Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : SICTRANSIT (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : The study of the human past
Entité participante : University of York — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2186579.95 €

This project will throw new light on human experience during changes of political regime, selecting medieval Sicily as the primary area of study. Between the 6th century and the 13th century, this island experienced four radical changes in regime: from Byzantine to Aghlabid to Fatimid to Norman to Swabian. Potentially, each of these transitions saw new groups of migrants, new forms of agriculture and settlement, new networks of exchange, new distributions of wealth and new types of social control, and we will discover and describe them. We will then compare the Sicilian experience with that of its neighbours over the same period, and so enhance the history of the countries of the western Mediterranean in their formative years. We also expect to deliver insights on a more general and recurrent phenomenon: the relationship between the driving ideology of an imposed regime, its economic performance and the composition and health of its peoples. This ambitious programme is made possible by new methods of archaeological investigation and the choice of medieval Sicily as the primary area of study. Here we have been given access to data sets from previously unpublished excavations spread throughout Sicily, and permission to investigate a cluster of different types of site at Castronovo in the centre of the island: a Byzantine stronghold, an Islamic and Norman castle and a long-lived ‘agrotown.’ To these we propose to add two large scale area surveys to study the dynamics of settlement and the way land was used. The integrated archaeological package to be applied is based on research protocols devised by the PI and deploys bioarchaeological methods newly developed at York, in stable isotopes, ancient DNA and the chemical characterisation of residues encountered in pottery. It is new to southern Europe and features techniques that were unavailable anywhere five years ago.
Projet ERC : FRAME (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : LaVision (Germany) — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : Partner
Type d'entité : Organismes privés (hors enseignement)
Financement ERC de l'entité : 117641.25 €

This proof of concept (PoC) project seeks to explore the possibility of commercializing an optical imaging instrument with the unique ability of permitting a single detector to acquire and store several images simultaneously. This new concept, which is named Frequency Recognition Algorithm for Multiple Exposures (FRAME), employs an "image-coding" strategy, where different exposures are given a unique structural “code”. Thanks to this novel coding approach, the camera sensor may be exposed to light several times before readout is necessary – a completely new feature within the field of optical imaging. The ability for a single detector to acquire a number of images simultaneously opens up for a variety of new measurement schemes such as: 1) Ultra-high-speed videography 2) Instantaneous three-dimensional imaging 3) Simultaneous multispectral imaging. The main goal of the ERC Starting Grant funded project “Spray-Imaging” is to develop and apply new optical imaging approaches for the detailed characterization of atomizing spray systems. The need for both ultra-high-speed and three-dimensional (3D) imaging are then of importance especially for the study highly transient two-phase flow phenomena. This PoC will focus both on the development of both a prototype instrument and a control software. Our business idea is to produce an optical instrument – an “add-on” device – that will permit the user to incorporate the FRAME imaging concept. This approach will allow users to seamlessly upgrade any given optical arrangement (e.g. for any given illumination source and detector) with the FRAME functionality.

Mots-clés : ultra high speed videography,instantaneous 3d imaging,simultaneous multispectral imaging
Projet ERC : CRYOSTEM (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : University of Warwick — Pays : Royaume-Uni — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

This proof of concept grant will revolutionise how bone marrow stem cells are cryopreserved by translating ERC-grant developed technology, inspired by how organisms survive in extreme cold temperatures. Bone marrow (haematopoietic) stem cells are used in life saving treatments, especially for blood cancers such as Leukaemia, but have potential for a wide range of diseases. The current method for storing stem cells involves addition of huge amounts of toxic organic solvents which leads to unwanted side-effects and not all the recovered cells are viable. There is also a rapidly growing market for stem-cell therapies, but with a major bottleneck being the logistics of transport: getting the cells from the (small number of) specialised production facilities to the patients, with minimum processing and within the cold chain. We have established strong preliminary data demonstrating an entirely new concept in cryopreservation based on the use of (patent pending) synthetic polymers, which can control ice formation and growth. These are inspired by how antifreeze proteins protect organisms which live in sub-zero environments, but with the advantages of being; Highly tuneable; Low toxicity; Scalable synthesis. This is backed up by demonstration of function in immortalised cell lines, and is ready to be applied to real biomedical problems. In this project we will obtain convincing data-sets demonstrating that our synthetic polymer can revolutionise the storage and transport of stem cells for current and emerging therapies. This will bring significant societal change through enabling new regenerative medicine therapies and bringing real commercial benefit by solving a supply chain challenge and improving on the current 50 year old method.

Mots-clés : cryopreservation,polymers,biomaterials,antifreeze proteins
Projet ERC : MAGTOOLS (Horizon 2020, appel 2015, Proof of concept grants)
Entité participante : Universidad Complutense de Madrid — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UCM
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 150000.0 €

This proof-of-concept project aims at developing a software tool to be integrated in commercial electron microscope control platforms dedicated to the development of novel magnetic materials. Magnetic materials have applications in different areas such as data storage, sensors, biomedical applications or spintronic devices. Future technological developments will come hand-in-hand with new materials based on novel atomic arrangements, and electron microscopy is a unique technique to analyze nature in an atom-by-atom fashion. Recent improvements in microscope performance ensuing from the correction of optical aberrations are already commercially available. However, a successful transfer of specific, advanced tools into a wider technology development context needs of user-friendly interfaces that can help non-specialist researchers and engineers fully exploit these techniques. This is a particularly pressing need for the magnetic material industry, since a number of techniques sensitive to magnetic quantities have been demonstrated in the electron microscope in the last few years. But the field development is incomplete because they are hampered by time-consuming data acquisition and analysis procedures. No tools exist that are capable of fast optimization, acquisition and analysis of data at the flick of a switch. Here, we propose to fill this gap and develop an optimal software tool ready to be marketed by specialized technical companies. It will consist of an interface that will control and modify the excitations of magnetic lenses, the detectors in charge of data acquisition and, also analyze datasets and calculate parameters relevant to the magnetic behavior of samples of interest. These tools will provide the means to give a new spin to research into the magnetic materials of the future.

Mots-clés : software tools,electron microscopy,magnetic materials
Projet ERC : DNAendProtection (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: Biological Mechanisms, Structures and Functions
Entité participante : Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : MDC
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1993421.0 €

This proposal addresses a fundamental issue in molecular biology: how is repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) steered towards the appropriate physiological outcome? DSBs are cytotoxic DNA lesions that arise as a by-product of DNA replication, but also as a physiological intermediate during antigen receptor diversification in the Immune system. DNA end processing is a major determinant of DSB repair outcome. Resection of DNA ends is a prerequisite for physiological repair of replication-associated breaks by homologous recombination, but detrimental for productive end-joining events during immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) in B lymphocytes. Furthermore, inappropriate resection of DSBs can cause loss of genetic information and chromosome deletions, which are common features of cancer genomes. The mechanisms that regulate the balance between DNA end resection and protection are poorly understood. Here, I propose to study the molecular machinery that mediates protection of DNA ends in primary B cells, and the end resection-promoting factors that are antagonized by this activity. We and others have shown that the DNA repair factor 53BP1 plays a crucial role in protecting DNA ends against resection, and consistent with this function, 53BP1 is essential for CSR, but also responsible for aberrant repair of replication-associated DNA damage. In Aims 1 and 2, we will test the hypothesis that dynamic interactions between multiple 53BP1 effectors mediate protection of DNA ends against resection. In Aim 3, we will define the landscape of end resection-promoting factors in mammalian cells via a high-throughput RNAi screen for rescue of CSR in 53BP1-deficient B cells. By elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying DSB end processing in B lymphocytes, these studies will significantly advance our understanding of the molecular basis of immunodeficiencies and cancer predisposition in lymphoma and solid tumors.

Mots-clés : dna double strand breaks,dna resection,53bp1 dna end protection function,b lymphocytes,class switch recombination,brca1 deficiency,genomic instability
Projet ERC : CyberCare (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Advanced grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer science and informatics
Entité participante : Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology — Pays : Suisse — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : ETH Zurich
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2086739.99 €

This proposal addresses high-risk, high-reward research of integrated sensing and computing architectures, as well as of models, methods and tools for their design and operation. Such architectures provide the bridge between bio-systems and information processing systems, where a bio-system is an abstraction of a human in terms of biophysical parameters. Breakthroughs in data acquisition, processing and decision making support will enable new smart-health applications. The essential research goals of this proposal are: biophysical data acquisition by novel programmable integrated sensor arrays and their design and test using a modular and structured architecture; data processing in situ and/or remotely using application-specific hardware and/or embedded software; a new robust synthesis methodology for data processing units based on a new logic structure; models, abstractions and software tools for reasoning about the acquired data, to validate health conditions and/or to provide remedies (i.e., therapy). The results of this research will be embodied in a demonstrator showing the effectiveness of these combined technologies in first-aid medical care. The outcome of this research will have a deep and broad impact on health care, because it will improve diagnosis and therapy in a variety of cases. Namely, it will boost the quality and quantity of the acquired biophysical data, possibly in real time, by leveraging multiple sensing modalities and dedicated computing architectures. The use of formal methods for design, data evaluation and decision making support will enhance the quality of the diagnostic platforms and will ease their qualification and adoption. Moreover, the integration of sensing and electronics and their in-field programmability will reduce production cost and lower the barrier of adoption, thus providing for better and more affordable health care means.

Mots-clés : integrated sensor networks,cyber physical systems,biosensing,co design,logic synthesis,formal methods,modeling,policy design
Projet ERC : INTHERM (Horizon 2020, appel 2014, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and processes engineering
Entité participante : Polytechnic University of Turin — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1404132.0 €

This proposal addresses the design, manufacturing and control of interfaces in thermally conductive polymer/graphene nanocomposites. In particular, the strong reduction of thermal resistance associated to the contacts between conductive particles in a percolating network throughout the polymer matrix is targeted, to overcome the present bottleneck for heat transfer in nanocomposites. The project includes the investigation of novel chemical modifications of nanoparticles to behave as thermal bridges between adjacent particles, advanced characterization methods for particle/particle interfaces and controlled processing methods for the preparations of nanocomposites with superior thermal conductivity. The results of this project will contribute to the fundamental understanding of heat transfer in complex solids, while success in mastering interfacial properties would open the way to a new generation of advanced materials coupling high thermal conductivity with low density, ease of processing, toughness and corrosion resistance.

Mots-clés : thermally conductive polymer nanocomposites,engineering of thermal interfaces
Projet ERC : MICROCRYO (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Consolidator grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Systems and communication engineering
Entité participante : Technical University of Darmstadt — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1994562.0 €

This proposal aims to revolutionize time-resolved light and electron cryo-microscopy of fast cellular dynamics using a new class of cryogenic microsystems for the reversible cryofixation of cells and small model organisms by ultra-rapid cooling. This will contribute to our understanding of biological structure and function by revealing the dynamics of specific proteins in the ultrastructural context of a cell at nanometer spatial and millisecond temporal resolution. Despite rapid progress in the field, much of the potential of microscopy at cryogenic temperature today is still untapped due to limitations in methods and instrumentation for sample preparation. First, vitrification technologies for cryo-microscopy have evolved only incrementally since the 1960s and cannot be combined with many of the sophisticated live imaging methods that have emerged over the past decade. Second, while the synergy of light and electron cryo-microscopy is extremely powerful, cryo-microscopy with light is still in its infancy. Finally, new technologies for ultra-rapid heating and cooling of single cells are needed to systematically advance our understanding of reversibility in the cryopreservation of e.g. stem cells, oocytes, or sperm cells. Here I propose to create a microfluidic technology for the direct vitrification of cells in the light microscope by ultra-rapid cooling with millisecond time resolution. The cells will then be imaged at high resolution using electron microscopy and advanced modes of light microscopy combined with new optics adapted to cryogenic conditions. Ultimately, we will elucidate if and under which conditions cryofixation can be reversed by ultra-rapid warming such that dynamic cellular processes resume unperturbed. We expect that the research proposed here will enable breakthroughs in understanding the structural and molecular basis of fast cellular events including transport, membrane trafficking, cell division, and synaptic transmission.

Mots-clés : correlative microscopy,light microscopy,electron microscopy,cryo microscopy,sample preparation,methods and instrumentation development for cell and structural biology
Projet ERC : DRANOEL (Horizon 2020, appel 2016, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe sciences
Entité participante : University of Bologna — Pays : Italie — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UNIBO
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1037250.0 €

This proposal aims to understand the origin of the radio emission detected in the most massive objects in our Universe: galaxy clusters. The extreme physical conditions in the intra-cluster medium of galaxy clusters are beyond anything achievable in any laboratory on Earth. The space in between the galaxies is filled with an extremely hot and diluted gas that hosts the largest-scale magnetic fields known so far. A big challenge of modern astrophysics is understanding the origin of radio emission spread over huge swathes in some clusters. This emission is a mystery because it requires relativistic electrons moving around magnetic field lines, but both the origin of the magnetic fields and of the electrons are unknown. Absolutely fundamental to the understanding of the radio emission are a detailed knowledge of the magnetic fields and of the energy spectrum of the emitting particles. We are stepping into a new era of observational astronomy, in which surveys will be conducted rather than single pointed observations. This survey era is changing our approach to observational data. It enables to perform all-sky studies but calls for numerical and technological efforts for the data handling. Taking advantage of the advent of new radio and X-ray facilities, such as LOFAR, the JVLA, ASKAP, and eROSITA, this project wants to understand the origin of the radio emission, its evolution and its connections with the cluster dynamics. We have today the unprecedented opportunity to discover the physical processes at work in these unique environments, that link the micro-physical processes at work in galaxy clusters with the clusters' macro-physics. The proposed study will address fundamental questions not restricted to the physics of galaxy clusters but having impact on several inter-connected physical disciplines, such as cosmology, astro-particle physics and plasma physics.

Mots-clés : non thermal emission,magnetic fields,radio observations
Projet ERC : SUEE (Horizon 2020, appel 2017, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Entité participante : Pompeu Fabra University — Pays : Espagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : UPF
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1480325.0 €

This proposal concerns two sets of projects that tackle theoretical challenges raised by the data broker and online advertisement industry. 1-Strategic Uncertainty (SU) in Economic Environments: By assuming that individuals have correct beliefs about others' behavior, the equilibrium approach in economics assumes away SU. But SU is central to many settings. Testament to this is the existence of a data broker industry, in which data on agents' behavior are traded: this information would have no value without SU. Within game theory, non-equilibrium concepts such as rationalizability and models of level-k reasoning have been developed to study SU. But these models have had a limited impact on broader economics. This is partly due to the weakness and limited tractability of these concepts. Part 1 tackles SU in order to favor a better integration within economics. From a behavioral perspective, I propose axiomatic foundations that justify modeling individuals' reasoning as stemming from a cost-benefit analysis, and investigate (theoretically and experimentally) how these ideas shed light on the occurrence of equilibrium coordination under SU, i.e. as the result of purely subjective reasoning. From a classical perspective, I develop uniqueness and monotone comparative statics results for non-equilibrium concepts, to favor a better integration of SU in standard economics. Applications include problems of information disclosure of strategic datasets and identification in models of social interactions. 2-Online Auctions with Digital Marketing Agencies (DMA): I study the role of DMA in the auctions used to sell advertisement space on the web. I analyze how collusive bidding can emerge from bid delegation to a common DMA and how this undermines both revenues and efficiency of the auctions used by key players in the industry such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft-Yahoo!. Implications and extensions include business, policy and economics methodology.

Mots-clés : strategic uncertainty,strategic thinking,level k,rationalizability,bounded rationality