Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : SELECT-H (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes 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 : 397188.75 €

Hydrogen is uniquely placed to achieve both energy security and net-zero greenhouse emission goals provided it can be produced by low-carbon resources and systems powered by hydrogen can be operated safely and reliably. Hydrogen can be burned to produce heat or power. It can also be used in fuel cells to produce electricity. Due to its high reactivity with oxygen, it often results in violent dynamics that raises challenges to guarantee the integrity and reliability of the systems powered by hydrogen but also their safety. The objective of SELECT-H is threefold: (1) develop fundamental knowledge on combustion science associated with the use of hydrogen in real systems, (2) develop and validate simulation tools to predict these flows and (3) develop solutions to favor the shift from technologies powered by hydrocarbon fuels to safe and reliable systems only powered by hydrogen. These objectives will be achieved in SELECT-H by combining detailed experiments, low order physics-based models and high-fidelity numerical simulations in two different sets of configurations with large societal impact. The first set considers technologies in which hydrogen must burn efficiently, including domestic boilers, cooking stoves and gas turbines for propulsion and power generation. They cover a wide range of operating conditions, fuel and oxidizer injection schemes, including laminar atmospheric cases and highly-turbulent flows at high pressure and elevated temperature where combustion dynamics can threaten the system integrity and reliability. The second set considers cases where hydrogen combustion must be avoided. Typically, hydrogen leaks from fuel cells or from high pressure storages will be considered to understand how hydrogen leaks may ignite and, if they do, how they will interact with walls. The fundamental knowledge gained in SELECT-H will allow the design of safe and reliable hydrogen-powered units.

Mots-clés : hydrogen,combustion
Projet ERC : CaptuRel (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Centre national de la recherche scientifique — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CNRS
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2500000.0 €

Fluorescence sensing materials enable detection of biologically active molecules at the cellular level, whereas photo-responsive materials for molecular uncaging allow controlling cellular processes. Would it be possible to merge these two research fields? The aim of CaptuRel is intelligent fluorescent nanomaterials undergoing bioinspired cycle of specific capture/sensing and photorelease of naturally present bioactive species, protons and neurotransmitters (NTs), for sensing and controlling chemical gradients at the biological interface. These CaptuRel materials will use protons and NTs as messengers to establish chemical communication with other materials and cells in a two-way detection-action regime. They will be applied for sensing and controlling activity and connections of neurons. The project is composed of three work packages. (1) We will establish concepts of fluorescent artificial receptors that exploit adaptive and dynamic covalent chemistry with fluorescent dyes and recognition ligands in nanoparticles for specific reversible capture/sensing of NTs. They will change their fluorescence color/intensity on specific capture of NTs and lose their affinity to NTs at low pH. (2) We will introduce photoacid nanomaterials capable to generate and control pH gradients at distances 0-1000 nm and apply them for short-distance chemical communication with materials and cells. (3) We will obtain CaptuRel materials capable of NT capture and photorelease by coupling artificial receptors with photoacids. They will sense and control NT gradients at 1-100 µm distances and enable us to establish principles of long-distance material-material and material-cell communication based on NTs. This high-risk/high-gain multidisciplinary project will establish a paradigm-shifting concept of a nanomaterial capable to capture bioactive molecules in situ, allowing sensing biological events and then photorelease these molecules to control in space and time bio-activity at cellular level.

Mots-clés : polymeric nanoparticles,polymeric nanofibers,light responsive materials,fluorescence sensing,fluorescent dyes,probes,dynamic covalent chemistry,photorelease,photocages,photoacids,photo responsive materials,molecularly imprinted polymers,artificial receptors,chemical communication,neurotransmitters,neuromodulators,cell membrane,nanomaterial cell interactions,biosensing,cellular imaging,neural stimulation,synaptic plasticity
Projet ERC : CRYPTONIT (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and Communication Engineering
Entité participante : Université Paris-Saclay — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 203641.81 €

Silicon (Si) photonics stands as a solid candidate to address the scaling challenges of emerging communication systems with an ever-growing number of interconnected devices. However, Si has major physical limitations that prevent on-chip integration of key functions: strong two-photon absorption limiting nonlinear optical devices, Si centrosymmetry preventing fast optical modulation, and an indirect bandgap nature hindering light emission and amplification. The common solution to overcome these limitations is the hybrid integration of various materials on Si, each addressing one specific limitation. However, this strategy requires a dedicated technology for each material to be integrated, which compromises cost and scalability. In this context, the CRYPTONIT project will explore a new paradigm for Si photonics based on the hybrid integration of multifunctional zirconia-based crystalline oxides (c-oxides), providing several physical properties non-existent in Si: strong nonlinearities, ferroelectricity and light amplification. The original idea is to develop hybrid superlattices, comprising multiple nano-scale layers of different c-oxides to combine key optical functionalities, using a common Si-compatible fabrication process. The project will focus on the demonstration of advanced nonlinear and optoelectronic devices on Si, operating in the near-infrared for the development of highly-efficient and broadband photonic integrated circuits. The main objectives are: i) The development of a hybrid Si photonics platform based on multifunctional c-oxide superlattices; ii) The demonstration of high power and broadband frequency comb sources (strong nonlinearities and amplification); and the demonstration of high-speed >100 GHz optical modulators based on Pockels effect (ferroelectricity). These objectives are ground-breaking in nature and will open new horizons for research and applications in communications, sensing, and quantum photonics.

Mots-clés : silicon photonics,hybrid integration,crystalline oxides,photonic devices,pockels effect,optoelectronics
Projet ERC : SOFT-PLANET (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Earth System Science
Entité participante : Université Paris-Saclay — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 155605.0 €

How and when plate tectonics (PT) developed on Earth, and why the Earth is currently the only rocky planet of the solar system with PT, are two of the main enigmas of Earth and Planetary Sciences. The evolution of a planet is conditioned by heat transfer in its most viscous envelope, the mantle. This heat transfer is mostly due to convection, and strongly depends on the convective patterns, which in turn depends critically on mantle rheology. However, the link between rock rheology at small time- and length-scales, and mantle « effective » rheology at the long/large scales of mantle convection is still missing. I propose that it resides in the meso-scale structure of the mantle and lithosphere that are acquired through convective motions and partial melting. Hence, deciphering the evolution of the Earth or any other planet requires describing and understanding the interplay between « texture » (i.e. material multi-scale organization), rheology, two-phase flow and convection. Our team recently showed that aqueous nanoparticle colloids, fluids commonly used by soft matter physicists, can reproduce planetary phenomena such as one-sided subduction, and the two-phase flow dynamics of mid-ocean ridges. Building on this, SOFT-PLANET will combine convection in these soft materials with state-of-the-art visualization techniques to relate surface morphology (including faults, wrinkle ridges and volcanism), lithospheric structure and internal flow patterns, and characterize the development of texture and rheology from the nano-scale to the macro-scale of convection. SOFT-PLANET will map the different regimes of convection that can develop, and will derive a physical understanding of each. This new physical framework, together with geomorphology observations, will be used to decipher the current state of Venus, and the divergent evolution of Venus, Mars and the Earth.

Mots-clés : convection plate tectonics mantle plumes subduction accretion volcanism planetary evolution soft matter
Projet ERC : SPRING (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
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 : 241363.2 €

Biomolecular motors are fundamental elements in the emergence of dynamic, self-sustaining, and evolving properties that characterize living systems. When fuelled by an external source of energy, they can perform and convert mechanical work into key functions such as catalysis, regulation, transport, actuation, and locomotion. This transduction of energy happens between hierarchical levels of self-organization, which maintain living systems out of thermodynamic equilibrium and link the unidirectional motion produced by the motors with various emerging functions in a remarkably efficient way. Therefore, one could expect that the implementation of artificial molecular motors in fully synthetic (supra)molecular systems may confer them with some “active” functional properties, in striking contrast with the majority of today’s rather “passive” materials which are engineered and used in (meta)stable states. However, artificial molecular machines have been mainly studied so far as molecular switches, which simply influence their surrounding as a function of their isomerization states (typically A vs B). The objective of the SPRING project is to unambiguously show that the unidirectional motion of artificial molecular motors can be usefully implemented in supramolecular and macromolecular systems and materials, in order to drive them energetically uphill and to subsequently produce non-trivial functions requiring dissipative out-of-equilibrium conditions such as: active morphing, active adaptation, and active propulsion. This will be achieved through advanced synthetic chemistry and a fundamental in-depth understanding of the (supra)molecular and macromolecular systems developed at all scales. If successful, the SPRING project will establish innovative concepts to elaborate (i) active (supra)molecular systems, (ii) new synthetic objects to study some fundamentals of complex matter, and (iii) new technologies to envision applications of molecular machines in the real world.

Mots-clés : molecular motors,out of equilibrium systems
Projet ERC : ANTICIPATE (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Institut de recherche pour la paix — Pays : Norvège — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : PRIO
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1986655.0 €

Armed conflict is human development in reverse. The full scale of conflicts’ impacts remains unknown, however, and fragmentation of research into multiple academic fields limits our understanding. This multidisciplinary project brings together scholars from economics, epidemiology, political science, and conflict research to study the impacts in much more detail and comprehensiveness than earlier studies. It takes a risk analysis perspective, assessing the expected impact as a function of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, and consider effects at both the macro and micro level, on economies, health, and political institutions. It will model exposure to conflict events by accounting for how effects of observed, overt violence are transmitted to locations far from the violence itself and over time, identify conditions that make local communities, marginalized groups, and women particularly vulnerable to the effects, and study how conflict increases their vulnerability to other shocks such as natural disasters. The objective of the project is to model hazard as a probability distribution over the predicted number of direct deaths from violence in locations across the world, exposure as a model for how local populations will be affected by this likely violence, and vulnerability how exposure is translated into adverse human development impact for these populations. The results will be coordinated in the form of a monthly updated early-warning system, expanding the well-established ViEWS model, to also alert observers to particularly detrimental occurrences of violence. Throughout, the project will study how the various impacts and vulnerabilities identified work to reinforce each other, and formulate policy recommendations for parties seeking to reduce the impact on human development.
Projet ERC : Electrophot (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Advanced 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 : 17314.5 €

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a nearly universal way to identify chemical and biological substances and to perform non-invasive diagnostics. More specifically, the 6-15 µm wavelength range can be exploited to detect small traces of environmentally hazardous and toxic substances for a variety of applications including defense, security and industrial monitoring. While current optical systems in the mid-IR range are based on bulky assemblies of discrete devices, a challenging task is to make mid-IR spectroscopy accessible in remote areas, driving the development of compact and cost-effective solutions to replace table-top systems. In the project we aim at addressing new routes for high resolution spectroscopic systems based on dual-comb spectroscopy by developing innovative frequency comb sources. The strategy developed in ELECTROPHOT is based on the unique properties of graded index Silicon Germanium (SiGe) photonics circuits, which are their transparency in a wide spectral range together with the ability to fine tune both the electronic bandgap and refractive index of SiGe alloys, to make large progress in mid-IR photonics. Based on these capabilities, the original idea of the project is to exploit simultaneously optical nonlinear and electro-optic comb generation, to generate compact frequency comb sources providing simultaneously wideband operation with fine and tunable resolution. Interestingly the photonics circuits will leverage from reliable and high-volume fabrication technologies, already developed for microelectronic integrated circuits to provides a new playground in mid-IR photonics.

Mots-clés : silicon photonics,mid infrared,frequency comb generation opto electronics,non linear optics,
Projet ERC : DeepGenetics (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Entité participante : Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : AVL
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2451625.0 €

Human genes are organized in complex networks, to produce thousands of proteins to perform a myriad of functions. Whereas we have detailed maps for most biochemical pathways, the wiring of genetic networks in human cells is poorly understood.  Development of powerful human genetic tools (CRISPR, RNAi, haploid cells), to which I made crucial contributions, have proven invaluable to study genetic networks. However, they face two major limitations. First, they provide information at the gene level, whereas it will be much more informative to understand genetic regulation at the level of protein domains or individual amino acids. Second, important biology can be masked – for example, by the cell state or interfering activity of other genes.  With DeepGenetics we will bring our understanding of the genetic regulation of cellular phenotypes to the next level and mine ‘hidden biology’ that even impacts on well-studied cellular traits. We will (i) counterbalance the use of loss-of-function and gain-of-function genetics to obtain a solid gene-level inventory on the regulation of cellular phenotypes; (ii) identify genes that ‘mask’ unknown biology and use modifier screens to expose and define these processes – as we have recently exemplified in my group leading to the discovery of important new cellular pathways, and (iii) connect phenotypes to the functional protein domains and ultimately to the amino acid level. Thus, DeepGenetics will provide precise views on the regulation of key cellular phenotypes at the amino acid level and will cross the boundaries of our knowledge by exposing ‘hidden biology’.
Projet ERC : PLIODIS (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Study of the Human Past
Entité participante : Université de Bordeaux — Pays : France — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : UBx
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 164062.5 €

Modern humans are unique in their ability to adapt to, and to thrive in, different environments. This trait facilitated their dispersal out-of-Africa to higher latitudes, i.e. to temperate and seasonal habitats, during the Pleistocene. However, there are Plio-Pleistocene hominins at higher latitudes in South Africa (SA) from ~3.7Ma onwards. Did human behavioural/physiological flexibility evolve early in our evolutionary history? Alternatively, did Pliocene hominins occupy such temperate zones due to different palaeoclimatic conditions in deep time and/or due to stochastic events? To untangle these questions this project will: (1) determine the geomorphological and palaeoecological changes in the Kalahari/proto-Limpopo basin, (2) create dynamic palaeo-precipitation/-vegetation models from various archives, (3) carry out detailed anatomical, functional and morphometric analyses of the hominin fossil record and (4) combine the datasets to appraise species diversity (functional adaptations), geneflow (hybridization) and dispersal scenarios (palaeobiogeography). 3 key working hypotheses underlie the proposal: 1. >2.6Ma East African (EA) hominin ranges expanded/contracted in accord with wet and dry phases; periodically, the southernmost populations became reproductively isolated. Early SA hominins represent descendants of Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis, respectively. 2. ~2.6-1.5Ma With the onset of the Northern Hemisphere Glaciation and the re-organisation of the drainage pattern within the Kalahari basin, dispersal corridors repeatedly closed (vicariance) and opened, resulting in intermittent levels of gene flow (i.e. hybridization) between EA and SA hominins. 3. <~1.5Ma Tectonic and hydrographic changes led to the Zambezi River becoming a powerful barrier during the Pleistocene. SA hominins younger than 1.5Ma are likely the result of endemism; competitive exclusion amongst these hominins resulted in exploitation of distinct ecological niches

Mots-clés : palaeoanthropology hominin palaeobiology plio pleistocene hominins south african hominins hominin functional anatomy hominin diversification palaeoscience homo
Projet ERC : HELP (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention,  Diagnosis and T reatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Université de Bordeaux — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UBx
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2488400.0 €

Sudden Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a common cause of adult mortality in western countries, accounting in Europe for about 350 000 cases annually. Most SCDs are caused by ventricular arrhythmias generated from an arrhythmogenic ‘substrate’ present within the heart. Paradoxically, despite the existence of efficient preventive therapies, the sole available predictor of SCD is a measure of cardiac contractility, an indirect metric, which applies only to a subset of patients. At present, most patients at risk cannot be identified pre-emptively to prevent sudden death. My aim is to develop a novel non-invasive body-surface mapping and pacing system, which will allow detection of cardiac signals related directly to the substrate responsible for lethal arrhythmias, for efficient SCD prediction. The unique approach proposed to achieve this objective will consist in: (1) combining electrocardiographic mapping and ultrasonic pacing technologies during cardiac signal acquisition from a high-density array of body surface electrodes; (2) characterizing micro-scale temporal, spectral and spatial features of substrate signals, at baseline and during pacing to unmask hidden signals; (3) establishing critical signal features specific of arrhythmogenic substrates using multi-parametric signal analysis on the body surface, based on unique electrophysiological data from explanted human hearts and from SCD survivors; (4) developing risk prediction scores from well-phenotyped groups of patients monitored by implanted devices. This project will constitute a new paradigm in clinical cardiac investigations and allow a major breakthrough in the prevention of premature arrhythmic deaths in the world. The capability of detecting and influencing cardiac electrical signals will also dramatically impact the management of populations suffering from other cardiac pathologies, enabling earlier diagnosis of heart disease, and better guidance to drug, interventional or preventive therapies.

Mots-clés : sudden cardiac death risk prediction cardiac arrhythmias non invasive electrocardiography non invasive cardiac pacing