Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : FASTFIX (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Entité participante : Wageningen University & Research — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WUR
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499980.0 €

Biological CO2 fixation is the primary process responsible for biomass and food production and a key player in the atmospheric CO2 balance. Almost all biological CO2 fixation is caried out by a single pathway: the Calvin cycle. Despite the dominance of this pathway in nature it seems relatively inefficient due to high energy costs and poor enzyme kinetics. An exciting option to improve this efficiency, is the exploration of potentially more efficient synthetic CO2 pathways. However, a key challenge to identify promising synthetic CO2 fixation pathways is the limited availability of kinetic data on relevant enzymes. In addition, kinetic data are usually measured in vitro and hence not always representative for the performance in living cells. In FASTFIX, I will develop and use a novel method to quantify kinetics of enzymes within living cells. I will do this by making the growth rate of engineered Escherichia coli cells directly dependent on the kinetics and levels of the enzymes of interest. By measuring the growth rates and enzyme levels by absolute quantitative proteomics, the in vivo kinetics of the enzymes can be determined. This approach will be used to generate a complete overview of the kinetics of enzymes involved in promising synthetic CO2 fixation pathways. This will enable an unprecedented systematic analysis of the kinetics of synthetic CO2 fixation pathways. Based on this analysis I will select the most promising pathway design. Enabled by the in vivo kinetics data I will then employ a novel forward-engineering method to effectively engineer and demonstrate the performance of the full pathway in E. coli. The realization of a fast, energy-efficient synthetic CO2 fixation pathway in living cells will be a major milestone. The anticipated results will be promising for efficient CO2-based biotechnological production, and in the longer-term may increase agricultural yields and help to more efficiently mitigate humanity’s CO2 footprint.

Mots-clés : metabolic engineering microbial biotechnology carbon fixation synthetic metabolism
Projet ERC : LEGIT (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Human Mobility, Environment, and Space
Entité participante : Wageningen University & Research — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : WUR
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Models facilitate anticipatory governance. A prominent example is the use of climate models to support the Paris Agreement. But models are not neutral - they conceal value-laden choices, such as in how model approaches are selected or model applications are framed. This implies that certain perspectives are favoured by the model. Since decisions based on such value-laden models have real-world consequences, it is essential to understand how these models obtained the legitimacy to serve as policy advisors. The model code itself reveals only the tip of the iceberg, because it does not show the negotiations before the model was established. Therefore, the LEGIT project aims to uncover the factors and processes through which especially water-management models acquire legitimacy to support decisions and to develop theory on establishing legitimacy. To achieve this goal, my team and I scrutinize three case studies and explore the social-political-institutional, the socio-technical, and the simulation perspective through respectively policy document analysis and interviews with decision-makers; model documentation analysis, interviews with modellers and ethnographic observations of modellers; and extensive uncertainty analysis of model applications. This rich collection of data allows to formulate a preliminary theory of legitimacy of water-management models as decision support tools. This theory will be further refined based on a serious game that mimics relevant actors and decision processes. LEGIT starts from a strong empirical stance with the aim to understand modelling in anticipatory governance. LEGIT’s theory will enhance insights on concealed values in such models and allows for in-depth discussion of their policy application. But more importantly, LEGIT explains how a model got authority, despite its concealed values. This paves the way to more transparency in the process of using models as decision support tools, thereby contributing to a stronger democracy.

Mots-clés : numerical modelling anticipatory governance decision making water management legitimacy uncertainty analysis
Projet ERC : GROUPMINDS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Texts and Concepts
Entité participante : Université de Chypre — Pays : Chypre — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1494750.0 €

Social cognition is a crucial category of both life and narratives. We read stories about people who engage in social interactions, act on shared emotions and thoughts, and often view themselves as part of specific groups. But how does narrative representation of collective consciousness serve as a mode of coming to grips with everyday social and distributed cognition? My project aims to build a bridge between narrative theory and a phenomenological take on cognition as socially extended and distributed among a set of individuals, in order to provide new answers as to the question of narrative’s function in humans' understanding of the social world.  Ancient literature offers precious material for such an approach. The research hypothesis of this project is that Greek and Latin narratives thematise processes of group cognition in ways hitherto undetected, and that a detailed analysis of these processes offers new insights over the way narrative cognitively affects both reading experience and real-life experience of intersubjectivity. In order to be able to test this hypothesis, the project adopts an interdisciplinary methodology that brings together structuralist narratology, cognitive narrative studies, and research on social cognition in philosophy, psychology, and the cognitive sciences. It envisages the following objectives: (1) to analyse the techniques by which group minds and intermentality are narrativised, and thus offer the first narratology of collectives; (2) to investigate the cognitive responses which are evoked in the audiences during story reading; and (3) to illuminate the ways and extent that thinking about collective narrative minds feeds into thinking about human minds, cognitive interaction, and intersubjectivity in the real world. The project offers a groundbreaking contribution to the narratological analysis of (ancient) texts, the study of narrative’s social, cognitive and psychological effects on reader, the history of social cognition, and all disciplines that study group minds.

Mots-clés : ancient greek and latin literature,literary theory,narratology,cognitive narratology,group cognition,social cognition
Projet ERC : MMSCancer (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université de Chypre — Pays : Chypre — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 586437.5 €

Inefficient drug delivery to tumors can reduce dramatically treatment efficacy and thus, affect negatively the life of cancer patients. This is particularly evident in desmoplastic cancers where interactions among cancer cells, stromal cells and the fibrotic matrix cause tumor stiffening and accumulation of mechanical forces that compress tumor blood vessels. Indeed, in subsets of pancreatic cancers and sarcomas, 95% of intratumoral blood vessels may be compressed and up to 80% totally collapsed leading to reduced blood flow (hypo-perfusion) and drug delivery. Hypo-perfusion also leads to hypoxia that helps cancer cells evade the immune system and increase their invasive and metastatic potential. Use of mechanotherapeutics and ultrasound sonopermeation are two mechano-modulation strategies that separately have been employed to treat vascular abnormalities in tumors. Even though these strategies have reached the clinic, their promise has yet to be realized by cancer patients owning to limitations of the methods. My hypothesis is that these strategies can uniquely complement each other and have not only additive, but highly multiplicative synergistic effects on modulating the desmoplastic tumor microenvironment and improving the efficacy of the promising but still of limited use nano-immunotherapy. However, it is crucial that specific guidelines should be developed. To achieve this ground-breaking goal, I will employ a mixture of cutting-edge computational and experimental techniques. I will perform in vivo mice studies in pancreatic cancers and sarcomas to investigate under what conditions these mechano-modulation strategies can be optimally combined to improve treatment efficacy, prevent metastasis and increase survival. In parallel, I will develop new mathematical models to provide useful guidelines for optimizing the experimental protocol. MMSCancer will introduce novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of drug resistant tumors leading to better therapies.

Mots-clés : bioengineering,biomechanics,computational models,mechanical properties,tumor pathophysiology,drug delivery,animal tumor models,ultrasound shear wave elastography
Projet ERC : DiAnQuGe (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1495150.0 €

This project lies at the crossroads of analysis, geometry and probability theory. DiAnQuGe aims to uncover quantitative properties of geometric objects using techniques from functional analysis, harmonic analysis and probability. Specifically, it is dedicated to the following directions:  How well does a given metric space embed in a Banach space or a space with curvature bounds? In Section 1, I propose to investigate the (in)compatibility of the geometries of finite metrics, including expander-like objects and balls of Carnot groups, with Alexandrov spaces of bounded curvature. Based on a well-established analogy with nonlinear Banach space theory, this will require the development of suitable metric invariants, thus forming a link with discrete analysis. On a related direction, I propose a systematic way to develop such invariants for normed spaces, which will serve as a categorical implementation of Bourgain's proposed Ribe program.  How does the spectrum of a voting system correlate with the behavior of individual voters? Voting systems are mathematically modeled by functions defined on the vertices of a hypercube in Euclidean space. In Section 2, I propose to utilize input from Fourier analysis, approximation theory and stochastic analysis to further understand the interaction of the spectrum and influences of Boolean functions, along with applications in computer science.  How does a high-dimensional convex set look like? In Section 3, I propose to investigate sharp behaviors of isoperimetric profiles of convex sets using a mixture of geometric and probabilistic techniques, with a novel component from calculus of variations.  Despite the different origins of these questions, all aforementioned objects share the common feature of having a large-yet-finite dimension, in an appropriate sense. This joint characteristic allows for the transfer of intuition and techniques from one field to the other and has been the driving force behind many recent advances.

Mots-clés : metric embeddings,ribe program,discrete analysis,geometric functional analysis,convex geometry,high dimensional probability
Projet ERC : MEMENTO (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
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 : 2246176.0 €

Earthquakes pose a major threat to society, yet short-term forecasting remains elusive due to our limited understanding of how they initiate. Recent advances in seismology and geodesy have significantly enhanced the resolution of observations, revealing the stressed and fractured nature of the earthquake-hosting crust at plate boundaries. However, laboratory rock deformation studies still fall short—focusing on far-from-reality optimal fault orientations in intact elastic crust. MEMENTO—Monitoring Earthquake Mechanics under Evolving Natural TectOnic stress—will bridge this gap by replicating, for the first time, a critically stressed and highly fractured crust during the earthquake preparatory and nucleation phases, under diverse stress regimes, including pioneering experiments on extensional earthquakes. MEMENTO is structured around three main objectives: (1) decoding the role of a critically stressed crust in earthquake mechanics, (2) advancing experimental capabilities for simulating diverse tectonic stress conditions, and (3) integrating laboratory findings with natural seismic sequences using numerical and seismological tools. The project will employ a novel rock deformation prototype, DANTE—Deformation Apparatus simulating Natural Tectonic stress Evolution—to capture the interplay between stress, damage, and slip across the entire earthquake cycle and the full spectrum of tectonic stress regimes. MEMENTO will provide an unprecedented perspective on how diverse stress regimes govern earthquake precursors and nucleation. To ensure the relevance of laboratory findings to natural seismic sequences, MEMENTO will integrate experimental results with state-of-the-art quasi-dynamic simulations and high-resolution seismic observations. This upscaling effort bridges the gap between controlled experiments and real-world seismicity, establishing a new benchmark for understanding earthquake mechanics and informing the development of more reliable forecasting tools.

Mots-clés : mechanics of earthquake and faulting,experimental rock deformation
Projet ERC : 3DTOP (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
Entité participante : Université de Technologie de Kaiserslautern — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUK
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999838.0 €

In eukaryotic cells, many proteins are produced next to the organelles where they function, demonstrating a link between translation and protein targeting. The mechanisms of this connection are mostly unknown. In this proposal, I bring together the fields of translation regulation and organelle biogenesis to find this out. I approach the problem with a powerful combination of functional genomics and cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET). First, I want to create a quantitative map of proximal translation next to all the organelles and their sub-domains. Using high-throughput imaging, I will determine localizations of all the mRNAs and their dependence on translation. I will also map the positions and orientations of ribosomes next to all the membranes using proximity labelling and direct quantification of native ribosomes with cryo-ET. Beyond mapping, I want to understand how this local translation map is adapted to different conditions. Using high-throughput screening, I will determine what global and local factors establish and regulate proximal translation at each organelle. Finally, I will investigate the role proximal translation plays in essential organelle functions and get mechanistic insights into how local regulators help to carry it out. When completed, the project will overturn the binary view of either Sec61-coupled translation on the ER surface vs. free cytosolic translation of all the other organellar proteins. Instead, I will uncover a holistic picture of multiple proximal translation locales with distinct regulation. I aim to discover new connections between the two fundamental processes of protein synthesis and organelle biogenesis and thus make a ground-breaking advance in the understanding of how cells coordinate their architecture and functions.

Mots-clés : protein targeting,protein translocation,mitochondria,endoplasmic reticulum,peroxisomes,ribosome,ribosome quality control,regulation of translation,local translation,yeast genetics,high content screening,cryogenic electron tomography,subtomogram averaging
Projet ERC : Climplexity (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Université de Technologie de Kaiserslautern — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUK
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Public policy research finds integrating climate change into other policy sectors a key to achieving climate goals. The EU has set climate as a horizontal priority and adopted a multitude of policies across sectors. Yet, the EU is projected to miss its net-zero goal for 2050. Why? I propose an explanation. As climate-related policies proliferate, they do not necessarily add up coherently and pave the way for a complexity trap. However, we do not have a system-level picture of synergistic and contradictory climate-relevant interdependencies between EU policies. Such knowledge would be needed to unpack implementation barriers that hinder success in climate policy. The issue is under-investigated because we lack adequate theories and study methods. CLIMPLEXITY’s goal is to develop a new theory about policy integration processes to explain why growing policy regimes remain poorly coordinated given actors’ constellations of power and cross-sectoral activities. To quantitatively model policy interdependencies, CLIMPLEXITY proposes a network method linking synergistic or contradictory policy instruments and goals. Results will reveal patterns of policy (dis)integration, their temporal dynamics and system-level solutions via simulated policy reforms. Do political actors then overcome the policy complexity trap or rather add to it? For the EU and selected members states, CLIMPLEXITY compares the coordination mechanisms political actors use to integrate overarching issues like climate across sectors. Based on my expertise in analysing actor constellations in policy processes, I combine rich qualitative and quantitative methods, including process tracing, interviews, surveys, comparative case studies and advanced network analysis. CLIMPLEXITY will deliver insights and advice to improve climate policy integration in the EU. Given the widely observed phenomenon of policy disintegration, the project’s contribution to advance the debate will reach far beyond climate policy.

Mots-clés : public policy,policy processes,policy dis integration,climate policy integration,environmental policy integration,climate policy,policy instruments,social network analysis
Projet ERC : OPOSSUM (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Istituto nazionale di fisica nucleare — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : INFN
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1297500.0 €

The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) would revolutionise our understanding of neutrinos by affirming their Majorana nature and shedding light on their absolute mass scale and hierarchy. Detecting its monochromatic peak at MeV levels, with half-lives over 1026 years, is a significant challenge. Scientists are striving to push the scale of experimental exposures to tons of material per years. It is only in a background-free experiment that sensitivity scales linearly with exposure, maximising the benefits of increased detector mass. The forefront of this search lies with ton-scale arrays of bolometers at mK temperatures, such as CUORE, which investigates 0νββ in 130Te using TeO2 crystals, known for their exceptional energy resolution but plagued by background event identification challenges. With its 34% isotopic abundance 130Te emerges as the leading 0νββ candidate, bypassing the need for the now-challenged enrichment process. OPOSSUM will revolutionise event detection by outfitting 12 CUORE-crystals with six quantum limited sensors (Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors) and a thermistor. This innovative approach will enable discrimination of events by classifying them as Single Site or Multi Site Events. Through pulse-shape analysis, OPOSSUM is set to tag 0νββ signals with 3σ distinction from any background. This method has the potential to lower CUORE's background from 10-2 to below 10-4 counts/keV/kg/year. The success of OPOSSUM will facilitate rapid deployment within the existing setup without extensive R&D or major financial outlay. OPOSSUM-1ton is poised to become the first bolometric ton-scale, background-free experiment that can aim at surpassing the inverted hierarchy scenario, i.e. <10 meV Majorana mass. My vast experimental knowledge in low-temperature detectors is crucial for OPOSSUM's mission to push the boundaries of particle physics as per the EU Astroparticle committee recommendation for the neutrino physics programme.

Mots-clés : rare events searches neutrinoless double beta decay millikelvin detector low temperature calorimeters bolometers underground physics mkids low background experiments