Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : METAPoF (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 801926.0 €

In this research programme, I connect language to managers’ sense-making about the purpose of the firm in society. Specifically, how does language reflect and shape beliefs as to whether firms should tackle societal challenges, such as inequality, resource scarcity, and climate change, rather than merely create economic value for investors? In contrast to dominant macro-level explanations focused on the institutional drivers of purpose, I propose to investigate figurative language as a micro-foundation that influences why firms choose to tackle the societal challenges they do. Figurative language, such as metaphor, has a role in shaping how people think and act. It does so by helping actors make sense of complex phenomena in terms of objects and processes they more readily understand and experience more concretely. For instance, people often describe the future in terms of the physical realities of space and motion. Emerging research at the interface of language and cognitive science documents that even subtle differences in the form of metaphor—e.g., whether we describe ourselves as approaching the future, or whether we describe the future as approaching us—can prompt distinct ways of sense-making. I have designed three empirical studies that build on this emerging research to advance understanding of how metaphor informs sense-making about the future and about one’s capacity to solve societal problems. The studies explore 1) the relationship between metaphor and understandings of purpose, 2) the relationship between management teams’ use of metaphor and investor support for corporate social engagement, and 3) the relationship between firms’ working languages and understandings of purpose. Together, the studies promise to break new ground by showing the latent influence of language on how executives make sense of the purpose of the firm in society and on how communicating purpose in different ways can mould investor reactions.

Mots-clés : language,sustainability,metaphor,social responsibility
Projet ERC : WELFAREPRIORITIES (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : University of Zurich — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UZH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1474133.0 €

In times of austerity, the politics of the welfare state involve tough choices and even trade-offs: whose risks should benefit from social solidarity in a context of shrinking resources? Should the welfare state prioritize the needs of the elderly or those of the young? Those of people in the workforce or outside of the workforce? Of natives or of immigrants? How countries answer these key questions depends on the welfare state priorities of citizens, political elites and economic elites. However, we know still very little about these priorities and their determinants, and we know even less about the mechanisms that foster support for social solidarity – i.e. support for inclusive social security beyond self-interest. This project wants to make use of recent methodological advances to investigate precisely these priorities and mechanisms. The project will have two phases: the goal of the first phase is to identify the most salient distributive conflicts and welfare trade-offs in eight European countries. It includes an original data collection on social policy priorities among citizens, politicians, employers and trade unions (based on conjoint survey and interviews), as well as content analysis of the actual welfare politics in these countries. The second phase builds on the findings of the first phase, but its objective is to go beyond conflict towards coalitions. It will again combine conjoint surveys and content analysis to identify the factors that foster support for social policies among those actors who are unlikely to benefit directly from these policies. The project will investigate the relative importance of three factors: compensation, framing and mediation. The project breaks new theoretical and methodological ground in comparative welfare state research. It conceptualizes and studies both the trade-offs and the potentials for coalitions, which will determine the fate of the European welfare state in the 21st century.

Mots-clés : political science,welfare states,welfare state reforms,social solidarity,democratic responsiveness
Projet ERC : ACTICELL (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Institut Curie — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

In tissues, cells have their physical space constrained by neighbouring cells and extracellular matrix. In the PROMICO ERC project, our team proposed to specifically address the effect of physical confinement on normal and cancer cells that are dividing and migrating, using new pathophysiologically relevant in vitro approaches based on innovative micro-fabrication techniques. One of the devices we developed was meant to quantitatively control two key parameters of the cell environment: its geometry and its surface chemical properties. The main technical breakthrough was achieved using micro-fabricated elastomeric structures bound to a hard substrate (Le Berre Integrative Biology, 2012). The method led to important fundamental discoveries in cell biology (Lancaster Dev Cell 2013, Le Berre PRL 2013, Liu Cell 2015, Raab Science 2016). In part based on our findings, the notion that confinement is a crucial parameter for cell physiology has spread through the cell biology. Based on this, our idea is that cell confinement could be used as a powerfull cell conditioning technology, to change the cell state and offer new opportunities for fundamental research in cell biology, but also in cell therapies and drug screening. However, our current method to confine cells is not adapted to large scale cell conditioning applications, because the throughput and reliability of the device is still too low and because the recovery of cells after confinement remain poorly controlled. It is thus now timely to develop a robust and versatile cell confiner adapted to use in any cell biology lab, in academy and in industry, with no prior experience in micro-fabrication. Achieving this goal involves a complete change of technology compared to the ‘homemade’ PDMS device we have been using so far. We will also perform proofs of concept of its use for its application in cell based therapies, such as cancer immunotherapy, by testing the possibility to mechanically activate dendritic cells.

Mots-clés : cell confinement,microfabrication,mechanical cell activation
Projet ERC : BrainCircuit-on-chip (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
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 : 50000.0 €

In vitro cultures of brain cells generate an ease and accessible ensemble of neurons In vitro cultures of brain cells generate an ease and accessible ensemble of neurons which has been invaluable for innumerable cellular and molecular studies. However, brain tissue dissociation and neuronal plating in vitro causes a complete loss of the original connections present into the brain tissue. Therefore, in vitro neuronal cultures do not allow to model specific neuronal circuits and study their specific properties. The same limitation is valid for human stem cell-derived neuronal cell cultures. In fact, several neuronal cell types can be differentiated from human iPS cells (iPSCs), but without any organization in terms of connectivity or synaptic specificity. We have established a microfluidic platform, named BrainCircuit-on-chip, which allows to growth human iPSC-derived neurons with a stereotyped organization and to establish patterned connections between different neuronal cell types. These microchips contain a central chamber where synapses between the two neuronal cell types are generated establishing the correct functional integration between the two neuronal populations. PDMS-microfluidic chambers are transparent and enables high-power and time-lapse imaging in the different neuronal compartments for sub-cellular and molecular studies. Moreover, the design of the central chamber enables to expose the synapses to chemicals or other cells types like astrocytes or microglia to study their effects on a specific class of synapses. We will produce a convenient kit with the frozen human neurons, the microfluidic chamber and a detailed protocol for generating the patterned neuronal circuits for research studies, compound testing and toxicology research.

Mots-clés : microfluidics,organ on chip,stem cells,parkinson s disease,neuronal circuits
Projet ERC : Switch2See (Horizon 2020, appel 2020, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Entité participante : Helmholtz Zentrum München — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : HMGU
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1992997.0 €

In vivo imaging of cellular localization and function and visualization of the chemicals that drive life are key challenges for biological research. Current methods limit our insight into this “bigger picture” to either a glimpse (low penetration and small field of view) or a coarse overview (low resolution). Optoacoustic (OA) imaging has the physical means to overcome these limitations, but it lacks the necessary toolbox of genetically encoded reporters and sensors that allow specific probing of localizations and distributions. So far, all efforts to create such a toolbox were impeded by the strong tissue background inherent to OA. Recently, exploiting my longstanding expertise in reversibly switchable reporters I overcame this hurdle by introducing the concept of photo-modulation to OA. Switchable reporters allow modulation of the reporter signal to separate it from the background – making the latter virtually invisible (“Switch2See”). In parallel, the concept was used by a U.S. consortium in vivo, underpinning its validity. Hence, now is the time to combine my expertise in switching, protein-engineering, sensors, and OA imaging to create a toolbox that will allow to follow cells over time, visualize their interactions, and image the distributions of chemicals – all on the scale of the whole live organism with resolutions of 20 - 150 µm. With Switch2See, I will lay the foundations by building dedicated screening infrastructure, use it to develop a range of reporters (multiplexing) and sensors, and develop algorithms to convert the photo-modulation patterns into images. I will demonstrate the revolutionary impact on whole-animal imaging by visualizing localization, dynamics and interaction of immune cells in the tumor micro-environment (TME) and visualize aspects of its chemical heterogeneity. Beyond cancer research, this will impact all questions requiring a “bigger picture” – from developmental processes over neurobiology to the functioning of the immune system.
Projet ERC : InOutBioLight (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Technical University of Munich — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : TUM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999188.0 €

InOutBioLight aims to design multifunctional rubbers with enhanced mechanical, thermal, color-converting, and light-guiding features towards advanced biohybrid lighting and photovoltaic technologies. The latter are placed at the forefront of the EU efforts for low-cost production and efficient consumption of electricity, a critical issue for a sustainable development. In this context, the use of biomolecules as functional components in lighting and photovoltaic devices is still a challenge, as they quickly denature under storage and device operation conditions. This paradigm has changed using an innovative rubber-like material, in which the biofunctionality is long preserved. As a proof-of-concept, color down-converting rubbers based on fluorescent proteins were used to design the first biohybrid white light-emitting diode (bio-HWLED). To develop a new generation of biohybrid devices, InOutBioLight will address the following critical issues, namely i) the nature of the protein-matrix stabilization, ii) how to enhance the thermal/mechanical features, iii) how to design multifunctional rubbers, iv) how to mimic natural patterns for light-guiding, and v) how to expand the technological use of the rubber approach. To achieve these goals, InOutBioLight involves comprehensive spectroscopic, microscopic, and mechanical studies to investigate the protein-matrix interaction using new polymer matrices, additives, and protein-based nanoparticles. In addition, the mechanical, thermal, and light-coupling features will be enhanced using structural biocompounds and reproducing biomorphic patterns. As such, InOutBioLight offers three major advances: i) a thorough scientific basis for the rubber approach, ii) a significant thrust of the emerging bio-HWLEDs, and iii) innovative breakthroughs beyond state-of-the-art biohybrid solar cells.

Mots-clés : light emitting diodes,dye sensitized solar cells,biohybrid material
Projet ERC : INSENSE (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Complexity
Entité participante : University of Birmingham — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1458033.0 €

Incentive salience is a form of motivation for reward that is triggered by environmental cues. These come to be ‘wanted’: they create an urge or craving for approach and consumption that influences choice and guides action. Stimuli imbued with incentive salience are thought to become salient, attention-drawing, and impossible to ignore, and a leading theory of addiction proposes that drug stimulation of the brain’s reward system may create intense and abnormal incentive salience for drug-related stimuli. Consistent with this, work with animals has linked incentive salience to signaling in mesocorticolimbic brain systems, and the release of nigrostriatal dopamine in particular. But direct investigation of incentive salience in human cognition is sparse, and the application of ideas from animal research to our understanding of human incentive salience has led to pervasive ambiguity and misunderstanding. The objective of INSENSE is therefore to use cutting-edge tools from cognitive neuroscience to a.) characterize the computational and neural substrates of human incentive salience, and b.) determine how failures in these systems underlie addictive human behaviour. This is accomplished through the combined use of techniques like transcranial electrical stimulation, psychopharmacology, electroencephalogram, multivariate pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance data, and computational modelling in order to index, characterize, and manipulate the neural representation of naturalistic reward-associated stimuli.

Mots-clés : incentive salience,motivation,dopamine,fmri
Projet ERC : InTo (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Social World and Its Diversity
Entité participante : Utrecht University — Pays : Pays-Bas — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2205493.75 €

Increasingly our societies are becoming more diverse and how to live with this diversity is one of the most pressing questions of our time. In Europe, intergroup tolerance has been proposed as a key aspect of living harmoniously and productively with diversity; it is critical because objection and disagreement about what is good and right are inevitable. A diverse, egalitarian, and peaceful society does not require that we all like each other, but it does require that people at least tolerate one another. Yet, there has been very little by way of social psychological theorizing and systematic empirical research on intergroup toleration. This research will advance the state of the art in the social sciences by moving beyond intergroup stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination, and focusing on the social psychology of intergroup toleration in which differences are endured. This new line of research will unravel the interrelated aspects of toleration. We will elucidate: (1) the underlying psychological aspects of tolerance (the objection component), 2) the psychological processes underlying tolerance (the acceptance component), 3) the limits of tolerance (the rejection component), and 4) the social psychological consequences of being tolerated. This program has a coherent theoretical framework and empirically toleration will be examined by using a combination of survey data, framing experiments, and lab experiments involving EEG. The research will provide key insights into the social psychological dynamics of intergroup toleration. This can form the basis for developing and implementing initiatives and approaches that contribute to a more tolerant society. Given the contested nature of cultural diversity and the absence of systematic social psychological investigations, the proposed research is both ground-breaking and timely.

Mots-clés : social psychology
Projet ERC : CoolNanoDrop (Horizon 2020, appel 2018, Proof of concept grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : University of London — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : U. London
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 70000.0 €

Industrial emulsification often requires inefficient, high energy processes, such as mechanical shear leading to high temperatures in emulsificaiton. Our new efficient method has enabled self-emulsificatino at low temperatures by simply cooling an emulsion. We will apply this method to industrially relevant compounds for the food and pharma industries.

Mots-clés : self emulsification,nanoemulsions,cooling,industrial emulsification
Projet ERC : iAML-lncTARGET (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Entité participante : Hannover Medical School — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Acronyme de l'entité : MHH
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 16475.0 €

Infant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has a dismal prognosis, with a high prevalence of unfavorable features and increased susceptibility to therapy-related toxicities, highlighting the need for innovative treatment approaches. Despite the discovery of an enormous number and diversity of transcriptional products arising from the previously presumed wastelands of the non-protein-coding genome, our knowledge of non-coding RNAs is far from being incorporated into standards of AML diagnosis and treatment. I hypothesize that the highly developmental stage- and cell-specific expression of long non-coding RNAs shapes a chromatin and transcriptional landscape in fetal hematopoietic stem cells that renders them permissive towards transformation. I predict this landscape to synergize with particular oncogenes that are otherwise not oncogenic in adult cells, by providing a fertile transcriptional background for establishing and maintaining oncogenic programs. Therefore, the non-coding transcriptome, inherited from the fetal cell of origin, may reflect a previously unrecognized Achilles heel of infant AML, which I will identify with my expertise to understand and edit the AML genome and transcriptome. I will apply recent breakthroughs from various research areas to i) create a comprehensive transcriptomic atlas of infant AML and fetal stem cells, ii) define aberrant or fetal stage-specific non-coding RNAs that drive leukemia progression, and iii) resolve their features to probe the oncogenic interactome. After iv) establishing a biobank of patient-derived xenografts, I will v) evaluate preclinical RNA-centered therapeutic interventions to overcome current obstacles in the treatment of infant AML. Targeting the vulnerable fetal stage-specific background of infant AML inherited from the cell of origin may set a paradigm shift for cancer treatment, by focusing on the permissive basis required by the oncogene for inducing and sustaining cancer, rather than on the oncogene itself.

Mots-clés : infant,long non coding rna
Projet ERC : INFANTLEUKEMIA (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Entité participante : Fundación Josep Carreras Contra la Leucemia — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

Infant cancer is very distinct to adult cancer and it is progressively seen as a developmental disease. An intriguing infant cancer is the t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) characterized by the hallmark rearrangement MLL-AF4 (MA4), and associated with dismal prognosis. The 100% concordance in twins and its prenatal onset suggest an extremely rapid disease progression. Many key issues remain elusive: Is MA4 leukemogenic? Which are other relevant oncogenic drivers? Which is the nature of the cell transformed by MA4? Which is the leukemia-initiating cell (LIC)? Does this ALL follow a hierarchical or stochastic cancer model? How to explain therapy resistance and CNS involvement? To what extent do genetics vs epigenetics contribute this ALL? These questions remain a challenge due to: 1) the absence of prospective studies on diagnostic/remission-matched samples, 2) the lack of models which faithfully reproduce the disease and 3) a surprising genomic stability of this ALL. I hypothesize that a Multilayer-Omics to function approach in patient blasts and early human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) is required to fully scrutinize the biology underlying this life-threatening leukemia. I will perform genome-wide studies on the mutational landscape, DNA and H3K79 methylation profiles, and transcriptome on a uniquely available, large cohort of diagnostic/remission-matched samples. Omics data integration will provide unprecedented information about oncogenic drivers which must be analyzed in ground-breaking functional assays using patient blasts and early HSPCs carrying a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated locus/allele-specific t(4;11). Serial xenografts combined with exome-seq in paired diagnostic samples and xenografts will identify the LIC and determine whether variegated genetics may underlie clonal functional heterogeneity. This project will provide a precise understanding and a disease model for MA4+ ALL, offering a platform for new treatment strategies.

Mots-clés : infant leukemia,developmental cancer,mll af4 fusion,multilayer omics,developmental early stem cells,genome engineering,crispr cas9,leukemia initiating cell,subclonal functional heterogeneity