Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : StruViMan (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LMU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149150.0 €

In the 21st-century world of manuscript studies there is a gold rush for digitalization. More and more medieval manuscripts are becoming available in digital format. This opens up entirely new vistas of understanding both for the interested public and for academic research. However, the availability of digitized images is not sufficient in itself, because a medieval manuscript is more than just a series of pictures. In order to understand its diachronic dimension (its development over the centuries) and its cultural meaning (its texts and images), a deeper analysis is required. At the present stage there is a gap between the world of digitized images (with ever more sophisticated viewers) and the rather conventional metadata (where methodology also becomes increasingly sophisticated). Metadata are usually gathered in printed catalogues; today they are sometimes made available online along with the digital image. StruViMan is a software tool that aims at bridging this gap. Existing metadata can be analyzed and visualized digitally. It will be possible to see a manuscript’s macro-structure at a single glance, including its materiality and its historical development. Likewise, it will be possible to reconstruct entire manuscripts virtually, where they are fragmentary today. With the help of this new tool it will be easier to answer questions such as the following: How many texts and miniatures does a manuscript contain and how are they distributed? What is the relationship between texts and paratexts (such as introductions, tables of contents, colophons, possessors’ notes, etc.)? How did the manuscript in its present shape (its library “shelf unit”) grow over time? What did a manuscript look like when it was whole (before being divided up and having its parts taken to different libraries)? How does one manuscript relate another one like it?

Mots-clés : visualization,medieval manuscripts,early printed books,libraries
Projet ERC : WDPlanets (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : University of Warwick — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2535290.0 €

In the 25 years since the discovery of 51 Peg b, we went from not knowing if the Solar system is a fluke of Nature to realising that it is totally normal for stars to have planets. The common fate of practically all planet hosts is that they will eventually evolve into white dwarfs, the Earth-sized embers that are the evolutionary end-points of most stars. Many of the known planets will survive the post main-sequence evolution of their host stars - in the solar system, this includes Mars, and all planetary bodies beyond it. Firm evidence for evolved planetary systems at white dwarfs is found in the form of photospheric contamination from the accretion of planetary material, transits caused by clouds of debris, spectroscopic variability from planetesimals on ultra-short period orbits, and one volatile-rich gaseous disc formed from the evaporated atmosphere of a giant planet. These evolved planetary systems provide insight into the formation, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate of planets that are entirely complementary to, and in large parts unattainable by, the analyses of exo-planets orbiting main-sequence stars. Within this project, we will make use of the astrometric, spectroscopic and photometric observations from Gaia, DESI, WEAVE, SDSS-V and ZTF-II to carry out an ambitious and comprehensive research program of white dwarfs hosting remnants of planetary systems. (1) We will measure the bulk abundances of at least 1000 planetesimals from the spectroscopic analysis of newly discovered white dwarfs that are strongly contaminated by the accretion of planetary material, assembling detailed statistics of the composition of planetary building blocks and/or fragments. (2) We will identify dozens of minor and major planets in close orbits around white dwarfs, and we will characterise their physical and orbital properties. The combined results of both areas of research will greatly improve our understanding of the formation, structure, and evolution of planets.
Projet ERC : FLOODSAFE (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : CERCA Institution — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CERCA;I-CERCA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149856.0 €

In the FLOODSAFE PoC we will explore the industrial applicability and potential for commercialization of the computational technology developed in the SAFECON Advanced Grant project for the study and mitigation of the effect of floods on constructions and landscape. The SAFECON technology will help engineers to the enhanced design, building and maintenance of new protective constructions under extreme floods, as well as for the surveillance, risk management and monitoring of existing constructions and landscape in flooding situations. The FLOODSAFE PoC will greatly help move the SAFECON software technology towards the initial steps of an innovation process leading to a new software for study of particulate mudflows and their interaction with constructions and landscape with the ultimate aim of ensuring the safety of existing and new civil infrastructures and the environment during floods. In FLOODSAFE we will test the SAFECON software for solving practical cases of the effect of floods on constructions and landscape, define end user requirements, identify market needs, select potential users and define the roadmap for transfer and commercial exploitation of the software.

Mots-clés : computational mechanics,safety of constructions,water hazards,fluid soil structure interactions
Projet ERC : FORECAST (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : CERCA Institution — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CERCA;I-CERCA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149963.0 €

In the FORECAST PoC we will explore the industrial applicability and potential for commercialization of the new fast simulation technology developed in REALTIME for the enhanced design of mould filling processes in casting manufacturing operations of mechanical components. The computational technology tested In the FORECAST PoC will allow the casting industry, and in particular SMEs, to solve mould filling problems in times useful for taking decisions helping the design and operation of casting processes. In addition the REALTIME technology will allow users taking into account the multi-fluid character of mould filling processes, including coupled thermal-flow effects in both the air contained in the mould and the molten metal and heat transfer between the flowing melt and the mould walls. The FORECAST PoC will greatly help move the REALTIME software technology towards the initial steps of an innovation process leading to a new extremely fast and accurate mould filling simulation software for enhanced design of casting manufacturing operations of mechanical components for a wide range of applications in industry

Mots-clés : real time computational mechanics,quasi real time computational mechanics,multi fluids,heterogeneous fluids,particle methods
Projet ERC : ProtCap (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of Cambridge — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. Cambridge
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 149997.0 €

In the ProtCap project, we will translate basic technology, developed in the context of the ERC project PhysProt, towards commercial applications. The technological focus will be on microscapsules assembled through microfluidic techniques from natural proteins. Encapsulation increasingly underlies the storage and formulation of active components and is a growing market which impacts areas from cosmetics to personal health-care. In this context, synthetic polymers are the standard material for forming the shells of microcapsules and other encapsulation platforms. We propose an orthogonal approach through the use of fully natural building blocks, proteins. Proteins are the fundamental building blocks of life, underpinning the formation of sophisticated materials and structures in nature through self-assembly. We have been able to demonstrate the ability to form robust capsules from a range of proteins of both plant and animal origin. This technique allows for improvements over existing commercially available approaches in terms of biocompatible and biodegradable products, and ability to undertake all processing steps under mild conditions in aqueous solution for processing sensitive cargo species. In the present project, we will establish the viability of the protein capsule technology in particular sectors and generate connections with key industrial players based on initial contacts established so far. A key component of this approach is the proposed work to demonstrate the encapsulation of technologically important high value cargo materials, a translational step which will allow us to move towards forging partnerships, and explore licensing of IP to existing industrial partners in the context of this project, or through providing the basis for setting up a dedicated entity to take forwards the commercialisation of this technology.

Mots-clés : biomaterials,protein biophysics,amyloid,microgel,microfluidics
Projet ERC : TiMaScan (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Centro de Investigación del Cáncer — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CIC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

In the ageing European population, cancer has become the most common cause of death. Consequently, screening programs aim at early detection of cancer, while scanning/imaging technologies, serum assays and regular biopsies aim at monitoring of treatment effectiveness to improve cure rates and increase quality-of-life, thereby also attempting to reduce health care costs. However, in many cases the screening and monitoring methods do not provide sufficient sensitivity and specificity. Consequently novel diagnostic techniques are required. Completely Novel Concept: Sensitive intra-tissue total body scanning is continuously performed by our immune cells, particularly by monocytes and macrophages. Tissue macrophages (TiMas) continuously phagocytize and digest apoptotic cells and tissue debris. In cancer, many more TiMas are present to keep the involved tissue debris-free. When TiMas have fulfilled their local tissue-cleaning task, they can migrate via lymph vessels to lymph nodes and potentially recirculate to the blood stream, where they can be detected by flow cytometry and evaluated for the contents of their phagolysosomes. With State-of-the-Art technologies, this high-risk project aims to unravel phagocytosis of cancer cells, their digestion into tissue-specific and/or cancer-specific protein fragments, the migration/recirculation of TiMas to blood, and the detection of intra-phagosomal protein fragments in blood TiMas by antibodies. Building on this information, flowcytometric scanning of blood TiMas (TiMaScan) will be developed into a novel tool for early diagnosis and treatment monitoring in oncology, focusing on colon, lung, breast and prostate cancer. TiMaScan diagnostics will be minimally-invasive (~1ml of blood), rapid, accurate, broadly available and cost-effective, only requiring a flowcytometer. The TiMaScan Concept might also be applicable for early diagnosis and disease monitoring in other medical fields, such as neurodegenerative and infectious diseases.

Mots-clés : oncology,cancer screening,treatment monitoring,flow cytometry
Projet ERC : TiMaScan (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Leiden University Medical Center — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : LUMC
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2232500.0 €

In the ageing European population, cancer has become the most common cause of death. Consequently, screening programs aim at early detection of cancer, while scanning/imaging technologies, serum assays and regular biopsies aim at monitoring of treatment effectiveness to improve cure rates and increase quality-of-life, thereby also attempting to reduce health care costs. However, in many cases the screening and monitoring methods do not provide sufficient sensitivity and specificity. Consequently novel diagnostic techniques are required. Completely Novel Concept: Sensitive intra-tissue total body scanning is continuously performed by our immune cells, particularly by monocytes and macrophages. Tissue macrophages (TiMas) continuously phagocytize and digest apoptotic cells and tissue debris. In cancer, many more TiMas are present to keep the involved tissue debris-free. When TiMas have fulfilled their local tissue-cleaning task, they can migrate via lymph vessels to lymph nodes and potentially recirculate to the blood stream, where they can be detected by flow cytometry and evaluated for the contents of their phagolysosomes. With State-of-the-Art technologies, this high-risk project aims to unravel phagocytosis of cancer cells, their digestion into tissue-specific and/or cancer-specific protein fragments, the migration/recirculation of TiMas to blood, and the detection of intra-phagosomal protein fragments in blood TiMas by antibodies. Building on this information, flowcytometric scanning of blood TiMas (TiMaScan) will be developed into a novel tool for early diagnosis and treatment monitoring in oncology, focusing on colon, lung, breast and prostate cancer. TiMaScan diagnostics will be minimally-invasive (~1ml of blood), rapid, accurate, broadly available and cost-effective, only requiring a flowcytometer. The TiMaScan Concept might also be applicable for early diagnosis and disease monitoring in other medical fields, such as neurodegenerative and infectious diseases.

Mots-clés : oncology,cancer screening,treatment monitoring,flow cytometry
Projet ERC : GreatMoves (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : HITS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

In the arising era of gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy the demand for the next-generation of neutron-star (NS) merger models has never been so great. By developing the first relativistic moving-mesh simulations of NS mergers, we will be able to reliably link observables of these spectacular events to fundamental questions of physics. Our approach will allow us to maximize the information that can be obtained from different GW oscillations of the postmerger remnant. In this way we will demonstrate the scientific potential of future postmerger GW detections to unravel unknown properties of NSs and high-density matter. Based on our models we will work out the optimal GW data analysis strategy towards this goal. Employing a revolutionary numerical technique we will be able to achieve an unprecedented resolution of the merger outflow. High-resolution simulations of these ejecta are critical to uncover the detailed conditions for nucleosynthesis, specifically, for the rapid-neutron capture process (r-process). The r-process forges the heaviest elements such as gold and uranium, but its astrophysical production site still has to be clarified. Moreover, the nuclear decays in the expanding outflow power electromagnetic counterparts, which are targets of optical survey telescopes (iPTF, ZTF, BlackGEM, LSST). Our multi-disciplinary approach combines hydrodynamical models, nuclear network calculations and light-curve computations to facilitate the interpretation of future electromagnetic observations within a multi-messenger picture. Linking these observables to the underlying outflow properties is pivotal to unravel the still mysterious origin of heavy elements created by the r-process.
Projet ERC : 3Dmaterials4Energy (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Ben-Gurion University of the Negev — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BGU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In the coming few decades, two major global grand challenges will continue to attract the attention of scientists and engineers in academia and industry: achieving clean water and clean energy. This PoC establishes the development of two prototypes, water oxidation catalyst and water purification filter, by creating inexpensive, abundant and versatile hierarchical structures of inorganic nanomaterials (HSINs). The formation of HSINs has been one of the major obstacles toward achieving a technological progress in various applications. Presently, fabrication of well-defined 3-D structures can be achieved either by photo/electro lithography, assembly, 3D printing or template-mediated methods. Various structures with high quality/yield can be obtained through those techniques, however, these methods suffer from high cost, difficulty of fabrication of free-standing structures, and sometime the throughput is limited. On the other hand, the templated approaches usually are facile, low cost and offer several and complex structures in particular the ones obtained from nature. Our invention is based on forming the HSINs using fossil templates from nature. We propose to harness the naturally designed morphologies of the fossil templates to rationally form hierarchical structures of nanomaterials. These structures have many advantageous, compared to the current state-of-the-art catalyst and filter, for example high surface area, high porosity, confined space (nano-reactor) and divers functionalities obtained by controlling the chemical composition of the inorganic material shell. Since these properties are important for achieving high performance, we propose HSINs as next generation water oxidation electrocatalyst and water purification filter.

Mots-clés : materials engineering,chemistry,inorganic and organic nanomaterials,fossils templates,renewable energy,catalysis,filters
Projet ERC : SQUALAC (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Université Paris-Saclay — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 145000.0 €

In the course of the ERC Advanced Grant TERNANOMED, we have discovered that the linkage of squalene (a natural lipid) to many drugs, confers to the resulting bioconjugates the remarkable property to self-assemble as nanoparticles, due to the folded molecular conformation of squalene. This approach is unique and has never been used before. The so called "squalenoylation" technology may be considered as a generic platform to construct nanomedicines with high drug loading and targeted drug release triggered by the spacer between the drug and the squalene moiety. Remarkably, it was shown that these nanomedicines were more efficient and less toxic than the parent drugs. The gemcitabine-squalene (Gem-SQ) nanomedicine, our first candidate for further pharmaceutical developments, was shown not only to display an impressive anticancer activity in experimental tumors but also to overcome drug resistance, thus addressing a major challenge in tumor therapy. These pre-clinical data deserve further development towards translation into the clinic for the treatment of the pancreatic cancer, a devastating disease. However, the squalenic acid (SQCO2H), the chemical template essential for the synthesis of the Gem-SQ bioconjugate, is currently obtained through the Van Tamelen reaction which cannot be employed for the preparation of a clinical sample of Gem-SQ, because of the use of CrO3 (a toxic compound) and the poor yield of the reaction. Therefore, the synthesis of SQCO2H represents a lock for further clinical development of our Gem-SQ nanomedicine. The goals of the present proposal are : (i) to perform the total synthesis of SQCO2H through a new « green » chemistry way (which represents in itself a real innovation) allowing (ii) further regulatory acceptable preparation of Gem-SQ nanoparticles. Incidentally, the total synthesis of SQCO2H will avoid environmental concern due to excessive shark hunting and represents by itself some economical value as excipient for the cosmetics.

Mots-clés : squalenic acid,gemcitabine squalene,nanoparticles,anticancer nanomedicine
Projet ERC : PArtCell (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Utrecht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1085250.0 €

In the crowded cell, nonspecific interactions between biomolecules alter biochemical equilibria. This matrix of weak nonspecific interactions is composed of hydrophobic, electrostatic, H-bonding, van der Waals, and steric interactions, and is “the dark matter of biology”. Inaccurate prediction of the behaviour of biomolecules inside cells hampers drug discovery: A high throughput drug screen against a purified target protein in dilute buffer ignores the presence of these weak interactions and results are less relevant. High throughput screens directly in cells are however more difficult to control, interpret and measure. PArtCell provides a key advance by combining the high level of control and ease of high-throughput screening on purified proteins, with the relevance of screening in the native environment. The aim is to construct artificial cells that provide a physiologically relevant drug-screening platform. We will achieve this aim by constructing artificial cells with a matrix of weak nonspecific interactions akin living cells as verified with newly engineered fluorescent probes. The probes measure hydrophobicity, electrostatics and steric effects, as well as the physicochemical state of pathogenic condensates, in healthy and stressed living cells. With this information, we will benchmark artificial cells. Drug screens are applied against pathogenic oligomers that we now can observe in these well-characterized artificial cells. This research will update textbook knowledge and provide the molecular origin of the matrix of weak nonspecific interactions in living cells. It provides a platform that allows screening against targets under native-like conditions not achievable with other methods. This research thus provides a new opportunity to screen drugs against diseases for which we have no cure yet.

Mots-clés : genetically encoded fret sensors,macromolecular crowding,biochemical organization,artificial cells