Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : IONOS (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
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 : 1714095.0 €

While our understanding of the brain have made huge progresses, we are still inefficient in interfacing biological systems with electronics, both in terms of energy and integration potential. Pushed by the need to use conventional computers for building complex systems dedicated to brain interface applications, we have mostly capitalized on technologies and architectures inherits from microelectronic that are intrinsically not adapted to interface living systems. The IONOS project will shift the brain interface paradigm by developing new technologies designed to interact intimately with biological cells and capitalizing heavily on bio-inspiration. To reach this goal, the IONOS project will explore how to sense, stimulate and compute biological signals from in-vitro neural cells’ assembly based on iono-electronic materials and devices. These emerging devices offer basics functionalities such as memory, ion-electron signal’s transduction, and amplification paving the way to a new field of device and circuit engineering that could efficiently reproduce key biological functions such as learning and spatio-temporal processing of information. This project will demonstrate how these concepts associated to the bio-inspired computing paradigm can unlock our fundamental limitations for communicating with living neural cells. Proof of concept will show how an artificial system can efficiently send, receive and compute information from a biological one, which constitutes the basic of communication.
Projet ERC : Cenya (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Cenya imaging b.v. — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

While we do not possess magic, modern day medicine can sometimes approach the unbelievable - curing cancer or repopulating diseased heart tissue; all possible due to the advent of cell therapy. However, cell therapy has fallen far short of expectations. Its success requires the ability to monitor and optimise treatments in real time for each individual; necessitating a direct means of monitoring transferred cells. Noninvasive imaging techniques are essential to the success of modern therapeutics. Here, I will build on my work on developing multiscale GMP-ready imaging nanoparticle (NP) agents with the objective of out-licensing the technology to a new commercial venture, Cenya Imaging, to take this work from the bench to the bedside, and I have recruited an experienced CEO to drive this forward. Advisors have outlined a cheaper, faster and simpler path to regulatory approval for Cenya NPs: labelling cells ex vivo and tracking labelled cells after infusion into patients; since, with this approach, Cenya NPs are used to only track cells and not diagnose a disease, the regulatory hurdles are far lower. Recent developments in cell therapeutics have made tracking of cells a very attractive market; specifically (1) increasing investment in CAR-T cells, checkpoint inhibitors (which affect lymphocyte trafficking), and stem cell therapies (40% per annum growth in phase I trials); (2) regulatory push for increased safety and biodistribution data in trials; and (3) a lack of suitable clinical imaging agents. Market size is estimated at €300M; the FDA recently hired 50 new staff exclusively to deal with cell and gene therapies. We will exploit this new market, while also seeing this as the opportunity to play a significant role in the optimisation of cell therapies. We have surveyed nearly 100 users of cell therapy (preclinical, clinical; academics and industry) to decide on our approach, providing a good degree of validation for our choice of focus.

Mots-clés : cell therapy,cell tracking,imaging,nanoparticles,clinical imaging
Projet ERC : PALEOCHAR (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of La Laguna — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ULL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1996750.0 €

Who were the Neanderthals and what caused their demise? To answer these questions, the classic approach in archaeology relies on the analysis of the Neanderthals' stone-tool assemblages and the mineralized bone remains of their dietary intake. Although this approach has yielded a great deal of important information about the Neanderthals’ fate, it is also limited in the sense that the only evidence that is considered is in-organic in nature. In the current proposal, we attempt to answer these questions by considering microscopic and molecular evidence that is organic in nature. By studying the organic sedimentary record at such fine scales, we are able to extract information about, for example, the fat contents of the Neanderthal food, the way they made fire, the arrangements of their living spaces, their surrounding vegetation and the climatic conditions where they lived. By combining these different sources of information we aim to provide a more complete picture of the Neanderthals and the reason of their disappearance. Specifically, the PALEOCHAR project examines how Neanderthal diet, fire technology, settlement patterns, and surrounding vegetation were affected by changing climatic conditions. To do so, the project will integrate methodologies from micromorphology and organic geochemistry. A key and innovative aspect of the proposal is the consideration of microscopic and molecular evidence that is both organic and charred in nature. Climatic changes and behavioural responses will be examined at two Iberian sites which represent two key points along the Neanderthal time-line. The results of this project will make important contributions to the development of new methods for archaeological research, train a new generation of skilled geoarchaeologists knowledgeable in microstratigraphy and applied chemistry, and yield new insights into the Neanderthals and their demise.

Mots-clés : geoarchaeology,organic geochemistry,micromorphology
Projet ERC : HOTSPOT (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : UK Research and Innovation — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UKRI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 817434.07 €

Whole genome duplication (WGD) occurs in all eukaryotic kingdoms and is implicated in organismal complexity, adaptation and speciation. WGD is an especially important force in plant evolution and domestication. Nevertheless, despite the evolutionary potential of WGD, a sudden duplication of all chromosomes poses challenges to key processes, especially the reliable segregation of chromosomes at meiosis. Nonetheless, nature reveals solutions: the many polyploid species with diploid-like meiosis show that difficulties can be overcome. However, the molecular basis of this is mysterious: only one causal gene has been cloned to date. Our work in autotetraploid Arabidopsis arenosa revealed clear WGD-associated selective sweeps on meiosis genes with roles in crossover regulation. Natural variation in at least one of these genes has a dramatic effect on meiotic chromosome pairing. Here we assess whether species that independently adapted to the challenges attending WGD evolved similar solutions, whether crossover regulation is a common target of WGD-associated adaptation and whether standing variation in diploid populations contributes to adaptation to WGD. Aims of this programme are to: 1) produce quality reference genome assemblies for Cardamine amara and Arabis pumila, both of which harbor extant intraspecific ploidy variation; 2) test for the repeatability of adaptation mechanisms to WGD by genome scanning both species as well as three other independent WGDs in Arabidopsis lyrata and Mimulus guttatus; and 3) determine the causes and consequences of divergence of meiosis genes using functional analyses. We will utilize diverse genetic, genomic, and cytological approaches to understand repeatability and constraint in the context of intense selection on a conserved process. Further, this will provide insight into how organisms adapt to the altered cellular environment following WGD, a prevalent ongoing force in evolution and in the domestication of globally important crops.
Projet ERC : NeuroCompSkill (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : Hebrew University of Jerusalem — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HUJI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499888.0 €

Why do most people acquire expertise with practice whereas others fail to master the same tasks? NeuroCompSkill offers a neuro-computational framework that explains failure in acquiring verbal and non-verbal communication skills. It focuses on individual ability of using task-relevant regularities, postulating that efficient use of such regularities is crucial for acquiring expertise. Specifically, it proposes that using stable temporal regularities, acquired across long time windows (> 3 sec to days) is crucial for the formation of linguistic (phonological, morphological and orthographic) skills. In contrast, fast updating of recent events (within ~ .3- 3 sec), is crucial for the formation of predictions in interactive, social communication. Based on this, I propose that individuals with difficulties in retaining regularities will have difficulties in verbal communication, whereas individuals with difficulties in fast updating will have difficulties in social non-verbal communications. Five inter-related work packages (WP) will test the predictions that: (WP1) behaviourally – individuals with language and reading difficulties will have impoverished categorical representations, whereas individuals with non-verbal difficulties will be slow in adapting to changed statistics. (WP2) developmentally – poor detection of relevant regularities will be an early marker of related difficulties. (WP3) computationally – profiles of impaired inference will match the predicted time window. (WP4) neuronally – dynamics of neural adaptation will match the dynamics of behavioural inference. (WP5) structurally – different brain structures will be associated with the different time windows of inference. NeuroCompSkill is ground-breaking in proposing a unifying, theory based, testable principle, which explains core difficulties in two prevalent developmental communication disorders. Its 5 WPs will lay the foundations of a comprehensive approach to failure in skill acquisition.

Mots-clés : perceptual learning,statistical learning,reverse hierarchy theory,experts,sensori motor skills,bayesian,inference,prediction error,reading disability,language,social skills
Projet ERC : BM (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : Addis Ababa University — Pays : Éthiopie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : AAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 13905.0 €

Why do people convert to Islam? The contemporary relevance of this question is immediately apparent."Becoming Muslim" will transform our knowledge about Islamisation processes and contexts through archaeological research in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia, and examine this in comparison to other regions in sub-Saharan Africa via publication and a major conference. Assessing genuine belief is difficult, but the impact of trade, Saints, Sufis and Holy men, proselytisation, benefits gained from Arabic literacy and administration systems, enhanced power, prestige, warfare, and belonging to the larger Muslim community have all been suggested. Equally significant is the context of conversion. Why were certain sub-Saharan African cities key points for conversion to Islam, e.g. Gao and Timbuktu in the Western Sahel, and Harar in Ethiopia? Archaeological engagement with Islamisation processes and contexts of conversion in Africa is variable, and in parts of the continent research is static. This exciting 4-year project explores, for the first time, Islamic conversion and Islamisation through focusing on Harar, the most important living Islamic centre in the Horn of Africa, and its surrounding region. Islamic archaeology has been neglected in Ethiopia, and is wholly non-existent in Harar. Excavation at 5 key sites: 2 shrines, 2 abandoned settlements, 1 urban site, will permit evaluation of urban Islam, the veneration of saints, pilgrimage and shrine based practices, rural Islam, architecture and jihad, changes in lifeways, and early and comparative evidence for Islam and long-distance trade, through analysis of, e.g. architecture, epigraphy, burial orientation, imported artifacts, and faunal and botanical remains. Although it is fully acknowledged that conversion to Islam and Islamisation processes are not universal, my project is groundbreaking in developing and applying a transferable methodology for the archaeological explanation of "Becoming Muslim" in sub-Saharan Africa.
Projet ERC : BM (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of Exeter — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1013849.51 €

Why do people convert to Islam? The contemporary relevance of this question is immediately apparent."Becoming Muslim" will transform our knowledge about Islamisation processes and contexts through archaeological research in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia, and examine this in comparison to other regions in sub-Saharan Africa via publication and a major conference. Assessing genuine belief is difficult, but the impact of trade, Saints, Sufis and Holy men, proselytisation, benefits gained from Arabic literacy and administration systems, enhanced power, prestige, warfare, and belonging to the larger Muslim community have all been suggested. Equally significant is the context of conversion. Why were certain sub-Saharan African cities key points for conversion to Islam, e.g. Gao and Timbuktu in the Western Sahel, and Harar in Ethiopia? Archaeological engagement with Islamisation processes and contexts of conversion in Africa is variable, and in parts of the continent research is static. This exciting 4-year project explores, for the first time, Islamic conversion and Islamisation through focusing on Harar, the most important living Islamic centre in the Horn of Africa, and its surrounding region. Islamic archaeology has been neglected in Ethiopia, and is wholly non-existent in Harar. Excavation at 5 key sites: 2 shrines, 2 abandoned settlements, 1 urban site, will permit evaluation of urban Islam, the veneration of saints, pilgrimage and shrine based practices, rural Islam, architecture and jihad, changes in lifeways, and early and comparative evidence for Islam and long-distance trade, through analysis of, e.g. architecture, epigraphy, burial orientation, imported artifacts, and faunal and botanical remains. Although it is fully acknowledged that conversion to Islam and Islamisation processes are not universal, my project is groundbreaking in developing and applying a transferable methodology for the archaeological explanation of "Becoming Muslim" in sub-Saharan Africa.
Projet ERC : GREATDIGINTHESKY (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
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 : 2370250.5 €

Why most of the matter in the Universe appears to be dark, and constituted of some unknown particles, is one of the most important open questions in physics today. Here we propose to investigate the relative merits of different possibilities for the nature of this dark matter, as well as alternative proposals for the nature of the gravitational interaction, by comparing their predictions to new high spatial resolution measurements of the 3D acceleration field in the Milky Way. These measurements will be achieved primarily by finding and analysing the many stellar streams that criss-cross our Galaxy. We have already built a stream-finding prototype that we have used with the Gaia mission’s second data release (DR2) to detect 13 new beautiful phase-space streams in the Milky Way. This project aims to develop analysis techniques that will allow us to combine data from all relevant sky surveys together with future Gaia releases to identify many other Galactic star streams. It is plausible that 100 or more streams may be identified by the end of our project. The conjoint analysis of these interwoven structures will provide us with the means to derive, for the very first time, the three-dimensional acceleration field on scales of 1-100 kpc. The streams will be used to probe the granularity of the dark matter distribution, testing whether their kinematics and sub-structure are consistent with interaction with the expected sub-halos of the standard Λ Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) paradigm. We will also simulate star streams in several alternative scenarios, including fuzzy dark matter, dipolar dark matter, superfluid dark matter, and modified Newtonian dynamics, and quantify their relative merits to simulations in ΛCDM. Together, these studies will test theories of gravity and dark matter theories, place the best constraints on the distribution of dark matter in our Galaxy, and probe the substructure of the dark matter, thereby setting the state of the art for the next decade.

Mots-clés : dark matter,gravitation
Projet ERC : TRANSFER (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Leibniz Association — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499928.0 €

Wild relatives of domesticated plants have long been recognized as important sources of beneficial traits for crop improvement. Having diverged millions of years ago from the domesticate, they have evolved adaptations to more diverse habitats, potentially representing a much wider genetic diversity than could be captured by intraspecific diversity in a crop and its direct wild progenitor. However, concomitant sequence and karyotype divergence have made crop-wild relatives inaccessible to the cross-and-select cycles of traditional breeding. Thus, the main obstacles to transferring beneficial traits from wild relatives have been the lack of effective methods for gene isolation and fertility barriers. The technological breakthroughs in high-throughput sequencing, genome mapping and genotyping have brought to wild species a full-fledged toolkit for linking genotype and phenotype, namely quantitative trait locus mapping and genome scans in natural population. At the same time, new biotechnological approaches have obliterated the need for overcoming crossing barriers: discrete genetic factors controlling adaptive traits can be isolated in the wild relatives and then transferred into the domesticate by gene editing. Exploiting these innovations, this project aims at understanding speciation and edaphic adaptation in three closely related wild relative of barley from South America. We will elucidate the genetic basis of salt tolerance and transfer it into the domesticate. Our specific aims are to (i) develop a genomics toolbox for a complex of three Hordeum species from Patagonia; (ii) understand the interplay of speciation, adaptation and patterns of sequence diversity by population genomic analyses; and (iii) isolate genes involved in adaptation to saline soils and transform them into domesticated barley.

Mots-clés : crop wild relatives,genetic diversity,adaptation,salinity tolerance,barley,hordeum
Projet ERC : THUNDERR (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : University of Genoa — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UniGe
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2236161.66 €

Wind actions are crucial for the safety and cost of structures. The wind climate of Europe and many parts of the world is dominated by synoptic extra-tropical cyclones and mesoscale thunderstorm outflows. Thunderstorms are frequent events causing wind speeds often higher than cyclones. In spite of an impressive amount of research, there is not yet a model for thunderstorm outflows and their actions on structures like that for cyclones. Thus, thunderstorm actions on structures are still determined using the cyclone model developed half a century ago and engineering practice often leads to unsafe or too expensive construction. This happens because the complexity of thunderstorms makes it difficult to develop realistic and simple models. Their short duration and small size make the available data very poor. There is a great gap between research in wind engineering and atmospheric sciences. The realization of an unprecedented wind monitoring network, the role of the PI and his novel vision, a project team leader in wind engineering with interdisciplinary skill in atmospheric sciences, the chance to simulate large-scale thunderstorms in a new unique laboratory, the recent advance in CFD simulations, the success and synergy of previous and on-going projects, and a top host institution represent extraordinary conditions to overcome these shortcomings. THUNDERR is an acronym of THUNDERstorm that points out the ground-breaking Roar of this project. It aims to detect novel thunderstorm measurements, to create a huge dataset of field acquisitions and a new interpretation of their weather scenarios, to conduct unique wind tunnel tests and CFD analyses, to formulate a thunderstorm model that is physically correct and suitable to develop a loading scheme easily transferable to engineering and codification, to radically change the existing wind loading format and the engineering practice, to design safer and cost-efficient structures producing a deep social and economic impact.

Mots-clés : wind engineering,structural engineering,atmospheric sciences,thunderstorm outflows