Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : FINGER-PT (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
Entité participante : Université de Coimbra — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499961.0 €

Plate Tectonics (PT) is a well-established framework of moving plates made of oceanic and continental lithosphere. The main driving force of this system is the slab pull, a force imposed as the older and colder subducting plate sinks into the asthenosphere at convergent boundaries, producing Low Temperature/High Pressure (LT-HP) metamorphic rocks. Although our understanding about PT has improved in the last decades, there are major unknowns remaining, namely when and how its onset took place, a highly controversial topic. The record of LT-HP metamorphic rocks becomes continuous only from 850-750 Ma onwards, but recent evidence of these rocks at 2100-2000 Ma suggests a similar Tectonic regime operated at this time as well. An outstanding question arises: did Plate Tectonics, as we know it today, begin to operate only 850Ma ago or did this change take place much earlier but disappeared as the result of a preservation bias affecting LT/HP rocks? FINGER-PT will test this hypothesis using detrital minerals in sedimentary rocks that can track older LT-HP. Key minerals that can retain pressure, temperature, and age (P-T-t) information will be used, applying chronothermobarometric tools. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we will (i) combine the existing tools with new ones to obtain reliable P-T-t conditions; ii) test these tools and study the survival of eroded LT-HP terranes via mineral analyses in analogue modern sediments draining an exposed subduction zone; iii) identify and sample the most appropriate units, whose detrital minerals record the last 1000 to 4000 Ma, to trace the secular evolution of cold subduction. The emerging new tools from FINGER-PT, some that push current technological boundaries, will be widely applied by other petrologists. Establishing when modern-day PT began will influence the geodynamic mechanisms proposed for the early Earth (e.g. sluggish tectonics), forcing a shift of current conceptual models on the evolution of Earth systems.

Mots-clés : evolution of plate tectonics detrital heavy minerals petrogeochemical tools early earth dynamics experimental petrology rutile titanite garnet
Projet ERC : TB-QUEST (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention,  Diagnosis and T reatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Fundacao manhica — Pays : Mozambique — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : FM
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 925000.0 €

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. The majority of TB control policies rely on the binary paradigm of TB, which focus on interventions tackling ‘latent’ TB infection and ‘active’ TB disease stages. However, recent evidence disputes this longstanding conceptualization of TB natural history, demonstrating that TB exists on a continuous spectrum of bacterial and immunological responses. Several active case-finding studies have shown that around 50% of the cases in whom Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated in sputum were asymptomatic. Subclinical (asymptomatic) TB has lately attracted increased scientific interest since it could play an important role in TB transmission, despite the absence of cough. However, beyond limited evidence on TB transmission based on modelling studies using retrospective data collection, there is not a single field study showing a direct transmission from an index subclinical TB case to a secondary laboratory-confirmed case. If subclinical TB does spread the disease, the consequences for global TB control and research are of paramount importance. I propose to characterize the subclinical TB stage within the natural history of TB and to understand its role in spreading the disease. I have designed a field epidemiological study (TB-QUEST) with the potential to show evidence of effective transmission from subclinical TB cases to close contacts, using pathogen genome sequencing. Additionally, by using innovative wearable technology, I will assess whether objective tools to measure classical TB symptoms match the self-reported absence of symptoms. Thus, I might challenge the current definition of subclinical TB and the usefulness of current TB screening algorithms. Lastly, I will study the clinical trajectory of subclinical TB in order to improve our understanding of its natural history, duration of infectiousness, and factors associated with self-clearance or progression to symptomatic disease.

Mots-clés : tuberculosis epidemiology infectious diseases global health subclinical
Projet ERC : DeepMechanism (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Entité participante : Institut Francis Crick — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : The Crick
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499466.0 €

Signalling enables cells to respond to external cues, but the inherent heterogeneity of individual cell responses, essential for multicellular organization, complicates disease treatment. Heterogeneity arises from drivers at system and molecular scales, intertwined through feedback loops, making quantitative understanding and prediction challenging. I will address this by pioneering transformative computational methods that predict phospho-signalling responses by integrating deep learning with mechanistic modelling to integrate systems and molecular scales.  By using unbiased pattern recognition of deep learning models, I will learn cell states and simple phosphorylation rate laws. These will be combined with mechanistic models, integrating biological knowledge, to build simple and interpretable models that predict signalling responses from baseline omics profiles across distinct time-resolved and perturbational conditions. I will apply these methods to investigate drivers of heterogeneity in receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and rat sarcoma (RAS) signalling, in response to growth factors and targeted inhibitors in cancer cell lines. I will validate the approach by reprogramming patient-derived organoids using model-proposed inhibitor combinations.  The proposed research will advance our fundamental understanding of signalling regulation and co-regulation with cellular states. Given the vital role of RTK and RAS signalling in human health, it also holds the potential for translational impact. More broadly, the proposed computational methods are versatile and could be applied to a broad range of biological and non-biological systems.

Mots-clés : mechanistic models,ordinary differential equations,cancer,mathematical modeling,signaling,heterogeneity,plasticity,adaptive resistance,targeted inhibitors,machine learning
Projet ERC : ALGOCONTRACT (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Technion - Institut de technologie d'Israël — Pays : Israël — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 555000.0 €

No algorithm is an island -- algorithms constantly interact with self-interested players. Algorithmic Game Theory (AGT) has thus far concentrated on one aspect of this: the algorithm's input is reported by such players. Incentivizing truthful reports is the focus of mechanism design in economics, and in AGT, algorithmic mechanism design became a hugely successful research area. We propose to apply the algorithmic lens to a different but no less important field in economics called contract design, recognized by the 2016 Nobel Prize. The essence of a contract is to incentivize players' actions (rather than reports). It is thus extremely relevant to another way in which algorithms interact with players -- the algorithm's output is carried out through their actions. We refer to the new research area that will emerge as algorithmic contract design (ACD).  We aim to lay the theoretical foundations for ACD. Typically, computational environments are more complex than traditional economics ones. Key complexities are: 1) A rich choice of actions makes computing an optimal contract nontrivial; 2) The optimal contract can be unintuitive and brittle; 3) A one-size-fits-all contract is suboptimal for a diverse player population; 4) Multiple contracts can undermine each other; 5) Traditional contract formats can be too weak. We will tackle these complexities, designing the next generation of algorithmic incentive schemes for strategic action -- tractable, simple/robust, personalized and coordinated -- and develop new contract formats en route. The potential impact of ACD is far-reaching: First, it will prevent traditional algorithms from failing due to selfish action choices. Second, given the current influence of algorithms on behavior, it will help achieve a more socially-efficient allocation of effort. Applications include traditional contracts moving to online platforms, like freelancing, as well as novel data-driven incentive schemes for domains like digital healthcare.

Mots-clés : algorithmic game theory,algorithmic mechanism design,algorithmic contract theory,moral hazard and adverse selection,optimal mechanism design,algorithmic delegation,simple versus optimal mechanisms,strategic classification,beyond worst case analysis,combinatorial auctions
Projet ERC : EXPLOSYN (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Technion - Institut de technologie d'Israël — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Our goal is to create Program Synthesis that can be used during Exploratory Programming to boost productivity and reliability when programmers write code. Program synthesis generates code for programmers so they can focus on the problem-solving aspects of their work. This often requires programmers to write a specification for the desired code, but this specification may not exist. Many aspects are initially undecided: implementation details, the division into subtasks, and at times even what the result should be. This leads programmers to use Exploratory Programming: refining their understanding of the code by writing the code. User studies we conducted to evaluate previous synthesis tools highlighted the chasm between what programmers know before writing code and the specifications program synthesis needs.  We will develop Exploratory Program Synthesis: tools that can support the programmer even when their initial specification of the task is lacking. Exploratory Program Synthesis will hinge on finding non-disruptive ways for the programmer to use synthesis while still using specifications so that results retain a notion of correctness. This will require a better understanding of both exploratory programming and existing user-centric challenges in program synthesis, and will produce new synthesis interaction models backed by new synthesis algorithms. The conceptual leap is finding ways for programmers to interact with synthesis that are designed for the needs of both programmer and synthesizer by better understanding both, forming an interface between the two that is mutually beneficial.  Exploratory Program Synthesis will revolutionize programming by letting the wealth of synthesis research be integrated into programmers' day-to-day work, allowing programmers to generate code that is attuned to their work trajectory. The algorithms and interaction models developed in this research will significantly improve programmers' ability to write correct code quickly.

Mots-clés : program synthesis,interactive synthesis,exploratory programming
Projet ERC : 5D-Neuro (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Materials Engineering
Entité participante : Technion - Institut de technologie d'Israël — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1750000.0 €

The cellular microenvironment is tightly regulated by biochemical and physical cues. While state of the art electrical and mechanical devices can perturb the biophysical cell niche in 2D monolayers, 3D tissue cultures are considered a much more comprehensive and representative model of the in vivo microenvironment. However, the available biomodulation “toolkit” does not meet the required level of complexity, specificity, and accuracy. This limitation hinders the ability to address basic questions in brain research and to develop new nonpharmacological interventions such as next generation neuroengineering-technologies and biointerfaces. We propose to develop a novel biomaterial for nongenetic leadless electrical and mechanical biomodulation in 3D engineered tissues. The leadless electrical biomodulation will be induced via optical illumination of semiconducting silicon micro- and nanostructures, which will potentially yield spatial resolution of hundreds of nanometres, two orders of magnitude smaller than the current state-of-the-art 3D biointerfaces. The mechanical perturbation will be achieved by spatially defined iron microstructures that will be manipulated via spatially homogenous magnetic fields, resulting in mechanical perturbation resolution down to few microns, which is unprecedented in 3D tissue constructs. Lastly, we will integrate the two materials into a single 3D platform to construct the 5D-NEURO, allowing leadless electrical and mechanical bi-modal perturbation simultaneously and independently. Herein, we will both establish a new tool for biophysical modulation and generate new fundamental knowledge about the role of bioelectrical, biomechanical, and their synergistic effect on neuronal growth and regeneration in 3D models. Moreover, such a platform lays the ground for next generation engineered tissues for applications spanning from fundamental brain developmental research and future translational clinical interventions.

Mots-clés : optoelectronic,magnetic actuation,electrical stimulation,mechanical actuation,biomodulation
Projet ERC : CountHom (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : IT University of Copenhagen — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 581323.82 €

This project addresses the computational complexity of counting problems in graphs; such problems ask to compute the number of certain structures rather than merely deciding their existence. Counting problems find applications in diverse areas like network analysis, machine learning, probabilistic databases, and statistical physics. They are linked to fundamental questions in complexity theory and give rise to algorithmic breakthroughs for decision problems.  The proposed project will go beyond the state of the art in computational counting by building bridges between algorithms/complexity and the mathematical theory of graph homomorphisms, which are structure-preserving maps between graphs. Already starting from the 1960s, Lovász and others showed that homomorphism numbers between graphs tie together disparate mathematical areas—similarly, the PI observed in the past 5 years that the computational problem of counting homomorphisms unifies a range of problems in computer science that were previously studied in isolation. This connection allows us to approach fundamental questions in parameterized and fine-grained complexity related to the complexity of counting small patterns in large graphs, which were out of reach for more combinatorial approaches. Secondly, it allows us to revisit problems in classical counting complexity from a new angle, especially for partition functions in discrete physical systems, with the aim of simplifying, unifying and extending known results. Thirdly, homomorphism counts give a surprising novel viewpoint on questions in algebraic complexity surrounding the “permanent versus determinant” problem, an algebraic variant of the “P versus NP” problem.

Mots-clés : theoretical computer science,algorithms,counting complexity,parameterized complexity,algebraic complexity,homomorphisms,subgraphs,partition functions,perfect matchings,permanent,determinant
Projet ERC : ARTIVES (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Université de Lisbonne — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 357175.0 €

This project will study imaginaries of diversity portrayed by Afro-European artists in Lisbon and Rotterdam in their films, performances and (oral) stories. These stories are not sufficiently related to in the mainstream discourses and the hypothesis is that the arts offer a particularly vibrant textual weft for exploring competing imaginaries of postcolonial urbanity. The two European ports are chosen since they position themselves as ‘open-to-the-world’ in light of their maritime history and ensuing migration dynamic. Yet they significantly differ in the ways that their municipalities frame their multiculturalism. I will build the framework of ‘urban artives’ – archives of situated stories – to explore non-essentializing conceptualizations of migration-related diversity. By close reading creative forms of storytelling; interviewing and following artists in their city wanderings; digitally mapping spaces of inspiration, production, and performance; and producing two creative outputs, ARTIVES will 1) trace transnational networks of belonging embodied in the local cultural scene and 2) test the possibilities and limitations in relating to these stories in ways that break away with ‘migrantising’ (Wiest 2020) conceptions of society. This research will transpose recent developments in the field of Critical Archival Studies, namely attempts to account for the transitory nature of identity formation in records’ preservation, to the fields of qualitative culture-oriented Urban Studies and Migration and Transnationalism Studies. In this way, ARTIVES will bridge the symbolic, material and affective aspects of how urban communities realize their sense of belonging and claim agency within highly diverse cities. Furthermore, the project will offer a best practice for working with community-driven knowledge contributing to the ongoing debate in Cultural Anthropology and Cultural Studies on how power relations are implicated in participatory research.
Projet ERC : CHOPIN (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Entité participante : Université de Rome « Tor Vergata » — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1384050.0 €

Plasmonic catalysis is the field of chemistry that studies chemical reactions catalyzed by surface plasmons. By exploiting their unique properties, it offers enhanced reaction rates and selectivity. From a theoretical point of view, describing plasmonic catalysis is particularly challenging, because many mechanisms take place simultaneously. Such complexity and the limitations of current theoretical methods hinder a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. In fact, current models struggle to capture the interplay between reaction dynamics, nanostructure response, and plasmonic decay, often oversimplifying critical factors such as shape, size, and atomistic features of the plasmonic substrate.  CHOPIN aims to bridge the current gaps in the modeling of plasmonic catalysis, by integrating state-of-the-art techniques from theoretical chemistry, condensed matter physics, and quantum electrodynamics. To this end, I will introduce novel, fully atomistic multiscale methodologies to describe the key steps of plasmonic catalysis: adsorption and activation of the reactants upon plasmon photoexcitation, reaction pathways, and desorption of products. The models will permit quantifying and rationalizing the effects of non-uniform spatial plasmonic fields, plasmonic decay, and hot carrier injections on chemical reactions catalyzed by plasmonic structures of any shape, size, and composition.  The developed methodologies will be carefully validated and tested against selected pilot applications, focusing on complex nanoreactors with unique features such as highly localized electric fields demanding a fully atomistic description of the system. By demonstrating the robustness, effectiveness, and versatility of the proposed approaches in modeling plasmonic photo-induced phenomena, CHOPIN aims to provide a platform for integrating experimental results with theoretical predictions, thus fostering a deeper understanding of the underlying processes.

Mots-clés : multiscale,quantum classical,embedding,quantum chemistry,atomistic
Projet ERC : AfDevLives (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Entité participante : Associacao iscte conhecimento e inovacao - centro de valorizacao e transferencia de tecnologias — Pays : Portugal — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CVTT-ISCTE
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 554248.96 €

International development involves ideologies and activities ostensibly directed towards the improvement of well-being of populations in the Global South. Mainstream development interventions emphasize forward-looking ideas of progress and advocate for novelty. In so doing, however, the sector is often myopic, as evidenced by countless unintended consequences that stretch beyond interventions' official life cycle. Whether deemed success or failure, such interventions leave behind a long trail of tangible and intangible traces. Project AfDevLives explores how development interventions' representational and material remains are experienced, employed, and re-appropriated by local actors over time, and how such active immanence of the past affects people's life-worlds. It weaves together three temporal gazes: prospective (development's blueprints); retrospective (sediments of the past, shorthanded as interventions' 'afterlives'); and present-time lived experience. Consciously de-centering formal development discourse and temporalities, the project develops and applies a phenomenological framework oriented around embodiment and intertwinement of people, objects, and space. Using an interdisciplinary approach centered on social anthropology, research will be conducted in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, neighbouring Eastern African countries that are among the highest recipients of development aid and whose past and present balance continuities and ruptures. The project will unfold via an iterative process involving four complementary work packages: Movement, Image, Storytelling, and Synthesis. Working across work packages, countries, and case studies, the project will pursue three categories of objectives: conceptual (methodological toolkit), empirical (based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork), and practical (aimed at the development sector, local heirs of interventions, and the public at large). The project will result in a robust set of outputs.

Mots-clés : international development,development interventions,afterlives,phenomenology,eastern africa,ruination