Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Low-cost, high-throughput quantitative phase microscopy (LOCOSCOPE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS2 (ERC-2022-POC2, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2024-06-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 207857.14
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

High-content screening is rapidly gaining traction across the biological sciences as a means to acquire more detailed data and test more hypotheses in an unprecedentedly rapid and systematic manner. However, a key issue identified by its users is that the instrumentation costs are too high, with systems typically costing from €150.000-800.000. This limits ownership of the instruments to well-funded research labs and, in doing so, excludes a significant portion of the multi- billion USD potential market. This project aims to target this unserved lower end of the market with a competitive high-content screening platform costing just €10.000. To achieve this, we’ll employ a novel quantitative phase imaging method originally developed for x-ray imaging as part of an ERC Starting Grant. The method allows us to make microscopes much simpler and less expensive without sacrificing image quality. So far, we’ve successfully demonstrated that our new imaging approach is fast, robust and can be readily utilized in such a low-cost screening system. Moreover, our IP is novel, protectable and in the process of being patented. This project will take the next steps towards commercialization by developing our prototype into a minimum viable product, and by carrying out extensive research into the market and customer base to determine the optimum price point, develop a field-tested sales pipeline and revenue model, and create a robust business plan for the eventual spinout company. Our decision to pursue the market for low-cost devices carries significant risk in that it necessitates high market penetration to achieve sufficient sales volume. However, should we successfully mitigate this risk (e.g. via focused development of the sales strategy), our endeavor will eliminate the main entry barrier to high-throughput life science research, empower a new demographic of users with cutting-edge research tools, and address the growing issue of inequality in research and healthcare.
The NIMBLE System: A novel non-invasive and non-ionizing medical device for the continous monitoring of patients with implanted cardiovascular stents" (NIMBLE System)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Spain
Call: EIC Accelerator Open 2023 (HORIZON-EIC-2023-ACCELERATOR-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-02-01
End date: 2026-01-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3295000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2306500.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

At NIMBLE Diagnostics we are developing a first-in-class microwave-based medical device for the non-invasive and non-ionizing monitoring of patients with implanted stents. Stents are one of the most implanted devices worldwide and are used to re-open blocked arteries and restore the correct flow of blood or other fluids. They are especially useful to prevent heart attacks or to treat their lasting symptoms, but, after implantation, become blocked or damaged in 30% of cases. Symptoms only appear after a stent is already 90% dysfunctional, which increases the incidence of serious complications, including strokes, heart attacks or sudden death. Diagnosis of malfunctioning stents is still symptom-driven and is based on an invasive procedure called catheter angiography, involving anesthesia, X-ray exposure and 24h hospitalization recovery. This complex, costly and invasive procedure is not appropriate for ongoing monitoring, which is why the standard of care only reacts when patients already have potentially life-threatening symptoms. The NIMBLE System can read the electromagnetic signature of any stent non-invasively in less than 5 seconds and can be used to provide information on stent status and malfunction during regular clinical visits. Thus, NIMBLE enables early treatments to prevent negative outcomes and personalization of therapy, shifting from reactive to proactive care. Our technology is currently at TRL5/6, with an MVP that has shown excellent results in pre-clinical validations. We have also started the first-in-human testing in a pilot study of 30 patients that will finish early 2024. The EIC Accelerator program will allow us to bridge the biggest risk of our project by performing the regulatory clinical trial to obtain the CE mark, as well as support us to create and access a multi-billion blue ocean market opportunity. This will allow us to establish NIMBLE as a European leader in the future of implant diagnostics and aid millions of patients worldwide.

Keywords: algorithm,cardiovascular disease,precision medicine,microwave spectrometry,stent monitoring,airtificial intelligence,patient care,early diagnosis,medical device
Powerful Lawful Interception, Investigation, and Intelligence (POLIIICE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Civil Security for Society
Theme: Civil Security for Society
Destination: Fighting Crime and Terrorism
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Poland,Israel,Moldova, Republic of,Greece,France,Czechia,Estonia,Romania,Spain,Denmark,United Kingdom,Sweden
Call: Lawful interception using new and emerging technologies (5G & beyond, quantum computing and encryption) (HORIZON-CL3-2021-FCT-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2025-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4202788.5
EU funding (EUR): 4202787.5
Participants: 28
Project status: SIGNED

POLIIICE vision is to advance European LEAs to a novel lawful-interception (LI), investigation and intelligence era in which they will be able to effectively prevent, detect and investigate crime and terrorism amid the new age of communication (5G&Beyond, end-to-end encrypted communication and Quantum based encryption). These new age technologies turn legacy LI solutions to totally in-effective and therefore put significant risk on Europe’s fight against crime and terrorism. POLIIICE will offer, research, validate and demonstrate array of innovative LI measures at cloud & network level as well as at edge device level that together will enable LEAs to efficiently overcome the new age challenges and enable high throughput of its LI. In addition, POLIIICE will research and model QUDDaaS (Quantum unlock, detection and decryption as a service) as an envisaged central service, potentially outsourced at pan EU level, which will harness quantum computing for decryption of lawfully intercepted encrypted communication (which is vulnerable to Quantum’s Shor algorithm), for brute force detection of target-user’s credentials/tokens needed to access encrypted cloud-native apps and for Quantum unlock of lawfully seized edge devices. QUDDaaS may also detect and classify LI communications that are resistant to Quantum decryption power and therefore can’t be decrypted. POLIIICE also aims to improve the information exchange and cooperation among European LEAs by proposing and implementing a mechanism and procedure for exchanging pseudo-anonymized suspect identifiers. POLIIICE is designed for ensuring the cost-effectiveness, security and integrity of the new age LI and will provide the legal and ethical framework for each of its measures while strictly complying with privacy preserving and ethics rules of operation. POLIIICE will contribute to the LI standardization and will recommend EU regulation changes for effective adaptation of POLIIICE vision and innovative LI measures.

Keywords: lawful interception,5g,e2ee,encryption,decryption,cloud extractor,cyber intelligence,guti,imsi,iqf,monitoring center,mdf,mec,nf,polex,qc,quddaas,sf,supi,3gpp,etsi,qkd,pqe
Chronology of our Galaxy from Gaia Color-Magnitude Diagram fitting (ChronoGal)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Universe Sciences
Panel description: Astro -physics/ -chemistry/ -biology; solar system; planetary systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy; cosmology; space sciences; astronomical instrumentation and data
Countries involved: Spain
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2024-ADG, 2024)
Start date: 2026-01-01
End date: 2030-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The overarching goal of ChronoGal is to unveil the sequence of events and physical processes that have shaped the Milky Way (MW) from its early assembly to the present, by providing the holy grail of Galactic Archaeology (GA): precise age information. Our Galaxy is key to study disk galaxy formation and evolution, as it can be analyzed in exceptional detail using individual stars carrying the fossil record of its entire evolution. The importance of GA is underscored by the vast resources invested in it: Gaia parallaxes, homogeneous photometry, proper motions and velocities have transformed the field, aided by a huge effort from ambitious ground-based spectroscopic surveys. Despite spectacular recent progress, GA is nearing an impasse due to the lack of precise ages for large, unbiased stellar samples, which are critical for determining our Galaxy’s chronology. My unique expertise allows me to tackle this key issue by including color-magnitude diagram fitting in the field’s toolbox. Previously limited to studying external Local Group galaxies, this technique can finally now be applied to our Galaxy, providing unprecedentedly precise and homogeneous age-metallicity distributions for hundredths of millions of stars across all MW components. This is made possible by the accurate Gaia-based distances. ChonoGal’s ages will provide clear answers to persistent questions on MW evolution. Crucially, ChronoGal will precisely date the disk emergence, determine the duration of the enigmatic thick disk phase, resolve the debate on the presence of intermediate-age stars in the bulge, reconstruct the major halo building blocks and pinpoint the accretion time of these fossils of high-redshift dwarf galaxies. This will clarify the impact of mergers on shaping the stellar content and morphology of disk galaxies. This ambitious and urgent project, with Gaia DR4 in 2026, will be transformative, providing the reliable and precise ages needed to advance our MW understanding.

Keywords: color magnitude diagram,star formation history,spectroscopic surveys,gaia
A Fast Numerical Solver for Electromagnetic Compatibility Assessment of Aircrafts Made Using Nano- and Micro- Engineered Materials (SolvEMCA2)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Spain
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-26
End date: 2024-09-25
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 165312.96
EU funding (EUR): 165312.96
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) certification methods of aircrafts are predominantly based on experimental testing to fulfill some standard (e.g. DO-160). This phase involves costly measurement techniques, and high rework costs are required when EMC weaknesses and vulnerabilities are detected, especially at late development stages. To alleviate this situation, numerical solvers are increasingly considered to complement and support experimental means. Numerical solvers enable the engineer to address the full complexity of a problem, and to better understand the impact of changing key parameters in shielding. In this work, we will address two challenges currently identified by aeronautic industry. First, we will develop suitable macroscopic models of novel nano- and micro- engineered smart materials used jointly with Carbon Fiber Composite (CFC) ones, to be used in full-wave numerical solvers in general, and specifically in the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. For this, we will start from their microscopic structure to get realistic macroscopic electric and magnetic dispersive iso/anisotropic (and eventually non linear) constitutive parameters. Second, specific subcell models of junctions, slots, gaps, curvatures, etc. will be devised for their implementation into FDTD, to prevent brute-force simulation approaches of geometrically involved parts of the aircraft, otherwise computationally prohibitive. As a result, the FDTD method will be endowed with the capability of simulating realistic EMI problems of a whole aircraft with affordable computational resources, in terms of memory and CPU time, including CFCs and novel smart materials, with all geometrical fine details relevant from the electromagnetic point of view.

Keywords: computational electromagnetics,electromagnetic compatibility,electromagnetic interference,finite difference time domain method,fdtd
Biodegradable Bio-based Bioactive Packaging Technology for Supporting Food Safety (Bio4Pack)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Challenges
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Poland,Portugal,Estonia,Spain,Belgium
Call: Nature inspired alternatives for food packaging and films for agriculture (HORIZON-EIC-2024-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2029-09-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4147494.71
EU funding (EUR): 3905491.14
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

This proposal tackles the urgent need to replace fossil-carbon-based plastics in food production systems by developing bio-based, biodegradable materials inspired by nature. Through interdisciplinary research and innovative design, we aim to create nature-inspired food packaging that not only minimizes environmental impact but also opens up a world of possibilities for sustainable food production. By maintaining the functional benefits of conventional plastics, ensuring biodegradability and sustainability throughout the product lifecycle, we are paving the way to replace fossil-carbon-based plastics. We aim to pioneer phages as antimicrobials in food packaging, sharing our PhagTec delivery system and Bio4Pack technology with other groups under this funding program. This will extend the application to agricultural, environmental, and medical sectors. Bacterial contamination, especially from Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria, poses a significant challenge in poultry consumption. It reduces shelf-life and contributes to food waste and non-degradable packaging waste. Bio4Pack offers biodegradable, smart packaging solutions made from bio-based polymers to address this. The innovative PhagTec delivery system releases phages upon detecting the pathogen proteases (Salmonella-specific), providing antimicrobial properties that reduce the need for antibiotics. Nature-inspired phage coatings are consumer-safe and environmentally friendly and ensure long-term anti-pathogen effectiveness with full compostability. Our multifaceted approach involves an advisory board of experts in agriculture, industry, phage technology, LCA, regulatory guidance, and collaboration with other EU-funded projects. We propose an interdisciplinary strategy, including short scientific missions, events, and online hackathons to maximize the project’s impact and align with the call’s objectives.

Keywords: bio based,food packaging,biodegradable,food safety,phage,delivery system,innovation
Understanding the functional role of Immune-related Intercellular Signalling Networks during tissue Development and Cancer (IISN-DC)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Panel description: Organ and tissue physiology, comparative physiology, physiology  of ageing , pathophysiology, inter - organ and tissue communication, endocrinology, nutrition,  metabolism, interaction with the microbiome, non -communicable diseases including cancer (and except disorders of the nervous system  and immunity -related diseases)
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2021-STG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-04-01
End date: 2027-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2025000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2025000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Intercellular signalling networks drive tissue fundamental processes. Immune cells present a wide range of versatile functions and distinctive plasticity, which position them as tissue signalling-hubs during tissue development, homeostasis and cancer. Recent genomic advances have greatly improved our understanding of cell composition and states; however, investigation of the molecular signatures of intercellular crosstalk at the single-cell level remains limited. Exploring tissue development, homeostasis and cancer from the point of view of immune-controlled signalling networks, has the potential to reveal novel therapeutic candidates with high biological and medical impact. By applying functional assays alongside novel single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies and computational approaches, as physically interacting-cell sequencing (PIC-seq), I propose to crack the functional consequences of the whole-tissue signalling networks to revisit key developmental and cancer immunology questions: 1) What immune-related intercellular crosstalk drives tissue development and cancer? We will integrate scRNA-seq and PIC-seq analysis along mouse lung, liver and kidney development, and human carcinomas, and apply large-scale comparative cross-tissue and cross-species analysis, ex-vivo and in-vivo studies, to identify tissue-exclusive and shared signalling during tissue physiology or cancer. 2) What can we study on tumor-escape mechanisms, based on physiological signalling networks? We will perform development versus cancer large-scale molecular comparisons, in-vivo cancer models for functional perturbations, and clinical validations, to identify novel immunotherapy targets. Successful completion of the project will reveal novel cancer and developmental immunotherapy targets. Concomitantly, findings will comprise a valuable resource for tissue-molecular signalling and will generate a platform for investigating biological enigmas by elucidating consequences of cellular-communication.

Keywords: cell cell interactions,genomics,developmental immunology,cancer immunology,signalling networks
Three-phase Redox Flow Battery (3-Phase-BAT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Spain
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The high cost and poor performance of certain components of redox flow batteries (RFB) such as the ion-exchange membrane, along with material toxicity, fluctuating prices, and limited availability of vanadium active compounds, are hindering the widespread adoption of RFB in the market. Our 3-Phase-BAT ERC-PoC involves the development of a new type of membrane-free RFB which does not require the use of any membrane since the electrolytes are separated by thermodynamics eliminating the requirement for a physical barrier. Moreover, the vanadium species are replaced by organic redox compounds that are abundant, less expensive, and present tuneable properties. Specifically, 3-Phase-BAT proposes the use of a three-phase immiscible liquid system, where the top and bottom phases serve as redox electrolytes, separated by an electrochemically “inert” intermediate liquid phase that replaces the costly ion-exchange membrane. This new technology builds upon insights gained from the MFreeB ERC-CoG project, led by Dr. Rebeca Marcilla, devoted to membrane-free RFBs using immiscible biphasic systems. The 3-Phase-BAT ERC-PoC aims to address challenges related to low efficiency and limited energy density by incorporating a third immiscible intermediate phase, effectively preventing the detrimental self-discharge commonly seen in flow battery technology. This ERC-PoC offers a tremendous opportunity to i) validate this novel technology, ii) explore scaling up as part of the technology transfer process, and iii) define an exploitation pathway to transition our 3-Phase-BAT technology from the lab to industry, with the goal of accelerating market access within 5 years.

Keywords: membrane free redox flow battery,membrane less batteries,redox flow battery,organic batteries,sustainability
Strategic Climate Litigation’s Direct and Indirect Consequences for Democracies (LitDem)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Panel description: Political science, international relations, law
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2023-COG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-03-01
End date: 2029-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999784.6
EU funding (EUR): 1999784.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Sharply increasing strategic climate litigation (SCL) is a legal and social fact. It has the potential to influence the democratic process at a time when democracy and its safeguards are already widely in decline. As other strategic litigation, climate litigation involves many actors (NGOs; media; politicians) and has many nuanced and indirect consequences beyond its direct legal effects (creating authoritative legal narratives, framing perceptions, fostering cooperation, and ‘legalising’ the political debate). However, because of the particular nature of the climate emergency, as a global, scientifically certain existential threat to humanity, SCL is an extreme case of strategic litigation, both in quantity and in quality. As a sharply growing phenomenon, it aims for socioeconomic changes in response to the climate emergency as (1) a truly global collective action problem; which is (2) increased by structurally inadequate political responses; and (3) affects those most, who do not (yet) have political power. It is also distinct in its reliance on (4) arguments based on non-binding international norms (e.g., in the Paris Agreement) and (5) complex science with uncertain legal effects (litigants: climate science; defendants: carbon capture technology). LitDem breaks new ground by providing the missing theoretical framework that captures not only the direct legal but also the indirect non-legal consequences of SCL for the democratic process in times of societal tensions and democratic decline. It provides greatly needed guidance to involved actors. Based on qualitative multi-method studies (incl. systematic content analysis, doctrinal analysis, interviews) of all SCL in 4 national and 2 European jurisdictions (DE, FR, NL, UK, EU, ECHR), it offers a grounded conceptual understanding of the democratic implications of rapidly growing SCL. It answers the questions: How does SCL affect the democratic process? How could its (neglected) democratic potential be realised?

Keywords: strategic litigation separation of powers democratic legitimacy climate change