Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : INEQNEWS (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Entité participante : Université de Liverpool — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 41943.24 €

This project’s vision is to understand and develop strategies to mitigate inequalities in digital news consumption, the acquisition of political knowledge and vulnerability to misinformation. While inequalities in digital news access have been lowered with very high levels of internet access in many countries, there are indications that inequalities in digital news use and the benefits of being exposed to it, like the acquisition of political knowledge, are increasing. Academic literature has been instrumental in describing how digital intermediaries (e.g. social media or search engines) and different modes (mobile devices) have changed the way people consume news, however little attention has been given to how these changes manifest against the backdrop of pre-existing social inequalities in news use and the acquisition of political information. Thus, the project will a) reliably identify digital inequalities in news use, the acquisition of political knowledge, and vulnerability in online misinformation in countries of the Global North and the Global South. In its examination it will focus on b) long-standing informational inequalities related to social class, gender, and age and c) the role of new information technologies like digital intermediaries and mobile devices. Apart from identifying people with low levels of news use, this project will d) explore the ways that parts of the population navigate and face disadvantages in a complex digital media environment. Last, this project, will for the first time, e) test digital public health style interventions that could reduce inequalities in digital news use, political knowledge, and exposure to as well as belief in online misinformation. To achieve these objectives, this project will employ a novel set of methods. Overall, this project will be the first to examine and to find ways to alleviate inequalities in digital news use, using a holistic mixed-methods approach in a Global North/South comparative framework.

Mots-clés : news social media search engines digital inequalities digital intermediaries mixed methods
Projet ERC : LargEnt (Horizon Europe, appel 2025, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Université Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz de Hanovre — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499297.0 €

Entanglement is the key resource for quantum information processing. Its study has revolutionized our understanding of condensed matter, quantum fields and even quantum gravity. One of the most fascinating insights is the connection between the classification of topological phases of matter and long-range entanglement.  This project will explore a novel aspect of entanglement in ground states of quantum many-body systems: their large-scale structure of entanglement (LSSE), describing those entanglement properties that are stable against perturbations on arbitrary finite subsystems. Just as macroscopic bulk properties, the large-scale structure of entanglement only sharply reveals itself in systems with an unbounded number of degrees of freedom. Yet, it can uncover entanglement properties of finite-size ground states otherwise invisible, such as their capacity to embezzle entanglement: the task of extracting entanglement without leaving a trace. Relativistic quantum fields and certain critical systems exhibit this counterintuitive property.  Remarkably little is known about the LSSE of quantum many-body system and its relation to phases of matter. Moreover, the LSSE of quantum fields has been argued to be radically modified by gravity -- disabling their ability to embezzle entanglement. Holographic duality in turn establishes a correspondence between quantum gravity and critical many-body systems, placing the LSSE at the center of modern theoretical physics.  The project LargEnt will establish a new paradigm to describe the entanglement content of many-body systems, by a) developing the necessary tools to determine the LSSE, b) clarifying the relation between LSSE, criticality, and topological order, and c) developing a theory to determine whether ground states of many-body systems or vacua of quantum fields can act as multipartite embezzlers. The results of LargEnt will add a new dimension to the classification of ground states of many-body systems.

Mots-clés : entanglement theory,quantum criticality,topological order,tensor networks,multipartite entanglement
Projet ERC : TACOS (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz de Hanovre — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1229993.0 €

Both, the energy and aviation sector rely on gas turbines, a combustion system continuously optimized since its invention during World War II. They constitute a main pillar for tomorrows energy and aviation mix to tackle climate change. However, fuel flexibility is stretched to its limits for conventional combustor designs: combustion instabilities hinder a new generation of safe and low-emission gas turbines. This calls for disruptive design approaches to enforce crucially needed step-change technologies. The overarching aim of TACOS is to break the bottleneck of combustion instabilities by novel, physics-driven design principles based on latest theoretical findings: the combustion community -including myself- has discovered "exceptional points" (EPs), which are known from theoretical physics to feature intriguing, counter-intuitive physical properties. Our preliminary results confirm that EPs (i) rapidly switch the combustor stability from unstable to stable and (ii) are well-controllable by both the acoustics of the chamber and the flame characteristics. TACOS takes a leap forward and exploits the unique properties of EPs for the conception of novel combustors by 3 objectives: (A) tailor the characteristics of both gaseous (land-based gas turbines) and spray flames (aeroengines) by carbon-free fuels (hydrogen+ammonia) and sustainable aviation fuels; (B) optimize simultaneously the emission rates and the stability of the combustion chamber by designing the combustor close to the EP; and (C) quantify the design robustness by experiments at atmospheric and high-pressure conditions to learn design principles by explainable machine learning methods. As a result, TACOS will not only produce an unprecedented, computer-aided and optimization-centric design software for safe, robust and clean gas turbines, but will also open a new research field on design principles and amplify fundamental breakthroughs in CI research.

Mots-clés : combustion instabilities,gas turbines,high fidelity numerical simulations,experiments,machine learning
Projet ERC : COREDIM (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université Justus-Liebig de Gießen — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1140000.0 €

Our ability to interact with our visual world is a remarkable feat: Despite drastic changes in their visual appearance, we can effortlessly make sense of thousands of objects and carry out meaningful actions on them. To understand the nature of our visual representations that underlie this ability, a central goal of cognitive neuroscience is to determine the properties – or dimensions – that make up our representational space of objects. While much progress has been made at identifying the building blocks of visual processing in brain and cognition, our scientific understanding of visual representations remains fundamentally limited by (1) our ability to capture the complexity and variability of our visual world for determining the dimensions underlying our object representations and (2) the difficulty in disentangling visual and semantic contributions to these representations. COREDIM is an ambitious, interdisciplinary program that aims at overcoming these limitations and provide a detailed, interpretable characterization of the core dimensions underlying visual object representations. To reach this goal, COREDIM capitalizes on extensive, targeted sampling of behavioral and neuroimaging data and cutting-edge artificial intelligence methods that allow the identification of interpretable representational dimensions. Project 1 aims at uncovering the core representational dimensions of objects across ventral visual cortex, using a biologically-inspired neural network model tailored to each individual’s functional neuroanatomy and trained to identify the most informative stimuli. Project 2 will identify the relative role of vision and semantic knowledge in shaping our core representational dimensions, through experimental manipulations at the level of the stimulus, task, and with cross-species comparisons. Together, COREDIM promises to transform our understanding of visual processing, laying the foundation for a comprehensive characterization of visual cortex function.

Mots-clés : object recognition vision perception representation fmri meg
Projet ERC : EVINE (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université de Passau — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1138402.25 €

Language leaves no trace in the fossil record. However, an important component of the human language capacity, symbolic combinatoriality, might have “fossilized” after all. In the Paleolithic, hominins have embarked on their journey from Africa into the rest of the world. On their way, they have left artefacts which provide a window into their mind. Some of these bear early examples of visual information encoding: geometric signs. In the Middle Paleolithic, when Homo neanderthalensis roamed the landscape, evidence for geometric signs is scarce. It is not before the Middle Stone Age in Africa, typically associated with Homo sapiens, that the first systematic industries emerge. By the time Homo sapiens arrives in Central Europe – in the Upper Paleolithic – the practice of using stones, beads, bone fragments, and figurines as information carriers has become part of everyday life. In fact, the abundance of geometric signs in these assemblages is only gradually coming to light via large-scale collection efforts. This project proposes to marry the growing body of archaeological data with state-of-the-art tools from empirical linguistics to assess the Evolution of Visual Information Encoding (EVINE) in the human lineage. To this end, statistical measures based on information theory, quantitative linguistic laws, as well as classification algorithms need to be developed, and applied to sequences of paleolithic signs, ancient writing, and modern writing. Two core hypotheses are to be tested: First, paleolithic signs are statistically distinct from ancient and modern writing. Second, there was a combinatorial transition in the Upper Paleolithic of around 35 000 to 15 000 years ago. If the latter is verified, we would witness a major step towards modern visual information encoding – 10 000 years before the advent of ancient writing.

Mots-clés : language diversity,information theory
Projet ERC : LINGSHIFT (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université technique de Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499885.0 €

Language learning and fostering linguistic diversity within the European Union are priorities of the European Commission. Learning new languages can change the structure and function of the cerebral cortex, affecting the way we think. However, despite extensive research, we lack a fine-grained description of how dynamical changes in cortical representations mediate learning concepts and linguistic structures of a new language. The LINGSHIFT program will use a cutting-edge paradigm to identify the dynamic shifts in linguistic representations by addressing three main questions: What are the core cortical regions involved in processing semantics (the meaning of words and sentences) and syntax (the grammatical structures of sentences) during language learning? What specific semantic or syntactic information do these regions represent? Does the spatial organization of semantic and syntactic representations dynamically change over the course of learning a new language? To investigate this, LINGSHIFT will combine longitudinal non-invasive brain imaging using naturalistic stimuli and a powerful predictive modelling approach in a multidisciplinary work program. First, LINGSHIFT will create an open-access longitudinal functional MRI language comprehension and production dataset. This dataset will be recorded across a one-year period of adults learning a new language. Second, it will unravel the cortical semantic and syntactic representations using a predictive modelling approach that makes use of state-of-the-art deep neural network language models. Third, it will identify the dynamical changes in semantic and syntactic representations during language acquisition. LINGSHIFT will provide new predictions about long-term dynamics and cortical changes that will improve our understanding of language systems in the brain. It will place important constraints on theoretical frameworks of second language learning that will help modernise language teaching.

Mots-clés : longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging encoding modeling computational modeling machine learning natural language processing
Projet ERC : MATHWAVES (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Université libre de Bruxelles — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ULB
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1497516.0 €

Mathematical thinking is one of the most remarkable human cognitive abilities, but unfortunately, not all individuals are equal concerning those abilities. Becoming numerate is a long-lasting learning process in which the early stages are of paramount importance to ensure positive future outcomes. However, the neural bases supporting these early abilities and the path to inter-individual differences remain elusive. MATHWAVES aims at understanding the neural mechanisms supporting the emergence of the early steps of mathematical learning. First, a longitudinal framework will test whether the developmental trajectory of audio-visual integration of numerical formats is the gateway to mathematical abstraction. Second, cross-sectional comparisons will assess the balance between brain networks engaged in efficient implicit and explicit numerical processing. Third, we will investigate whether mathematical learning is associated with brain plasticity at different times-scales: the slow changes across development vs. the short-term changes while processing numbers. We will highlight the developmental changes in long-lasting or transient properties of the brain’s functional organization that explain the fluctuations in mathematical abilities within and across individuals. Through a novel combination of frequency-based and functional connectivity approaches implemented in magnetoencephalography, MATHWAVES will dynamically track early mathematical learning and neuroplastic changes associated with the emergence of those abilities. Characterizing the neurocognitive mechanisms of early mathematical learning at different timescales represents a complete paradigm shift that is imperative to understand learning dynamics at the onset of human mathematical thinking and individual differences. MATHWAVES tackles the broader question of how learning reshapes the developing brain and enables several groundbreaking new avenues for research, but also future diagnosis and remedial techniques.

Mots-clés : mathematical learning,numerical cognition,educational neurosciences,cognitive development,magnetoencephalography,frequency tagging,steady state responses,functional connectivity,brain plasticity
Projet ERC : DiscEvol (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe Sciences
Entité participante : Université de Milan — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1495755.0 €

With thousands of exoplanets known, we have truly entered the exoplanet era. Explaining the huge diversity of observed exoplanetary systems remains however a big challenge. The only way we have to study planet formation is to study the environments in which they form, proto-planetary discs: to understand planets, we have to understand discs and the physical processes happening in them. The field of proto-planetary discs is currently being shaken by the crumbling of viscous theory, the traditional paradigm used to describe how discs evolve in time. The paradigm relied on the presence of turbulence, which affects a myriad of processes of planet formation. The crumbling of viscous theory thus has ramifications across our entire understanding of planet formation. How can we rebuild the foundations of planet formation? Thanks to advances in observational capabilities, we can now perform large surveys of proto-planetary discs and study the evolution of their properties (mass, radius, mass accretion rate). Over the last few years I played a leading role in showing how to use this information to guide and constrain models of disc evolution, computing quantities from the models that can be directly compared to observations. Building on my expertise, at the convergence of theory and observations, I propose a) to develop quantitative models of an alternative paradigm of disc evolution in which discs evolve under the influence of disc winds rather than viscously. The long-lasting impact of DiscEvol will be to deliver a new standard model of disc evolution tested against the existing data from observational surveys. DiscEvol will also b) reassess how crucial steps of the planet formation process, such as the accretion of solids onto growing planetary cores and planetary migration, differ in a disc evolving under the influence of winds. Altogether, this program will bring the link between models and observations of planet formation in discs to a new level.

Mots-clés : planet formation,proto planetary discs,disc planet interaction,sub mm interferometry
Projet ERC : QUAVADIS (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Université de Milan — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Vortices lie at the heart of classical fluid dynamics in both nature and technology. Likewise, vortices play an essential role in quantum fluids and solids, determining their fundamental transport properties. This project will explore both fundamental and practical aspects of quantum vortices at a new level using the platform of quantum gases, expanding the horizons of vortex research. It aims at experimentally addressing intractable vortex problems by taking the best advantage of the latest quantum technologies and the favorable time and length scales of vortex dynamics in ultracold atomic superfluids. First, I will explore both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) vortex dynamics in a homogeneous box potential, with an emphasis on the universal characteristics of vortex dynamics on macroscopic length scales. Changing the vortex length inside a uniform trap will allow us to cross freely from 2D to 3D vortex physics. Second, I will study vortex dynamics in sophisticatedly tailored pinning landscapes. The unprecedented controllability of these arbitrary pinning potentials and vortex configurations will enable us to shed new light on many elementary aspects of vortex dynamics, paving the way for engineering vortex mobility and thus directly impacting superconductor research.

Mots-clés : superfluid,quantum vortex
Projet ERC : COVIDecode (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Entité participante : Université de Heidelberg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1056482.37 €

The global COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to better understand its causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, and the various other emerging viruses threatening human health. Like many human viruses, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes RNA as its replicated genetic material and its template for translating the virus's proteins. Ongoing research into SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses has largely focused on understanding the function of their encoded proteins, revealing key roles in host cell entry, viral replication, and immune suppression. In contrast, little is known about the set of viral RNAs and how they interact with host machinery as part of a virus's replication cycle in infected cells. My group discovered a large collection of viral and host proteins that bind the genomic and subgenomic RNAs of SARS-CoV-2 during infection. This collection provides an excellent starting point to work toward the goal of my proposed ERC Starting Grant project: decoding how these interactions shape the viral RNA life cycle and contribute to antiviral defense mechanisms. My overarching hypothesis is that SARS-CoV-2 dynamically modulates RNA-protein interactions in the host to facilitate functions of genomic and subgenomic viral RNAs at different stages of the replication cycle. To test this hypothesis, I have devised three research objectives: 1) Decode mechanisms of host-mediated control over the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 RNAs. 2) Map with temporal resolution which host cell proteins engage each SARS-CoV-2 RNA type. 3) Elucidate the role of host proteins that moonlight as RNA binders in SARS-CoV-2 infections. If successful, this project will identify novel pro- and antiviral host factors in SARS-CoV-2 infections and reveal underlying RNA regulatory mechanisms. In turn, these insights will provide an RNA-centric view of viral infections and identify candidate factors and pathways as therapeutic targets to treat viral diseases.

Mots-clés : rna interactome,sars cov 2,rna binding proteins