Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : ToMeTuM (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Brno University of Technology — Pays : Rép. Tchèque — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BUT;VUT
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1377495.0 €

A tumour cell uses both genetic and protein weapons in its development. Gaining a greater understanding of these lethal mechanisms is a key step towards developing novel and more effective treatments. Because the metal ion metabolism of a tumour cell is not fully understood, we will address the challenge of explaining the mechanisms of how a tumour cell copes both with essential metal ions and platinum based drugs. The metal-based mechanisms help a tumour to grow on one side and to protect itself against commonly used metal-based drugs. On the other side, the exact description of these mechanisms, which are being associated with multi-drug resistance occurrence and failure of a treatment, still remains unclear. We will reveal the mechanism of the as yet not understood biochemical and molecularly-biological relationships and correlations between metal ions and proteins in a tumour development revealing the way how to suppress the growth and development of a tumour and to markedly enhance the effectiveness of a treatment. To achieve this goal, we will focus on metallothionein and its interactions with essential metals and metal-containing anticancer drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin). Their actions will be monitored both in vitro and in vivo. For this purpose, we will optimize electrochemical, mass spectrometric and immune-based methods. Based on processing of data obtained, new carcinogenetic pathways will be sought on cell level and proved by genetic modifications of target genes. The discovered processes and the pathways found will then be tested on two animal experimental models mice bearing breast tumours (MCF-7 and 4T1) and MeLiM minipigs bearing melanomas. The precise description of the tumour related pathways coping with metal ions based on metallothioneins will direct new highly effective treatment strategies. Moreover, the discovery of new carcinogenetic pathways will open a window for understanding of cancer formation and development.

Mots-clés : metallothionein,zinc,copper,tumour,treatment,platinum cytostatics,cells,animal,genetic modification,crispr,mirna,protein oligomerization,electrochemistry,spectrometry,immunochemistry
Projet ERC : XAI (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : University of Pisa — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UniPi
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1022000.0 €

A wealthy friend of mine asks for a vacation credit card to his bank, to discover that the credit he is offered is very low. The bank teller cannot explain why. My stubborn friend continues his quest for explanation up to the bank executives, to discover that an algorithm lowered his credit score. Why? After a long investigation, it turns out that the reason is: bad credit by the former owner of my friend’s house. Black box AI systems for automated decision making, often based on ML over (big) data, map a user’s features into a class or a score without explaining why. This is problematic for lack of transparency, but also for possible biases inherited by the algorithms from human prejudices and collection artefacts hidden in the training data, which may lead to unfair or wrong decisions. I strive for solutions of the urgent challenge of how to construct meaningful explanations of opaque AI/ML systems, introducing the local-to-global framework for black box explanation, articulated along 3 lines: a) the language for explanations in terms of expressive logic rules, with statistical and causal interpretation; b) the inference of local explanations for revealing the decision rationale for a specific case; c), the bottom-up generalization of many local explanations into simple global ones. An intertwined line of research will investigate both causal explanations, i.e., models that capture the causal relationships among the features and the decision, and mechanistic/physical models of complex system physics, that capture the data generation mechanism behind specific deep learning models. I will also develop: an infrastructure for benchmarking, for the users' assessment of the explanations and the crowdsensing of observational decision data; an ethical-legal framework, for compliance and impact of our results on legal standards and on the “right of explanation” provisions of the GDPR; case studies in explanation-by-design, with a priority in health and fraud detection.

Mots-clés : automated decision making,black box models,machine learning,data mining,statistical,logic,rules,rule learning,transparency,right to explanation,participatory platform
Projet ERC : ACOFORS (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : VU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

ACOFORS has been designed with the ultimate goal of preparing commercialisation of Acoustic Force Spectroscopy (AFS). AFS is a completely new and powerful technique for determining biomolecular mechanics and structure of single molecules such as DNA and proteins. These studies are performed on a large scale by biologists and within pharmaceutical companies for e.g. drug discovery and development. Current technologies for force spectroscopy (FS) represent a $50+ million market, but are expensive, require high levels of specialism and are laborious. AFS, invented in the laboratory of Prof. Wuite, is much simpler to use, can be operated in high-throughput mode and can become available at relative low cost. As such, AFS vastly expands the possibilities of FS and makes it available to a much wider community. This makes AFS a very attractive technology for science and business, both from the perspective of the user and of the seller. In ACOFORS, a team of scientists and business developers will transform the current prototype in a marketable product, strengthen the intellectual property position, build a solid business case based on an extensive market analysis and take steps towards licensing the technology to industry.

Mots-clés : force spectroscopy,single molecule force spectroscopy,protein analysis,ultrasound,molecular biology,high throughput,commercialisation
Projet ERC : ALUFIX (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Université Catholique de Louvain — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UCL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497446.89 €

ALUFIX proposes an original strategy for the development of aluminium-based materials involving damage mitigation and extrinsic self-healing concepts exploiting the new opportunities of the solid-state friction stir process. Friction stir processing locally extrudes and drags material from the front to the back and around the tool pin. It involves short duration at moderate temperatures (typically 80% of the melting temperature), fast cooling rates and large plastic deformations leading to far out-of-equilibrium microstructures. The idea is that commercial aluminium alloys can be locally improved and healed in regions of stress concentration where damage is likely to occur. Self-healing in metal-based materials is still in its infancy and existing strategies can hardly be extended to applications. Friction stir processing can enhance the damage and fatigue resistance of aluminium alloys by microstructure homogenisation and refinement. In parallel, friction stir processing can be used to integrate secondary phases in an aluminium matrix. In the ALUFIX project, healing phases will thus be integrated in aluminium in addition to refining and homogenising the microstructure. The “local stress management strategy” favours crack closure and crack deviation at the sub-millimetre scale thanks to a controlled residual stress field. The “transient liquid healing agent” strategy involves the in-situ generation of an out-of-equilibrium compositionally graded microstructure at the aluminium/healing agent interface capable of liquid-phase healing after a thermal treatment. Along the road, a variety of new scientific questions concerning the damage mechanisms will have to be addressed.

Mots-clés : friction stir processing,damage,self healing materials,aluminium,physical metallurgy,residual stresses
Projet ERC : AMI (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of Helsinki — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1992839.0 €

AMI aims to provide a novel interpretation of social links between humans and animals in hunter-gatherer cemeteries in North-East Europe, c. 9000–7500 years ago. AMI brings together cutting-edge developments in bioarchaeological science and the latest understanding of how people’s identities form in order to study the relationships between humans and animals. Grave materials and human remains will be studied from the viewpoint of process rather than as isolated objects, and will be interpreted through their histories. The main objectives are 1) Synthesize the animal related bioarchaeological materials in mortuary contexts in North-East Europe, 2) Conduct a systematic multimethodological analysis of the animal-derived artefacts and to study them as actors in human social identity construction, 3) Reconstruct the individual life histories of humans, animals, and animal-derived artefacts in the cemeteries, and 4) Produce models for the reconstruction of social identities based on the data from the bioanalyses, literature, and GIS. Various contextual, qualitative and quantitative biodata from animals and humans will be analysed and compared. Correlations and differences will be explored. Intra-site spatial analyses and data already published on cemeteries will contribute significantly to the research. Ethnographic information about recent hunter-gatherers from circumpolar regions gathered from literature will support the interpretation of the results from these analyses. The research material derives from almost 300 burials from eight sites in North-East Europe and includes, for example, unique materials from Russia that have not previously been available for modern multidisciplinary research. The project will make a significant contribution to our understanding of how humans living in the forests of North-East Europe adapted the animals they shared their environment with into their social and ideological realities and practices.

Mots-clés : bioarchaeology,bone technology,human animal relations,identification of hair and feather,physical anthropology,individual life histories,isotopes,hunter gatherer identities,mortuary practices
Projet ERC : AQSuS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Universität Innsbruck — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 751328.26 €

AQSuS aims at experimentally implementing analogue quantum simulation of interacting spin models in two-dimensional geometries. The proposed experimental approach paves the way to investigate a broad range of currently inaccessible quantum phenomena, for which existing analytical and numerical methods reach their limitations. Developing precisely controlled interacting quantum systems in 2D is an important current goal well beyond the field of quantum simulation and has applications in e.g. solid state physics, computing and metrology. To access these models, I propose to develop a novel circuit quantum-electrodynamics (cQED) platform based on the 3D transmon qubit architecture. This platform utilizes the highly engineerable properties and long coherence times of these qubits. A central novel idea behind AQSuS is to exploit the spatial dependence of the naturally occurring dipolar interactions between the qubits to engineer the desired spin-spin interactions. This approach avoids the complicated wiring, typical for other cQED experiments and reduces the complexity of the experimental setup. The scheme is therefore directly scalable to larger systems. The experimental goals are: 1) Demonstrate analogue quantum simulation of an interacting spin system in 1D & 2D. 2) Establish methods to precisely initialize the state of the system, control the interactions and readout single qubit states and multi-qubit correlations. 3) Investigate unobserved quantum phenomena on 2D geometries e.g. kagome and triangular lattices. 4) Study open system dynamics with interacting spin systems. AQSuS builds on my backgrounds in both superconducting qubits and quantum simulation with trapped-ions. With theory collaborators my young research group and I have recently published an article in PRB [9] describing and analysing the proposed platform. The ERC starting grant would allow me to open a big new research direction and capitalize on the foundations established over the last two years.

Mots-clés : superconducting qubits,cavity and circuit quantum electro dynamics,superconducting microwave circuits,quantum optics,quantum simulation,quantum information
Projet ERC : AQSuS (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed matter physics
Entité participante : Austrian Academy of Sciences — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : OAW
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 747186.68 €

AQSuS aims at experimentally implementing analogue quantum simulation of interacting spin models in two-dimensional geometries. The proposed experimental approach paves the way to investigate a broad range of currently inaccessible quantum phenomena, for which existing analytical and numerical methods reach their limitations. Developing precisely controlled interacting quantum systems in 2D is an important current goal well beyond the field of quantum simulation and has applications in e.g. solid state physics, computing and metrology. To access these models, I propose to develop a novel circuit quantum-electrodynamics (cQED) platform based on the 3D transmon qubit architecture. This platform utilizes the highly engineerable properties and long coherence times of these qubits. A central novel idea behind AQSuS is to exploit the spatial dependence of the naturally occurring dipolar interactions between the qubits to engineer the desired spin-spin interactions. This approach avoids the complicated wiring, typical for other cQED experiments and reduces the complexity of the experimental setup. The scheme is therefore directly scalable to larger systems. The experimental goals are: 1) Demonstrate analogue quantum simulation of an interacting spin system in 1D & 2D. 2) Establish methods to precisely initialize the state of the system, control the interactions and readout single qubit states and multi-qubit correlations. 3) Investigate unobserved quantum phenomena on 2D geometries e.g. kagome and triangular lattices. 4) Study open system dynamics with interacting spin systems. AQSuS builds on my backgrounds in both superconducting qubits and quantum simulation with trapped-ions. With theory collaborators my young research group and I have recently published an article in PRB [9] describing and analysing the proposed platform. The ERC starting grant would allow me to open a big new research direction and capitalize on the foundations established over the last two years.

Mots-clés : superconducting qubits,cavity and circuit quantum electro dynamics,superconducting microwave circuits,quantum optics,quantum simulation,quantum information
Projet ERC : ARTIVISM (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Cultures and cultural production
Entité participante : University of Lausanne — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999287.0 €

ARTIVISM aims at exploring new artistic forms of political expression under difficult, precarious and/or oppressive conditions. It asks how social actors create belonging and multiple forms of resistance when they use art in activism or activism in art. What kind of alliances do these two forms of social practices generate in super-diverse places, in times of crisis and in precarious situations? Thus, ARTIVISM seeks to understand how social actors engage artistically in order to bring about social, economic and political change. Going beyond former research in urban and migration studies, and beyond the anthropology of art, ARTIVISM focuses on a broad range of artistic tools, styles and means of expression, namely festive events and parades, cartoons and comics and street art. By articulating performance studies, street anthropology and the sociology of celebration with migration and diversity studies, the project challenges former concepts, which took stable social groups for granted and reified them with ethnic lenses. The applied methodology considerably renews the field by bringing together event-, actor- and condition-centred approaches and a multi-sensory framework. Besides its multidisciplinary design, the ground-breaking nature of ARTIVISM lies in the application of the core concepts of performativity and liminality, as well as in an examination of the way to advance and refine these concepts and to create new analytical tools to respond to recent social phenomena. We have developed and tested innovative methods that respond to a postmodern type of fluid and temporary social action: audio-visual ethnography, urban event ethnography, street ethnography, field-crossing, and sensory ethnography (apprenticeship). Therefore, ARTIVISM develops new methods and theories in order to introduce a multi-faceted trans-disciplinary approach to the study of an emerging field of social transformations that is of challenging significance to the social sciences.
Projet ERC : math4AAArisk (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of Milan — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIMI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 10850.0 €

Abdominal Aneurysm of the Aorta (AAA) is a degenerative disease of the last segment of the abdominal aorta, representing the 14th leading cause of death for the 60 to 85 year-old age group in US. An estimated 80 million people aged 60 years and older are at risk in Western Europe. To date the most commonly used clinical protocol for surgical acceptance is based on the estimate of AAA diameter. The report prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality came to the conclusion that: the annual risk of rupture is 1% or lower for a diameter less than 5.5 cm; the 1-year risk of rupture increases with the aneurysm size; it may exceed 10% in the individuals with diameters above 6 cm. Assessment of AAA rupture risk has long been a topic of interest in clinical research setting. The ability to estimate patient specific probability of AAA rupture can lead to reduced health care costs, adequate and timely patient diagnostic and comfort. Math4AAArisk aims at the realization of a mathematical platform to support clinicians through the following steps: (A1) From medical imaging to sizing and morphological characterization of AAA, (A2) Preliminary risk evaluation, (A3) Computer simulation and enhanced risk assessment, (B1) Automatic surgery planner, (C1) Anonymous data base storage. The proposed mathematical platform yields quantitative physical indicators in real time at the sole request of inputting a few clinical measurements; it is patient adapted, as it integrates with patient’s radiological images, under full control of clinicians; it is aimed at improving the diagnostic analysis and possibly the surgical planning. We wish to establish the viability for a market exploitation of the math4AAArisk platform and identify possible later stage funding opportunities.

Mots-clés : abdominal aortic aneurism,aaa rupture,mathematical simulation platform,surgery planner,risk evaluation,market exploitation,endovascular aneurysm repair,stent grafting,free app,e2e diagnostic
Projet ERC : math4AAArisk (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Moxoff spa — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : Moxoff
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 85300.0 €

Abdominal Aneurysm of the Aorta (AAA) is a degenerative disease of the last segment of the abdominal aorta, representing the 14th leading cause of death for the 60 to 85 year-old age group in US. An estimated 80 million people aged 60 years and older are at risk in Western Europe. To date the most commonly used clinical protocol for surgical acceptance is based on the estimate of AAA diameter. The report prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality came to the conclusion that: the annual risk of rupture is 1% or lower for a diameter less than 5.5 cm; the 1-year risk of rupture increases with the aneurysm size; it may exceed 10% in the individuals with diameters above 6 cm. Assessment of AAA rupture risk has long been a topic of interest in clinical research setting. The ability to estimate patient specific probability of AAA rupture can lead to reduced health care costs, adequate and timely patient diagnostic and comfort. Math4AAArisk aims at the realization of a mathematical platform to support clinicians through the following steps: (A1) From medical imaging to sizing and morphological characterization of AAA, (A2) Preliminary risk evaluation, (A3) Computer simulation and enhanced risk assessment, (B1) Automatic surgery planner, (C1) Anonymous data base storage. The proposed mathematical platform yields quantitative physical indicators in real time at the sole request of inputting a few clinical measurements; it is patient adapted, as it integrates with patient’s radiological images, under full control of clinicians; it is aimed at improving the diagnostic analysis and possibly the surgical planning. We wish to establish the viability for a market exploitation of the math4AAArisk platform and identify possible later stage funding opportunities.

Mots-clés : abdominal aortic aneurism,aaa rupture,mathematical simulation platform,surgery planner,risk evaluation,market exploitation,endovascular aneurysm repair,stent grafting,free app,e2e diagnostic