Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : AMIGO (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Entité participante : Sant Joan de Déu-Barcelona Children’s Hospital — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 157500.0 €

Chronic pain is endemic and difficult to treat. The first surge occurs in adolescence, a critical period for brain development associated with high vulnerability. The number of adolescents with disabling pain has soared, and in most cases, pain persists into adulthood, strongly impacting long-term wellbeing. The impact of chronic pain in adolescence urgently calls for a better understanding of its causes, longitudinal predictors, and underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms. Psychosocial and physical stress in youth are critical risk factors for chronic pain in adolescence. Yet it is unknown how they interfere with individual brain physiology to predict who will develop chronic pain. I will use a longitudinal design involving adolescents undergoing major surgeries, coupled with an experimental neuroimaging approach, precision fMRI and machine learning methods to: (i) test the directionality of the association between risk factors, brain physiology and future onset of chronic pain (WP1); (ii) identify a neurophysiological multi-ingredient model that predicts, before surgery, who will (and via what mechanisms) develop chronic postsurgical pain (WP2); and, in a subset of pre-selected patients, (iii) test whether target neurophysiological pathways track pain along subacute and chronic pain phases and after treatment (WP3). I hypothesize that target brain pathways during pain, multisensory unpleasantness and self-evaluation in an affective context will: (i) synergistically predict future onset of pain at the individual adolescent level; (ii) be associated with major risk sources, (iii) exacerbate with chronic pain and attenuate after effective treatment. The results will lay foundational tools that can be used prospectively for early identification of (patho)physiology predicting future pain and patient subtypes. AMIGO has the potential for a profound impact on understanding, early detection, and mechanistically informed treatment recommendations in high-risk adolescents.

Mots-clés : chronic pain stress adolescence brain affective neuroscience fmri prediction
Projet ERC : EnLightEn (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Entité participante : Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives — Pays : France — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CEA
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2000000.0 €

Microorganisms have shaped the Earth's biogeochemistry for almost 4 billion years. Among them, anaerobic archaea dominate the carbon one-unit cycle, nourish ecosystems, and orchestrate the final step of organic matter degradation. They remain mainly uncharacterised and uncultured while harbouring a universe of concealed enzymatic chemistry, which cannot be approached via classic omics. EnLightEn will study these non-isolated archaea as part of the "microbial dark matter" by exploiting native biomass rather than artificial systems. The overall carbon-processing catabolic landscape will be pictured through an anaerobic pipeline, simultaneously investigating multiple enzymes bound to physiological partners and equipped with native (metallo)cofactors. This approach proved its success by deciphering the first and last steps of the ethane-oxidation process from an anaerobic microbial enrichment breaking the accepted metabolic model of archaeal alkanotrophy. EnLightEn will develop into three branches. (i) We will pioneer the biochemical investigations of enzymes from methanotrophic archaea enrichments. (ii) The native catabolic machinery from acetate-degrading methanogens, the prime methane producers in the world, will be isolated from mesocosms. (iii) As the most challenging project, we will study marine environmental enzymes from sediments and microbial mats conducting anaerobic methanotrophy and methanogenesis. Catabolic enzymes are naturally in high abundance in these multiple subspecies communities. Single protein populations will be sorted out by chromatography and ultimately by crystallisation and studied by a suite of biophysical, biochemical and structural technics, as we recently did for a methane-generating enzyme isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. EnLightEn will open a field to characterise the functional dark matter, which can be further applied to other metabolisms and offer an unprecedented view of the molecular tricks used by the microbial world.

Mots-clés : anaerobic biochemistry,c1 metabolism,native structural biology,methanogenic archaea,anaerobic methanotrophic archaea,metalloenzymes,environmental biochemistry
Projet ERC : BioValCat (Horizon Europe, appel 2022, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Université d'Hambourg — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1996625.0 €

This project builds on a recent and ground-breaking discovery of the PI in the field of homogeneously catalysed, selective biomass valorisation. Materials technologies that promise improved catalytic performance are of utmost interest for a more sustainable chemical industry. Manipulating molecular catalysts like polyoxometalates (POM) in solution by tuning the solvent properties and gas atmospheres introduces a new paradigm in homogeneous-catalysed biomass valorisation technologies. It has been found that by using methanol as a (co)solvent, POM catalysts can completely suppress undesired total oxidation to CO2 under oxidative conditions. This drastically enhances the carbon efficiency from biomass to close to 100% yield. Remarkably, this manipulating effect could be explained with the formation of a new vanadyl-methanolate-complex in methanol-aqueous solutions having a methanol content of at least 10%. The proposed BioValCat project aims for developing this potentially disruptive technology towards an industrial viable biomass valorisation process by laying the foundations for a scalable, safe and economic process for the oxidation of biomass to valuable carboxylic acid esters. The project is structured according to the key challenges that have to be mastered in order to achieve this ambitious goal: a) Investigations to identify the nature of the POM-solvent interactions; b) Understanding and revealing the key organic mechanisms in solution; c) Development of novel POM catalysts specifically optimised to perform in aqueous-alcoholic solvent mixtures; d) Extension of the substrate and product scope to industrially viable biomass feedstock; e) Process development, with special emphasis on safety aspects, process intensification as well as product isolation and catalyst recovery. With the proposed project the PI aims for paving the scientific route to novel, low-cost biomass utilisation technologies with great promise for decentralised valorisation of biogenic waste.

Mots-clés : homogeneous catalysis,biomass valorisation,selective biomass oxidation,catalyst engineering,tailoring polyoxometalate catalysts
Projet ERC : JANUS (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CERN
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1718125.0 €

For the decades to come, the pioneering investigation of the fundamental laws of nature at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and at future collider experiments will rely on the interpretation of complex scattering events by means of accurate theoretical calculations, which are instrumental to find small signals of elusive new phenomena. These calculations must describe the evolution of the system from the few particles produced in the high-energy scattering to the tens or hundreds of low-energy particles observed in the detectors. This proposal aims at transforming the core of our theoretical understanding of such a multi-scale evolution, which nowadays is often too inaccurate to cope with the striking experimental precision. The goal of JANUS is to develop innovative ideas and theoretical methods to advance significantly both approaches to the problem: Resummations and Parton-Shower-Monte-Carlo (PSMC) generators. JANUS will establish a deep connection between the two fields, resulting in novel technology for the accurate modelling of multi-scale effects. Its main objectives are:   - To formulate new theoretical methods to tackle the resummation of complex collider observables in reactions with more than two emitters and scales with state-of-the-art accuracy. - To lay the theoretical foundations for a new generation of PSMC algorithms, capable of describing accurately the hard scattering and subsequent parton-shower evolution for reactions with different jet multiplicities with a new standard of precision.  This technology will be applied to obtain state-of-the-art theoretical predictions for a broad range of critical observables in the important fields of Higgs and jet physics, enabling their optimal exploration at the LHC and future collider experiments.

Mots-clés : perturbative qcd,resummation,parton showers,event generators,collider phenomenology
Projet ERC : PRESOBEN (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CERN
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2184375.0 €

Neutrons are fascinating particles and are important for nuclear structure, tests of the standard model of particle physics, or properties of neutron stars. Unfortunately, they are electrically neutral, so learning about their distribution in nuclei, especially far from stability, is difficult. However, they possess a magnetic moment, which contributes to –and sometimes dominates– the distribution of nuclear magnetization. This project aims to address the challenging question of the distribution of magnetisation and neutrons in unstable nuclei. I will use a novel, high-accuracy experimental approach, combining radiation-detected Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with rf-laser double spectroscopy on optically-pumped short-lived nuclei. The project builds on recent achievements in my team, allowing to determine magnetic moments of unstable nuclei up to ppm accuracy. I will combine this approach with accurate measurements of the hyperfine structure using the laser-rf double-resonance. The signals will be detected efficiently using decay anisotropy, thanks to spin polarisation via optical pumping. This will lead to an accurate determination of a ‘hyperfine anomaly’, a small effect on atomic hyperfine structure due to the distribution of nuclear magnetisation. A close collaboration with atomic and nuclear theorists will allow to determine the magnetisation and neutron distribution in many nuclei: light neutron-halo 11Be, proposed halos in neutron-rich Ne, Na, Mg, K, and Ca nuclei, and heavy Rn, Fr, and Ra isotopes, interesting for studies of atomic parity violation (APV) and electric dipole moments. The project will take place at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. I will also work closely with quantum-chemistry, atomic- and nuclear-physics theorists, who will use our data to improve their approaches. This will open new perspectives for nuclear structure studies, determination of neutron-star properties, or APV studies. It will also allow test of atomic and nuclear calculations.

Mots-clés : unstable nuclei,nuclear magnetic resonance,optical pumping,laser spectroscopy,hyperfine structure,magnetization distribution,neutron distribution,spin polarization,beta decay,decay anisotropy,beta detected nmr,hyperfine anomaly,rf spectroscopy
Projet ERC : COCOA (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Mathematics
Entité participante : Université technique de Rhénanie-Westphalie à Aix-la-Chapelle — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1996375.0 €

The efficient numerical treatment of partial differential equations on high-dimensional spaces often requires approximation methods involving a high degree of nonlinearity, such as low-rank tensor representations or neural networks. By exploiting structural features of solutions, such approaches in many cases promise extremely efficient approximations. However, due to the corresponding greater difficulty of computing highly compressed representations, such results need to be considered in conjunction with the costs of numerical methods for constructing these approximations. A main objective of the project is to address the gap between theoretical complexity bounds and the performance of practical implementations of solvers, with particular focus on low-rank tensor representations, linear combinations of arbitrary Gaussian functions, as well as neural networks and more general compositions of functions. We also aim to understand the relative suitability of particular nonlinear approximation methods for different problem classes, such as problems with many parameters, evolution problems for probability distributions and wave functions, and eigenvalue problems in quantum chemistry. In each case, it is crucial to avoid numerical instabilities in the interaction of nonlinear approximations and differential operators and to ensure reliability of results in high dimensions by suitable computable error bounds.

Mots-clés : numerical methods for partial differential equations,high dimensional problems,parameter dependent problems,evolution problems,eigenvalue problems,nonlinear approximation,adaptive methods,complexity estimates,sparse expansions,low rank tensor representations,linear combinations of gaussian functions,neural networks
Projet ERC : GlassBrain (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Entité participante : Hôpital universitaire de la Charité de Berlin — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Charité
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999256.0 €

Locating sound sources such as prey or predators is critical for survival in many vertebrates. Terrestrial vertebrates achieve this by measuring the time delay and amplitude difference of sound waves arriving on each ear. For fish however, the faster speed of sound in water and the proximity of the two ears make such cues useless. Yet, directional hearing has been confirmed behaviorally, and the mechanisms have puzzled researchers for decades. Theoretical studies attempted to explain this remarkable ability, proposing that acoustic pressure and particle velocity signals must be measured separately and then be compared. However, the locus of this computation is unknown and its neuronal and biophysical mechanisms remain obscure. This is because most vertebrate brains and inner ears are highly opaque, rendering them inaccessible to systemic optical investigation. Addressing this challenge, we recently identified the teleost Danionella translucida (DT) as a unique vertebrate model for neuroscience. DT are among the smallest living vertebrates and are transparent throughout their lifespan. Despite having the smallest known vertebrate brain, they display a rich set of complex behaviors, including acoustic communication, illustrating the ethological relevance of hearing for this species. Building on our experience with acoustics and brain-wide imaging, we will exploit this model to (1) image the vibrational response of the inner ear, (2) study the neuronal activity of the sensory epithelia, and (3) follow the neuronal integration of sensory signals by circuits across the brain with functional imaging. These measurements will, for the first time, allow us to study the entire acoustic processing chain from acoustic stimulus, via mechanical transmission, to brain-wide neuronal integration at single cell resolution. If successful, they will constitute a major step for our understanding of hearing mechanisms in fish and illuminate the evolutionary origin of vertebrate audition.

Mots-clés : whole brain imaging,auditory circuits,microscopy,model organisms,biophysics of sound
Projet ERC : GeoChaos (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Université d'Oxford — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999988.0 €

Quantum chaotic dynamics is in the focus of many current developments in physics, ranging from thermalisation in closed quantum systems to the black hole information puzzle. Recently, experimentalists have made great strides in controlling quantum dynamics, and theorists have developed solvable models to study many-body quantum chaos. To uncover what aspects of these results are universal and how different chaotic phenomena across time scales are related, a coherent framework unifying and extending recent developments is called for. This project will develop two new paradigms that unify different manifestations of quantum chaotic dynamics and bridge disciplines.  In the quest for a common dynamical explanation of different chaotic phenomena, we will construct a Unified effective field theory (EFT) for chaos. In parallel, we will capitalise on the holographic Gauge/String duality that gives geometric insights into strongly coupled quantum dynamics to draw connections between gravity and chaos. By developing a holographic dictionary between the Unified EFT and gravity, we will build the Chaos/Gravity correspondence, a novel framework that uncovers how spacetime and its gravitational dynamics emerges from chaos in quantum field theories.  Our methodology consists of exact analytical computations in solvable models, the study of chaotic phenomena in universal kinematic regimes, and the description of these results in the framework of EFT. These steps lay the foundations for conceptual leaps to the Unified EFT and the Chaos/Gravity correspondence that will be pursued in synergy. The two new paradigms will transform our understanding of many-body quantum chaos. The benefits of a systematic approach will be multifold: we will establish new quantitative relations between data characterising chaos, make experimental predictions about non-equilibrium phenomena at large system sizes, and potentially uncover new signatures of quantum chaos.

Mots-clés : many body quantum chaos,effective field theory,holographic duality,ads cft,out of time order correlators,entanglement entropy,complexity,syk model,black holes,random quantum circuits,finite temperature qft,random matrix theory
Projet ERC : CellWise (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and Communication Engineering
Entité participante : Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CSIC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1999107.5 €

Synthetic Biology is one of the pillars of the bioeconomy. However, a number of fundamental issues need to be resolved before its full potential can be realized. First, the design of dynamic biomolecular circuits faces high levels of uncertainty from different sources leading to poor predictability of Synthetic Biology designs. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for more sophisticated biomolecular circuit functionalities to meet the demands arising from cutting-edge applications and scientific challenges such as the synthetic cell, including those related with cell cognition. CellWise aims to make a major contribution to the field by developing theoretical tools, and mathematical and computational methods to achieve enhanced predictability in Synthetic Biology. The objectives are: i) harnessing noise of different sources, uncertainty and context dependency for the precise engineering of complex biological functions, ii) fundamentally advancing the bifurcation analysis of biomolecular circuits under noise and uncertainty, and iii) achieving precise control of cell function, both at the single cell and population levels. The project has a special focus on the engineering and control of cell cognition capabilities such as memory and cell decision-making. To accomplish this, we propose an innovative mathematical modelling framework for dynamic biomolecular circuits under noise and uncertainty, combined with state-ofthe-art optimization methods, our recent insights on the automated design and bifurcation behaviour of stochastic systems, and experimental work. Through the realization of these objectives, CellWise will unlock innovative synthetic biology applications and improve our understanding of fundamental questions in biology, illuminating mechanisms by which cells achieve robust function in presence of noise, and elucidating how cellular decisions can be precisely controlled.
Projet ERC : BiMetalGAS (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Entité participante : Conseil supérieur de la recherche scientifique — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : CSIC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1998946.0 €

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and ammonia poses a major challenge in modern chemistry due to the high inertness of their strong chemical bonds. These gaseous molecules are abundant and cheap. Therefore, their use as C1, O1 and N1 building blocks in synthetic chemistry entails remarkable environmental and economic advantages. Nonetheless, there are yet many limitations to meet their true synthetic potential and industrial applicability, which clearly demands innovative catalytic solutions.  In BiMetalGAS, I will develop two unique families of tailor-made heterobimetallic complexes specifically designed for the catalytic activation of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and ammonia.  The two types of cooperative bimetallic catalysts are: (i) highly polarized bimetallic complexes and (ii) transition metal/heavier tetrylene (Ge, Sn) compounds. The high polarization of the former and the distinct and flexible bonding of the latter, will enable the activation and cleavage of the strong bonds within CO2, N2O and NH3. Importantly, these systems will share for the first time the key feature of exceptionally low-coordination environments, a design principle mostly underdeveloped in bimetallic chemistry. This will unlock the main mechanistic bottlenecks associated to highly challenging catalytic transformations of these gaseous molecules by reducing the existing energetic barriers through metal-metal cooperation or by introducing alternative pathways based on bimetallic synergisms. Of high synthetic feasibility, the targeted catalysts will offer a range of tunable features and a landscape of multi-site molecular reactivity unattainable for mononuclear complexes.  This project will offer cutting-edge science to transform cheap and abundant, yet largely inert gaseous molecules. Through groundbreaking bimetallic synergies, BiMetalGAS will set new grounds towards a more sustainable production of large-scale commodity chemicals with broad ranging applications.

Mots-clés : bimetallic complexes organometallic chemistry