephson junction spectroscopy should not only be useful to detect existing elementary excitations but also to discover new ones.

Mots-clés : josephson junction,andreev bound states,cooper pair,quasiparticle,spectroscopy
Projet ERC : INSPIRAL (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Basel — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

Spin-delocalization in molecules containing unpaired electrons gives rise to an unusual intermolecular interaction, named as pancake bond. This bonding interaction couples unpaired electrons between multiple pairs of atoms from each face-to-face oriented spin units, such as phenalenyl radical, and abets formation of assemblies that display large antiferromagnetic interaction in the solid state. This phenomenon governs the potential use of such spin systems as molecular conductors, magneto-optical bistable materials, or molecular spin batteries. Formation of such assemblies during crystallization is spontaneous. It is therefore difficult to control and tune the antiferromagnetic interaction, which dictates the electronic properties of the solid material. Inspired by this challenge, the goal of this project is to develop systems, where the spin-interaction can be tuned within a single molecule to understand principles that govern an intermolecular assembly in the solid state and the bulk properties. To achieve this goal, I propose to synthesize and study chiral open-shell helices, in which the intramolecular spin-interaction can be tuned by varying (1) the coupling mode, ferromagnetic versus antiferromagnetic, and (2) its strength. The helical character of these systems enables tuning of the coupling strength by control of the degree of overlap and distance between the spin units, which is difficult to achieve by a spontaneous assembly. Additionally, it provides access to both racemic and enantiopure solid-state architectures that can further impact the properties. Two model systems will be investigated: one in which spins communicate simultaneously through backbone and space, and one where spins communicate only through space. Understanding the principles of spin-interactions in these helical systems is of fundamental interest for designing molecules with tailor-made properties, as well as features that arise unexpectedly from the interplay of the spins in a spiral.
Projet ERC : EXMAG (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : TU Wien — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUW
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1204750.0 €

Spontaneous symmetry breaking leading to states of matter with long-range order is one of the central topics in condensed matter physics. Common types of order, such as ferro- and anti-ferromagnetic, are characterized by spin or charge densities modulated on inter-atomic scale, therefore well studied thanks to various scattering experiments. Order parameters that are not of this type are much more difficult to detect, giving rise to names such as hidden order or electronic nematicity. Their impact on transport or thermodynamic properties may, nevertheless, be substantial. In the EXMAG project we will investigate excitonic condensation in systems with strongly correlated electrons as a new mechanism leading to unconventional ordered states. The objective of the project is to characterize the physical properties of various excitonic phases and to find their realization in real materials. We will focus on intermediate coupling strength and doped systems where the interaction between the excitonic order and the charge carriers is expected to lead to new physics. In particular, we want to explore the potential of the excitonic order to induce instabilities, e.g. magnetic or superconducting, that are not present in the normal phase. We will also address the possibility of topologically non-trivial quasi-particle band-structures in the excitonic phase. Our main tool will be numerical simulations based on the dynamical mean-field theory and ab initio band-structure methods. We will pursue two main lines of research: investigation of simple models allowing access to many physical observables and studies of real materials capturing the chemical complexities at the cost of more severe approximations. Ultimately, we want to understand in detail the properties of the excitonic magnets and their potential functionalities,and to identify the main control parameters and promising materials.

Mots-clés : excitonic condensation,spin density wave,nematicity,dynamical mean field theory
Projet ERC : APPLIC-ION (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Inserm
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

Stable integration of exogenous transgenes in the genome of transfected eukaryotic host cells is essential in many biological, biotechnological and biomedical applications. Naked DNA vectors are increasingly applied for this purpose as an alternative to viral particles due to their low cost, easy production and simplicity of use. However, transgenesis with these vectors remains fundamentally hindered by the impossibility to distinguish integrated transgenes from those remaining in episomal form, which causes week-long delays to select stable transfected cells with risks of toxicity or epigenetic drift. We have introduced an efficient strategy to solves these issues, based on a novel genetic switch that conditions DNA transgene expression to incorporation into the host genome. This integration-coupled On (iOn) switch enables direct and accurate identification of integration events following transfection, opening the way to rapid drug-free stable cell transgenesis. Here, we propose to develop universally applicable vectors based on this system enabling simplified one-shot stable transfection of eukaryotic cells with one or multiple transgenes, among others. Our project will set conditions for diffusing a breakthrough technology with strong potential to accelerate genetic engineering in cultured systems and model organisms.

Mots-clés : transgene,stable transgenesis,cell line establishment,genetic engineering,genomic integration
Projet ERC : INCEPT (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : University of Trieste — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNITS
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1350000.0 €

Standard time domain experiments measure the time evolution of the reflected/transmitted mean number of photons in the probe pulses. The evolution of the response of a material is typically averaged over the illuminated area as well as over many pump and probe measurements repeated stroboscopically. The aim of this project is to extend time domain optical spectroscopy beyond mean photon number measurements by performing a full Time Resolved Quantum State Reconstruction (TRQSR) of the probe pulses as a function of the pump and probe delay. The nature of the light matter interaction and the transient light-induced states of matter will be imprinted into the probe quantum state after the interaction with the material and can be uncovered with unprecedented detail with this new approach to time domain studies. TRQSR will be implemented by combining pump and probe experiments resolving single light pulses with balanced homodyne detection quantum tomography in the pulsed regime. We will apply and exploit the unique capabilities of TRQSR to address two different unresolved problems in condensed matter. Firstly, we will investigate the coherent and squeezed nature of low energy photo-induced vibrational states. We will use TRQSR with probe pulses shorter than the phonon timescale to interrogate the time evolution of the vibrational state induced by the pump pulse. Secondly, we will address inhomogeneities in photo-induced phase transformations. With TRQSR we can perform time domain measurements with a very small photon number per pulse which will give information on the interaction between the material (as prepared by the pump pulse) and individual photons. In this limit, TRQSR will allow us to retrieve rich statistics. While the average will deliver the information of a standard pump and probe experiment, higher order moments will give information on the time evolution of spatial inhomogenieties in the transient state.
Projet ERC : ECOGAL (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : University of Bologna — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIBO
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 3024077.5 €

Stars and planets are born from a large reservoir of diffuse gas and dust that permeates the Galaxy, the interstellar medium (ISM). The process is governed by the complex interplay of often competing physical agents such as gravity, turbulence, magnetic fields, and radiation. The system is organized in a hierarchy of scales, that link the disk of the Milky Way, to star-forming clouds, and eventually to protoplanetary disks, the cradles of planetary systems. Stellar feedback creates highly non-linear feedback loops that strongly influence the dynamical evolution across the entire cascade of scales. We witness a paradigm shift in galactic astronomy and astrophysics. Approaches that treat the constituents of the Galaxy in equilibrium and consider the various scales in isolation reach clear limits. A comprehensive understanding of our Milky Way requires us to consider the Galaxy as one single complex ecosystem, where dramatically different environments coexist and where varying conditions are found for star and planet formation, and ultimately for life. Exploring and understanding the Galactic ecosystem as well as the physical processes that govern its evolution define the research activities of ECOGAL. Our primary goal is to build a unifying predictive model of star and planet formation in the Milky Way. Based on a unique combination of theoretical modeling and multi-wavelengths observations, we will trace the properties of planet-forming disks back to their environment in different parts of the Galaxy, determine the physical processes that regulate the birth to stars and determine their key parameters, deliver a well calibrated galaxy template which can be used to study systems in the distant Universe. To reach these goals, ECOGAL unites four key research groups in Europe at the forefront in observational astronomy, numerical astrophysics, instrument development, and astroinformatics, whose synergy enables transformative progress in our understanding of our Galaxy.

Mots-clés : hierarchical structure formation,galactic ecosystem
Projet ERC : ECOGAL (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Synergy grants)
Entité participante : National Institute for Astrophysics — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : INAF
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2474451.0 €

Stars and planets are born from a large reservoir of diffuse gas and dust that permeates the Galaxy, the interstellar medium (ISM). The process is governed by the complex interplay of often competing physical agents such as gravity, turbulence, magnetic fields, and radiation. The system is organized in a hierarchy of scales, that link the disk of the Milky Way, to star-forming clouds, and eventually to protoplanetary disks, the cradles of planetary systems. Stellar feedback creates highly non-linear feedback loops that strongly influence the dynamical evolution across the entire cascade of scales. We witness a paradigm shift in galactic astronomy and astrophysics. Approaches that treat the constituents of the Galaxy in equilibrium and consider the various scales in isolation reach clear limits. A comprehensive understanding of our Milky Way requires us to consider the Galaxy as one single complex ecosystem, where dramatically different environments coexist and where varying conditions are found for star and planet formation, and ultimately for life. Exploring and understanding the Galactic ecosystem as well as the physical processes that govern its evolution define the research activities of ECOGAL. Our primary goal is to build a unifying predictive model of star and planet formation in the Milky Way. Based on a unique combination of theoretical modeling and multi-wavelengths observations, we will trace the properties of planet-forming disks back to their environment in different parts of the Galaxy, determine the physical processes that regulate the birth to stars and determine their key parameters, deliver a well calibrated galaxy template which can be used to study systems in the distant Universe. To reach these goals, ECOGAL unites four key research groups in Europe at the forefront in observational astronomy, numerical astrophysics, instrument development, and astroinformatics, whose synergy enables transformative progress in our understanding of our Galaxy.

Mots-clés : hierarchical structure formation,galactic ecosystem