Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : SOLCRIMET (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : KU Leuven — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : KUL
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2496250.0 €

The recent “rare-earth crisis” has brought about the widespread realisation that the long-term availability and cost stability of many materials – not just the rare earths – can no longer be guaranteed. Increasing the levels of critical metal recycling from pre-consumer, manufacturing waste and complex, multicomponent end-of-life consumer products is considered as arguably the most important and realistic mitigation strategy. However, extracting a critical metal from complex waste is a very different challenge to that faced when attempting to produce a pure metal from a primary ore deposit. SOLCRIMET therefore develops a ground-breaking, novel approach called “solvometallurgy”, a new branch within metallurgy, next to conventional hydro- and pyrometallurgy. SOLCRIMET’s aim is to successfully apply this approach to the extraction of specific critical metals, i.e. rare earths, tantalum, niobium, cobalt, indium, gallium, germanium and antimony. As these critical metals are essential components for clean-tech and high-tech applications, they are key enablers of the required transition to a low-carbon, circular economy. The approach involves the discovery of non-aqueous solvent pairs that are immiscible and allow the extraction of metal complexes at moderate temperatures, leading to high-purity recycled metals. The idea is certainly high risk, but the preliminary results already obtained are highly encouraging. The main outcomes of the project will be lab-scale demonstrators that show the enhanced efficiency, utility and applicability of the new solvometallurgical process, with respect to conventional hydro- and pyrometallurgy. SOLCRIMET’s impact on chemistry, chemical technology, metallurgy and materials engineering science will be game-changing. The possibility to recycle critical metals with energy-efficient, low-cost processes could have a significant impact on the global recycling rates of these metals.

Mots-clés : liquid liquid extraction,liquid solid extraction,solvent extraction,separation,hydrometallurgy,critical metals,rare earths,antimony,germanium,indium,gallium,tantalum,niobium,ionic liquids
Projet ERC : ETMD_ICEC (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Entité participante : Heidelberg University — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

The relaxation of electronically excited systems like atoms and molecules embedded in environment is a key question in chemistry and photobiology and the underlying physical mechanisms have been widely studied. The applicant has predicted theoretically that there are two efficient electronic processes between a system and its neighbors even if the system itself is in its electronic ground state and does not have excess energy, making clear that an important gap exists in our current understanding of systems embedded in environment. There is extensive future potential in filling this gap and we aim at exploring and exploiting it in systems of physical, chemical, and biological interest. The discovered electron-transfer mediated decay (ETMD) [several variants of ETMD have been already verified experimentally] and intermolecular Coulombic electron capture (ICEC) mechanisms give rise to a plethora of surprising electronic phenomena relevant to many fields. In radiation damage, for instance, differently charged cations and electrons are produced by ionization and Auger processes, and ETMD and ICEC continue to be operative, neutralize cations and produce radicals in the environment also after the known mechanisms of radiation damage have ceased to operate. This leads to severe additional damage. Knowing the factors influencing the impact of ETMD and ICEC most, we can exploit this knowledge to be able to suppress or enhance this impact. Such a control is invaluable in many cases, may be even in radiation therapy. We are certain that the novel and fundamental ETMD and ICEC processes can be exploited to probe and control systems embedded in an environment. Such a breakthrough necessitates the advancement of current methodologies far beyond the state-of-the-art, and can only be achieved by the close collaboration of a highly motivated strong team of scientists over a long period of time. The support by the ERC will substantially contribute to the realization of this vision.

Mots-clés : efficient environment enabled electronic processes
Projet ERC : SmartCore (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Joanneum Research — Pays : Autriche — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 387108.76 €

The replication of the circle of information coming from the environment, to the skin, to an action mediated by the brain, requires a lot of advances in smart technology and materials development. Embedding sensors in smart architectures that record the stimulus from the environment and transform it into action is the objective of artificial skins. At the moment, different sensors have to be implemented in the artificial skin matrix for each stimulus. The goal of this project is to develop a single multi-stimuli responsive material, which would allow a simplification of the artificial skin and enable unprecedented spatial resolution. The material will be comprised of a smart core, responsive to temperature and humidity, and a piezoelectric shell for pressure sensing. The swelling of the smart core upon stimuli will be sensed by the piezoelectric shell and produce a measurable potential. This architecture will be achieved thanks to the use of novel vapor-based technologies for material processing that allow fabrication at the nanoscale. The advantage of using a dry, vapor-based, polymerization for the smart core is that it will be possible to cumulate different functionalities and engineered composition gradients, which are difficult to obtain by conventional synthesis. Nano-structuration of such materials in core-shell site-specific arrays will allow to create a sensing network with spatial resolution down to 1mm and lower. The network will respond to the stimuli coming from the environment and recognize them in terms of location and type of stimuli. The successful execution of the SmartCore project will have a strong impact in the design and production of future structures, with consequences in sensoring, biotechnology and tissue engineering.

Mots-clés : chemical vapor deposition,piezoelectricity,stimuli responsive materials
Projet ERC : POWDER (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Freie Universität Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : FU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 627143.69 €

The research project aims to analyze the interrelationship between protest and political order under the contextual conditions of the changing shape of modern western democracy. Two groups of ques-tions are connected to this study perspective, which will be answered by means of a democratic-theoretically-led synchronous comparison of selected contemporary protest movements – anonymous digi-tal protest movements, transnationally organized alter-globalization protest movements, the No Border movement and the rightwing identitarian protest movement: The aim is to clarify firstly (1) the extent to which the new forms of protest question the premises of democratic orders, what potential for further de-velopment lies within the new forms of protest on the one hand, and what are the challenges to democracy on the other. Secondly, the aim is to determine (2) the influence and relevance held by the democratic order itself in an age of the changing shape of democracy with regard to the specific formation of the new forms of protest, and what statements can be made on how the formation of the order is changed, in turn, by the new forms of protest themselves. In order to achieve these study perspectives, POWDER consists of an overarching democratic-theoretical framework project (TFP) and four empirical subprojects (SP 1-4), which each analyze one of the protest movements mentioned in the context of a qualitative approach (documentary analysis, participatory observation, qualitative interviews). The comparison of these protest movements investigates (I) recurring patterns, but also contrasting assessments with regard to the interre-lationship between the political order and the protest movements, examines at a second level (II) the dif-ferent manners in which the new forms of protest challenge democratic-theoretical dimensions, and at-tempts at the third level (III) to reconstruct a general democratic-theoretical determination of meaning of present-day protest movements.

Mots-clés : democratic theory,political protest,movements,democratic order,contentious politics,political theory,social and political philosophy
Projet ERC : BioAqua (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Delft University of Technology — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TU Delft
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998020.0 €

The research proposed in BioAqua aims at breaking new ground in the area of catalysis by enabling water-driven biocatalytic redox reactions. Oxidoreductases are a class of enzymes with a very high potential for preparative organic synthesis, which is why they are increasingly used also on industrial scale. The current state-of-the-art, however, utilises valuable high-energy cosubstrates (such as glucose and alcohols) to promote oxidoreductases. Thereby valuable (and edible) building blocks are wasted as sacrificial electron donors which will have significant ethical (food for chemistry), economic and environmental consequences once redox biocatalysis is applied at scale. I envision utilizing water as sacrificial electron donor. Hence, a simple and abundant cosubstrate will be used instead of the valuable cosubstrates mentioned above. This will be a completely new approach in (bio)catalysis. However, activating water for this purpose water is extremely difficult due to its kinetic and thermodynamic inertness. To solve this problem, I propose using visible light as external energy source and advanced chemical catalysts to facilitate water oxidation. The electrons liberated in this process will be made available (for the first time) to promote oxidoreductases-catalysed transformations. BioAqua represents an entirely new paradigm in catalysis as I will bridge the gap between photocatalysis and biocatalysis enabling cleaner and more efficient reaction schemes.

Mots-clés : reduction reactions,oxidation reactions,biocatalysis,green chemistry
Projet ERC : microKIc (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : University of Erlangen-Nuremberg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : FAU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1042436.75 €

The resistance to crack propagation is undoubtedly one of the most important properties of structural materials. However, our current mechanistic understanding of the fracture processes in typical semi-brittle materials like steels, refractory metals or semiconductors is not sufficiently advanced to predict the fracture toughness KIc and its dependence on the microstructure, temperature and strain rate. Therefore, KIc is commonly regarded as a phenomenological material parameter for fracture mechanics models that require experimental calibration. The aim of microKIc is to study fracture in model materials in order to gain a detailed understanding of the microscopic crack-tip processes during fracture initiation, propagation and arrest, and to systematically study the interactions of cracks with constituents of the microstructure like dislocations, voids, precipitates and grain boundaries. To this end, we will perform fully 3D, large-scale atomistic simulations on cracks in bcc-based materials (W, NiAl) with varying crack orientation, crack front quality, and in the presence of dislocations and microstructural obstacles. The obtained criteria for crack advance and dislocation nucleation at crack tips will be implemented in a coupled finite element - discrete dislocation dynamics code, which will allow for the first time a fully 3D study of fracture and crack-tip plasticity at the mesoscale. The simulations will be compared to in-situ micro-mechanical tests on well-characterized fracture specimens produced by focused ion beam milling. The ultimate goal of microKIc is to use this experimentally validated multiscale modelling framework to develop a microstructure-sensitive, physics-based micromechanical model of the fracture toughness, which will be tested against macroscopic fracture experiments. Such predictive models are crucial for the development of new failure-resistant materials and for improved design guidelines for safety-relevant structures and components.

Mots-clés : fracture,microstructure property relationships,multiscale modelling,atomistic simulation,discrete dislocation dynamics,micromechanical testing,micromechancial model,brittle ductile,transition
Projet ERC : microKIc (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Max Planck Society — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MPG
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 656738.25 €

The resistance to crack propagation is undoubtedly one of the most important properties of structural materials. However, our current mechanistic understanding of the fracture processes in typical semi-brittle materials like steels, refractory metals or semiconductors is not sufficiently advanced to predict the fracture toughness KIc and its dependence on the microstructure, temperature and strain rate. Therefore, KIc is commonly regarded as a phenomenological material parameter for fracture mechanics models that require experimental calibration. The aim of microKIc is to study fracture in model materials in order to gain a detailed understanding of the microscopic crack-tip processes during fracture initiation, propagation and arrest, and to systematically study the interactions of cracks with constituents of the microstructure like dislocations, voids, precipitates and grain boundaries. To this end, we will perform fully 3D, large-scale atomistic simulations on cracks in bcc-based materials (W, NiAl) with varying crack orientation, crack front quality, and in the presence of dislocations and microstructural obstacles. The obtained criteria for crack advance and dislocation nucleation at crack tips will be implemented in a coupled finite element - discrete dislocation dynamics code, which will allow for the first time a fully 3D study of fracture and crack-tip plasticity at the mesoscale. The simulations will be compared to in-situ micro-mechanical tests on well-characterized fracture specimens produced by focused ion beam milling. The ultimate goal of microKIc is to use this experimentally validated multiscale modelling framework to develop a microstructure-sensitive, physics-based micromechanical model of the fracture toughness, which will be tested against macroscopic fracture experiments. Such predictive models are crucial for the development of new failure-resistant materials and for improved design guidelines for safety-relevant structures and components.

Mots-clés : fracture,microstructure property relationships,multiscale modelling,atomistic simulation,discrete dislocation dynamics,micromechanical testing,micromechancial model,brittle ductile,transition
Projet ERC : VOICES (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : National University of Ireland — Pays : Irlande — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : NUI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 891386.0 €

The right to make one’s own decisions and to have these decisions respected by law is a basic human freedom which most adults take for granted. However, for many people with disabilities (especially people with intellectual, psycho-social and other cognitive disabilities) this fundamental right has been denied – informally, in the private sphere, and formally, in the public sphere through States’ laws and policies. Since the entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, there is an emerging consensus in human rights discourse that all people, regardless of their decision-making skills, should enjoy ‘legal capacity’ on an equal basis—that is, the right to be recognised as a person before the law and the subsequent right to have one’s decisions legally recognised. To date most of the literature on how this right should be realised has been developed by non-disabled scholars without the direct input of people with disabilities themselves. The VOICES project will take a radical approach to develop new law reform ideas based on this concept of ‘universal legal capacity.’ Its primary objective is to develop reform proposals based on the lived experience of disability. The project will support individuals who self-identify as disabled to develop personal narratives about their experiences in exercising, or being denied, legal capacity. Through a collaborative process, legal and social science scholars will then work with people with disabilities to develop their personal narratives to frame and ground concrete proposals for law reform in previously unexplored areas – including consent to sex, contractual capacity, criminal responsibility and consent to medical treatment. In this way, the legitimacy of people with disabilities’ perspectives on the options for law reform will be validated, and this will create a powerful argument for legal change.
Projet ERC : Gels4Bac (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : GBF;HZI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 0.0 €

The rise of bacterial resistance against antibiotic drugs is becoming the leading cause for morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Europe alone, up to 33,000 people die each year from infections with resistant bacteria. Current antibiotic therapy often suffers from low selectivity, adverse side effects in other organs and impaired ability to overcome bacterial barriers. These problems limit the efficacy of our antibiotic arsenal. Local and effective eradication of bacterial infections is of utmost importance to avert the formation of new resistances. My research centres on naturally derived vesicles. All living cells and microorganisms produce these nanoparticles and equip them with unique features for transport and targeted delivery of molecules. I have previously discovered a new group of bacteria-derived vesicles with low cytotoxicity and inherent antibiotic activity. Upon contact with culture supernatant from pathogens, bacteria produce higher potent antimicrobial vesicles. Now, I would like to incorporate these vesicles into hydrogels – Gels4Bac – that respond to pathogenic factors in the infection environment. Once the hydrogel encounters these factors, antimicrobial vesicles are selectively and locally released in the presence of specific pathogens. The local application reduces time until treatment, adverse side effects and unspecific killing of beneficial microbiota. Gels4Bac will create new options for selectively treating infectious dispositions. Stimulation of vesicle producing bacteria with pathogen-derived components may open an on-demand customisable, quick and cost-effective approach for treatment. In addition, it creates new avenues for the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents besides current screening and medicinal chemistry. Such platform technology is imperative to equip Europe in its fight against the rise of infections with resistant bacteria, and will boost Europe's scientific competitiveness in infection therapy.

Mots-clés : extracellular vesicles,outer membrane vesicles,stimuli responsive hydrogels
Projet ERC : DIPLOFACE (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Copenhagen — Pays : Danemark — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UCPH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1414252.0 €

The rise of social media, coupled with intensifying demands for more transparency and democracy in world politics, brings new challenges to international diplomacy. State leaders and diplomats continue to react to traditional media, but now also attempt to present themselves proactively through tweets, public diplomacy and nation branding. These efforts often take place simultaneously and sometimes interfere directly with closed-door negotiations and its culture of restraint and secrecy. Yet the relationship between confidential diplomacy and public representation remains understudied. DIPLOFACE will develop a sociologically and anthropologically informed approach to studying how state leaders and diplomats manage their nation’s ‘faces’ in the information age. The project will explore the relationship and tensions between confidential diplomatic negotiations and publicly displayed interventions in various media, applying the micro-sociological concept of ‘face-work’. DIPLOFACE will analyse the complex interactional dynamics that shape the diplomatic techniques and strategies used to convey a nation’s ‘face’ or ‘image of self’. Such face-work is increasingly important for national leaders and diplomats who perform simultaneously on the ‘back-stage’ and the ‘front-stage’ of international relations. DIPLOFACE will identify, theorize and analyse the repertoire of face-saving, face-honouring and face-threatening practices that are employed in confidential negotiations and in public. DIPLOFACE advances our theoretical understanding of diplomacy in the 21st century significantly beyond existing International Relations and diplomatic theory. Combining participant observation, interviews and media analysis, DIPLOFACE will generate important new knowledge about the relationship between public and confidential multilateral negotiation, how state leaders and diplomats handle new media, and the role of face-saving and face-threatening strategies in international relations.