Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : chem-fs-MOF (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : University of Valencia — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UV
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1527351.26 €

Metal-Organic-Frameworks (MOFs) offer appealing advantages over classical solids from combination of high surface areas with the crystallinity of inorganic materials and the synthetic versatility (unlimited combination of metals and linkers for fine tuning of properties) and processability of organic materials. Provided chemical stability, I expect combination of porosity with manipulable electrical and optical properties to open a new world of possibilities, with MOFs playing an emerging role in fields of key environmental value like photovoltaics, photocatalysis or electrocatalysis. The conventional insulating character of MOFs and their poor chemical stability (only a minimum fraction are hydrolytically stable) are arguably the two key limitations hindering further development in this context. With chem-fs-MOF I expect to deliver: 1. New synthetic routes specifically designed for producing new, hydrolytically stable Fe(III) and Ti(IV)-MOFs (new synthetic platforms for new materials). 2. More advanced crystalline materials to feature tunable function by chemical manipulation of MOF’s optical/electrical properties and pore activity (function-led chemical engineering). 3. High-quality ultrathin films, reliant on the transfer of single-layers, alongside establishing the techniques required for evaluating their electric properties (key to device integration). Recent works on graphene and layered dichalcogenides anticipate the benefits of nanostructuration for more efficient optoelectronic devices. Notwithstanding great potential, this possibility remains still unexplored for MOFs. Overall, I seek to exploit MOFs’ unparalleled chemical/structural flexibility to produce advanced crystalline materials that combine hydrolytical stability and tunable performance to be used in environmentally relevant applications like visible light photocatalysis. This is an emerging research front that holds great potential for influencing future R&D in Chemistry and Materials Science.

Mots-clés : materials synthesis,functional advanced materials,metal organic frameworks,porous crystals,chemical stability,photocatalysis,structure properties relations
Projet ERC : NEUROMETA (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Indian Institute of Technology Delhi — Pays : Inde — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : IITD
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 42332.5 €

Metamaterials with anomalous and counter-intuitive multiphysics behaviours have been developed during the last two decades to help communication systems, sensing and robotics. Paradigmatic developments in artificial intelligence, Digital Twin approaches and additive manufacturing are pushing the design and production of metamaterials also towards the development artificial equivalent of synapsis and programmability. These advanced metamaterial concepts are however fossil-based and tend to make use of materials with a high carbon footprint and heavy life cycle costs in terms of emissions and environmental sustainability. Sensing/actuation mechanisms are also innate in natural plant fibres, spider silk strands and enzymatic systems, and involve saturation, hygromorphism, piezoelectricity and controlled hysteresis that could provide similar synaptic behaviours. Programmable memory properties could also be mechanically created in solid matter, and similar mnemonic-type architectures abound in natural fibres and related composites. While neurogenesis in electromagnetic metamaterials is at early stages of development, no neuroactive mechanical metamaterial concept and design based on biobased materials has been developed so far. The project aims at developing this paradigmatic new class of metamaterials. We will explore the use of natural fibre composites, bio-based matrices, spider silk strands, 3D printing of bioblock materials and natural piezoelectricity in wood/cellulose combined with metamaterial architectures to develop artificial bio-based and sustainable surrogates of programmable memory with learning/adaptive behaviours similar to artificial neural networks. These metamaterials will autonomously learn from their past loading history and generate resilience in the structures in which they are embedded. The natural materials will also have low carbon footprint and could be further developed by worldwide R&D communities based on the resources locally available.

Mots-clés : mechanical metamaterials,natural fibres,biobased materials,artificial neural networks,neuroactivity
Projet ERC : Meta-Targeting (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Universitätsklinikum Aachen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UKA
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1979375.0 €

Metastatic cancer is a complex and highly heterogenous disease, which is very difficult to treat. The aim of the Meta-Targeting project is to establish a holistic, rational and realistic nanomedicine-based approach to improve the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Concrete objectives are: (1) the development of polymeric micelles which can be efficiently and stably co-loaded with three different drugs and with an imaging agent; (2) the use of physical and pharmacological means to modulate the vasculature and microenvironment in tumors and metastases; (3) the identification of imaging- and biopsy-based biomarkers for patient selection; (4) the incorporation of drugs to overcome cellular and microenvironmental multidrug resistance; and (5) the implementation of multifunctional micelles to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. It is envisaged that micelles loaded with in-house developed doxorubicin prodrugs are able to induce immunogenic cell death in tumors and metastases without causing systemic immunodepression, that co-loading with the angiotensin receptor inhibitor losartan helps to prime tumors and metastases for improved delivery (of micelles, immunomodulatory antibodies and T cells), and that co-loading with the P-glycoprotein inhibitor tariquidar assists in inducing immunogenic cell death, while avoiding typical anti-Pgp side effects, such as neurotoxicity. Physical priming with ultrasound and microbubbles will promote the delivery of micelles, antibodies and T cells to and into primary tumors. Imaging- and biopsy-based biomarkers are needed to allow for patient stratification, which is critically important to improve the clinical translation of cancer nanomedicines. The outcomes of the different project lines in Meta-Targeting will - alone and especially together - be truly transformative: they will contribute to scientific and clinical progress in nanomedicine, in tumor-targeted drug delivery, in immunotherapy, and in the treatment of metastatic cancer.

Mots-clés : cancer therapy,drug delivery,biomarker identification,multimodal imaging,combination therapy
Projet ERC : SESE (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Entité participante : University of Oxford — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1954633.0 €

Micro-organisms were believed until recently to live independent, unicellular lives but are now understood to rely on complex systems of social behaviours for survival. In pathogenic bacteria, cooperation and communication between cells leads to increased virulence and the understanding of how these behaviours evolve is of fundamental importance to the future of human health. Almost nothing is known, however, about social behaviours of bacteria infecting human hosts, and research on social behaviour in microbes is limited to well-characterised lab strains. This proposal describes a program of research designed to exploit the opportunities offered by an interdisciplinary approach to address the growing challenge posed to human health by disease caused by bacterial infection. Specifically, I have three primary objectives: (1) to develop a model system for investigating social behaviour in long-term bacterial infections; (2) to identify evolutionary mechanisms driving dynamics of social behaviour in long-term infections and (3) to exploit social dynamics in the treatment of bacterial infection. This proposal applies evolutionary theory to the clinical challenge of bacterial infection to develop novel intervention strategies beyond the scope of conventional medicine, which is based primarily on understanding of bacteria at the cellular level.

Mots-clés : cooperation,social behaviour
Projet ERC : miRNA in Immunity (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Immunity, Infection and Immunotherapy
Entité participante : The Francis Crick Institute — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1762510.0 €

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can be transferred between cells, representing an exciting new dimension to intercellular communication, referred to as non-cell-autonomous gene regulation. We recently identified that distinct miRNAs are packaged and exported from TREG cells and delivered directly to TH1 cells, suppressing T cell-mediated disease. Different T cell populations express different miRNAs and release a distinctive set of extracellular miRNAs. In this proposal we will identify whether the transfer of miRNAs between cells contributes to T cell development, T cell differentiation and TH2-mediated allergy and anti-helminth immunity. miRNA-mediated gene silencing requires one of four catalytically active Argonaut (Ago) proteins to regulate gene expression. To investigate miRNA transport between cells, we have generated novel mice with miRNA-deficient T cells that can (Dicer–/–) or cannot (Dicer–/–Ago-1,-3,-4–/– Ago-2fl/fl) respond to exogenous miRNAs. Using these novel mice we will identify which Ago protein(s) specific miRNAs associate with and which Ago proteins are required for miRNA-mediated gene regulation in T cells. TH2 cells express unique miRNAs, which can be found within TH2 cells and in extracellular vesicles released from TH2 cells. We have generated several new TH2-associated miRNA-deficient mice to investigate the cell intrinsic (cell-autonomous) and extrinsic (non-cell-autonomous) role of these miRNAs in TH2-mediated allergy and anti-helminth immunity. Studies in plants and worms have identified various mechanisms of RNA transfer between cells, involving cell-contact dependent and independent mechanisms. We will translate these observations into mammalian systems and identify the mechanisms of miRNA transfer. Results from this work will identify novel miRNA-mediated pathways and incentivise state-of-the-art approaches for novel therapeutic intervention to treat inflammatory diseases.

Mots-clés : micro rna  mirna,t lymphocyte,type 2 immunity
Projet ERC : DeepLight (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1491235.0 €

Microscopy enabled the birth of modern neuroscience, by allowing Ramón y Cajal to formulate the neuron doctrine. Since then, remarkable advances in optical resolution, speed and probe development allowed scientists to study the function of neuronal circuits with ever increasing detail – with one critical limitation: No conventional microscope can focus light deeper into intact tissue than a fraction of a mm. This leaves 90% of the intact rodent brain and over 99% of the intact primate brain inaccessible. As a result, the deepest layers of the neocortex and nearly all subcortical structures are currently outside the reach of non-invasive microscopy, representing a fundamental barrier towards further progress in understanding the brain. Existing fluorescence microscopy techniques, such as confocal and two-photon microscopy, attempt to image deeper by rejecting scattered light or by selecting non-scattered (ballistic) photons for focusing. However, beyond depths of several hundred µm this approach becomes futile because hardly any ballistic photons remain. We recently achieved two breakthroughs by turning this strategy upside down and focusing with scattered photons: First, we developed a new approach for fluorescence microscopy that uses a process called optical time reversal, with which we achieved an unprecedented imaging depth of 2.5 mm in ex vivo tissue. Second, we discovered a correlational structure of scattered light, which can be exploited for deep tissue imaging. Still, fundamental challenges remain for in vivo imaging. The goal of this proposal is to break the depth barrier of microscopy and investigate previously unreachable areas of the live brain, by harnessing optical time reversal and scattering correlations. We will demonstrate the power of this approach in layer 6b, the deepest and least understood layer of the mammalian neocortex. This project will thus enable functional imaging of neuronal circuitry at depths that have until now been inaccessible.

Mots-clés : wavefront shaping,neurophotonics,two photon
Projet ERC : INsPIRE (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Politecnico di Milano — Pays : Italie — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : POLIMI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 201250.0 €

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a nearly universal way to identify chemical and biological substances, as most of the molecules have their vibrational and rotational resonances in the mid-IR wavelength range. Commercially available mid-IR systems are based on bulky and expensive equipment, while lots of efforts are now devoted to the reduction of their size down to chip-scale dimensions. The demonstration of mid-IR photonic circuits on silicon chips will benefit from reliable and high-volume fabrication to offer high performance, low cost, compact, low weight and power consumption photonic circuits, which is particularly interesting for mid-IR spectroscopic sensing systems that need to be portable and low cost. In this context, the INsPIRE project will address a new route towards key advances in the development of chip-scale integrated circuits on silicon for the mid-IR wavelength range. The original idea is to use nonlinear optical properties in Ge/SiGe quantum well (QW) active devices combined with Ge-rich-SiGe waveguides. The objectives of the INsPIRE project are far beyond the state of the art, by targeting the monolithic integration of passive and active devices for operation in the 3 to 15 µm wavelength range. As a main cornerstone we will demonstrate an optical photonic circuit based on Ge/SiGe QWs relying on a mid-IR light emitter combined with a mid-IR spectrometer and a detector array. The integration will be performed using Ge-rich-SiGe waveguides allowing the extension of the wavelength range up to 15 µm. Such demonstration, which will constitute a breakthrough for establishing chip-scale circuits for the mid-IR photonics, requires a deep knowledge and understanding of Ge/SiGe optical properties. In particular, second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties of Ge/SiGe QW structures will be investigated in a wide spectral range from 3 to 15 µm.

Mots-clés : mid infra red,silicon photonics,germanium,quantum wells
Projet ERC : INsPIRE (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 19375.0 €

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a nearly universal way to identify chemical and biological substances, as most of the molecules have their vibrational and rotational resonances in the mid-IR wavelength range. Commercially available mid-IR systems are based on bulky and expensive equipment, while lots of efforts are now devoted to the reduction of their size down to chip-scale dimensions. The demonstration of mid-IR photonic circuits on silicon chips will benefit from reliable and high-volume fabrication to offer high performance, low cost, compact, low weight and power consumption photonic circuits, which is particularly interesting for mid-IR spectroscopic sensing systems that need to be portable and low cost. In this context, the INsPIRE project will address a new route towards key advances in the development of chip-scale integrated circuits on silicon for the mid-IR wavelength range. The original idea is to use nonlinear optical properties in Ge/SiGe quantum well (QW) active devices combined with Ge-rich-SiGe waveguides. The objectives of the INsPIRE project are far beyond the state of the art, by targeting the monolithic integration of passive and active devices for operation in the 3 to 15 µm wavelength range. As a main cornerstone we will demonstrate an optical photonic circuit based on Ge/SiGe QWs relying on a mid-IR light emitter combined with a mid-IR spectrometer and a detector array. The integration will be performed using Ge-rich-SiGe waveguides allowing the extension of the wavelength range up to 15 µm. Such demonstration, which will constitute a breakthrough for establishing chip-scale circuits for the mid-IR photonics, requires a deep knowledge and understanding of Ge/SiGe optical properties. In particular, second- and third-order nonlinear optical properties of Ge/SiGe QW structures will be investigated in a wide spectral range from 3 to 15 µm.

Mots-clés : mid infra red,silicon photonics,germanium,quantum wells
Projet ERC : MindBendingGrammars (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : University of Antwerp — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UAntwerp
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1208025.0 €

Mind-Bending Grammars examines change in mental grammars of 17th century individuals across their lifespan as attested in their writings. The project treats grammar as a self-organizing network of form-meaning schemas continuously fine-tuning itself, where activating one schema may prime formally or functionally associated ones. In analyzing multiple grammar changes in healthy adults it aspires to make a breakthrough in the cognitive modelling of grammar, and is expected to bear on views of cognitive plasticity and self-organizing systems (e.g. ecosystems). To reach these goals it will determine (i) how change in one part of an individual’s grammar relates to change in another; (ii) to what extent grammar change in individuals is possible and attested beyond childhood. This is still unsettled. Formal models hold that change occurs in language acquisition, social ones that it mainly results from adult interaction. The first ignore too much adult usage, the second grammar as a system. Seven cases are examined: i. Progressive (I’m loving it) ii. Future [going to] (he’s going to love it) iii-iv. (Pseudo)clefts (it’s Eve he loves) v. Rare passives (Eve was sent for) vi. Subject-raising (he’s said to be nice) vii. New copulas (get/grow hot) Each case changes much in the 17th century, warranting separate study. Yet the changes may also be linked. Formally, going to for example started as a progressive, and this may have resulted in sustained mutual influence. Functionally all but the last may be responses to changing word order. Until c1500 time adverbs (THEN ran he), focal elements (EVE loves he) or empty subjects (THEY say he’s nice) could precede the verb. After, this position got restricted to subjects that are topics (HE ran). Progressives need no time adverbs, clefts move the focal element, and passivization/subject-raising align topic & subject; all of this helped to realize the new order. Grow & get are unassociated to other cases, and serve as a control group.

Mots-clés : cognitive construction grammar,complex adaptive systems,cognitive plasticity
Projet ERC : HMS (Horizon 2020, appel 2019, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : University of Edinburgh — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498686.0 €

Mirror symmetry is a deep relationship between algebraic and symplectic geometry, with origins in string theory. It was originally envisioned as an isomorphism between the Hodge theory of an algebraic variety and the `quantum Hodge theory' of a `mirror' symplectic manifold, but it was subsequently realized by Kontsevich that the relationship went far deeper. His Homological Mirror Symmetry (HMS) conjecture predicts an equivalence between the derived category of the variety and the Fukaya category of its mirror, and has far-reaching implications for diverse areas of mathematics. In previous work I have proved the conjecture in fundamental cases, established its precise relationship with the Hodge-theoretic version of mirror symmetry, and used these results to solve questions in enumerative geometry and symplectic topology. The proposed research centres on HMS, new aspects of its relationship with Hodge theory, and new applications to symplectic topology. It is split into four projects: 1. Prove HMS for Gross-Siebert mirrors (this covers the vast majority of mirror pairs proposed in the literature). As a preliminary step in this direction we will prove HMS for Batyrev mirrors. 2. Prove that HMS implies mirror symmetry for open Gromov-Witten invariants. The key step will be the construction of a mirror to the Abel-Jacobi map. 3. Enrich the Hodge-theoretic structures emerging from HMS with rational structures. The key step will be to show that the Gamma rational structure on quantum Hodge theory emerges from the topological K-theory of the Fukaya category. 4. The Lagrangian cobordism group is an important invariant of a symplectic manifold, which can be used to study some of the most fundamental questions in symplectic topology such as the classification of Lagrangian submanifolds. We will elucidate its structure by using its relationship, via HMS, with the Chow group of the mirror variety.

Mots-clés : homological mirror symmetry,symplectic topology,hodge theory,chow group