Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Scalable and Sustainable Sorting and Processing of Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes as Functional Materials (SCALE-NT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Materials Engineering
Panel description: Advanced materials development: performance enhancement, modelling, large -scale preparation, modification, tailoring, optimisation, novel  and combined use of materials, etc.
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2024-ADG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-12-01
End date: 2030-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2496473.0
EU funding (EUR): 2496473.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) feature outstanding electronic (high carrier mobilities) and optical (narrow near-infrared absorption and emission) properties. To harness these properties for functional materials and devices, they must be separated into purely semiconducting, metallic or even single-chirality SWNTs. The currently available separation methods are either expensive, not scalable or require harmful chemicals and solvents. Likewise, the subsequent processing of SWNTs into optical probes for bio-imaging, sensors, electronic circuits or thermoelectrics is far from sustainable. Both issues have so far prevented the widespread application of SWNTs despite their excellent properties. These problems cannot be addressed by tweaking parameters but require new approaches that take scalability and the environmental impact of the applied materials and processes into account, explore alternatives and expand our knowledge about the interactions of SWNTs with their environment to optimize new methods from the beginning. SCALE-NT aims to (i) explore new methods for the dispersion, purification and sorting of SWNTs in benign solvents and with natural or bio-based dispersants; and scale-up these processes toward multi-gram amounts of sorted SWNTs in a sustainable manner. (ii) develop sustainable processes and materials for the fabrication of SWNT-based devices such as thin-film transistors on recyclable substrates, large-area thermoelectrics without harsh dopants, and biodegradable optical sensor arrays for organic pollutants based on tailored interactions with functionalized SWNTs. (iii) understand the interactions of SWNTs with their surroundings as required for sorting and optical sensing via advanced in-situ THz and near-infrared fluorescence spectroscopy. With these objectives, SCALE-NT will help to finally establish SWNTs not only as highly functional but also more sustainable materials.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes,functionalization,thz spectroscopy,fluorescence,purification,sustainability,thermoelectrics,sensors,transistors,bio derived dispersants,biodegradable
Role of extracellular matrix as regulator of ageing through mechanosignaling (Mechano-Ageing)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Italy
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 188590.08
EU funding (EUR): 188590.08
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

A recent work published by the host laboratory had redefined aging as a mechano-disease. Transcriptional co-factors YAP/TAZ, masters of mechanotransduction, were critical in stromal cells to prevent aging. Importantly, restoring cell-ECM communication and YAP/TAZ level was sufficient to "rejuvenate" old cells. Consequently, we hypothesize that the culprit of aging should be searched in ECM changes that drive the loss of mechanotransduction in stromal cells. Using single cell RNA-sequencing data of mouse dermal fibroblasts and mass-spec analyses of the dermis ECM during aging, we will seek for ECM candidates that may be at the root of this process. Then, we will build an Atlas of the mouse skin during aging using spatial transcriptomic and immunolabeling of mechanoresponsive proteins to unveiled new interconnections between the ECM and altered mechanotransduction during aging. As validation, we will use two complementary in vitro approaches. First, old mice fibroblasts will be culture on a young ECM synthetized by engineered young mice fibroblast lacking specific ECM genes, pinpointing to ECM proteins able to rejuvenate old cells. Second, we will generate 3D organotypic skin culture with keratinocytes and engineered dermal fibroblast lacking specific ECM candidate. We will ask whether it affects mechanosignaling and acquisition of aging traits in both dermis and epidermal compartments. Digging into the “mechanics of aging” is crucial because it would add a new paradigm on the causes of cell senescence and aging, define new markers for healthy aging and inform on new therapeutic perspectives to combat aging or some of its associated pathologies.

Keywords: ageing,mechanobiology,mechanotransduction,extracellular matrix,mechanosensing,yap taz,single cell rna sequencing,spatial transcriptomics,in vitro 3d model,crispr cas9 technology
Reconfigurability using inversely designed metasurfaces (MetaTune)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Doctoral Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Spain,Finland,Denmark,Germany,France
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-03-01
End date: 2030-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5099875.3
EU funding (EUR): 4477801.32
Participants: 10
Project status: SIGNED

The evolving needs of society demand advanced control of electromagnetic waves. At the forefront of science are metasurfaces—ultrathin engineered layers with tailored electromagnetic responses. While traditional metasurfaces are statically predesigned, current research is shifting toward reconfigurable metasurfaces, which can dynamically adjust their properties after fabrication. This capability expands their potential for real-world applications across a range of industries. Despite their promise, most reconfigurable metasurfaces rely on the element-by-element tunability of large arrays that require high energy consumption, complex implementation, and high costs. MetaTune addresses these challenges by training the next generation of researchers to develop a new class of reconfigurable metasurfaces combining simplicity of implementation, multifunctionality, and industrial viability. These metasurfaces will feature unified tunability mechanisms, reducing complexity and energy usage, while incorporating innovative materials for enhanced adaptability, robustness, and endurance. Furthermore, the project will pioneer cost-effective fabrication techniques, ensuring compatibility with large-scale production. The program adopts a multidisciplinary approach, conducting application-driven research in four high-impact domains: communication systems, thermal management, sensing, and imaging. Beyond scientific training, participants will gain comprehensive industry exposure and develop transversal skills, preparing them for diverse career pathways in academia and industry. By tackling these critical technological challenges, MetaTune not only advances fundamental knowledge in physics and engineering but also bridges the gap between laboratory research and industrial implementation. This project paves the way for integrating reconfigurable metasurfaces into practical systems, delivering societal benefits through improved connectivity, sustainability, safety, and innovation.

Keywords: metasurfaces,reconfigurability,inverse design,additive manufacturing,nanoimprint
High above the ocean: unexplored molecular processes (HAVEN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Earth System Science
Panel description: Physical geography, geo logy, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, climatology, cryology, ecology, global environmental change, biogeochemical cycles, natural resources management
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-07-01
End date: 2029-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2018846.0
EU funding (EUR): 2018846.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface and generate particles in the atmosphere that are viewed as a core component of the climate system, especially due to their role in marine cloud formation and the strong control they have on their ability to reflect sunlight to space. With our recent findings, we have made great progress in documenting the formation of new particles by nucleation of low volatile gas-phase species in the lowest altitudes of the open ocean atmosphere and its relation to water biogeochemistry. Nucleation is however expected to be promoted at higher altitudes, in the marine free troposphere (MFT), and the entrainment of growing particles formed in the MFT is further suspected to be a major source of low-level marine cloud forming particles. Yet, because of limited observations, very little is known about MFT nucleation, which contributes to major uncertainties both in the assessment of present-day radiative forcing associated to aerosol-cloud interactions and in future climate projections. The main purpose of this project is to identify the species driving MFT nucleation and evaluate the impact of the process on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration, and ultimately on marine cloud formation and properties. To achieve this goal, we will first use an innovative experimental setup consisting of a nucleation chamber filled with natural free tropospheric air coupled to state of the art instruments to identify the nature of the nucleating species. Experiments will be performed on Reunion Island, in the southern Indian Ocean, which is particularly sensitive to natural aerosol sources. These measurements will in a second step be used to initiate a modelling study that will further complement the observations, allowing first to evaluate the impact of MFT nucleation on the CCN population at the regional scale, and then to study in detail the impact on marine cloud formation and properties over the open ocean.

Keywords: marine aerosol formation nucleation free troposphere cloud condensation nuclei clouds
Preparing multi-actor projects in a co-creative way (PREMIERE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Germany,Belgium,Estonia,France,Ireland,Italy,Latvia,Netherlands,Romania,Spain,Poland,Slovenia
Call: Improving preparation of multi-actor projects to enable the relevant actors to work in a co-creative way (HORIZON-CL6-2022-GOVERNANCE-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4998268.75
EU funding (EUR): 4998268.75
Participants: 16
Project status: SIGNED

The Societal Challenges addressed by European Union (EU) strategies such as the Green Deal and Farm-to-Form require innovative solutions in agriculture, forestry and rural areas. The Multi-Actor-Approach (MAA) is a promising instrument to speed up innovation. However, the H2020 RIA LIAISON (2018-2022) has identified some deficits and inconsistencies in the interpretation of the MAA by both current and potential MA consortia and Member States’ (MS) authorities. PREMIERE will therefore foster the development of sound, coherent and well-prepared MA projects in two ways. Firstly, it will contribute to the building of project consortia that make best use of the complementary knowledge of their members during proposal writing, project activities and beyond, in particular by improving the connection between Horizon Europe (HE) MA projects and Operational Groups (OG). Secondly, through insights and tools, it will support the implementation of innovative governance and sound decision making in policy and administration for the green transition. By using the results from LIAISON and capturing ‘grass roots’ ideas from project participants, policy makers and executive agencies through stakeholder dialogue across all 27 EU MS (including with the SCAR AKIS SWG, National Contact Points and other relevant HE projects), PREMIERE will develop tools as well as training and networking events for capacity development. These will include a Serious Game, an Online Academy and a MOOC. The project will test out the effect of providing seed funding to at least eight MA organisations (mainly OGs) and prepare a handbook of good practices. This user-focused workplan, with its open science outputs, will lead to more effective EU and national AKIS. It will be implemented by a very experienced, competent and genuinely MA consortium of policy makers, executive agencies, advisors for co-innovation partnerships, AKIS actors and/or and current and potential MA project partners.

Keywords: multi actor projects,proposal writing,co innovation,brokerage,training,learning,innovation
Investigating mammalian evolution using million-year genomic transects (PrimiGenomes)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Panel description: For all organisms : Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change , evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, microbial ecology , marine biology, ecophysiology, theoretical developments and mod elling
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2021-ADG, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The field of ancient DNA has made major contributions to evolutionary biology and palaeontology in recent years, due to its power to reveal novel information about prehistory. However, even though many of the evolutionary processes that shaped the present-day biota have taken place over hundreds of thousands of years, nearly all ancient DNA studies to date have focused on biological changes during the last 50,000 years. I here propose a groundbreaking project that aims to study evolution on a million-year time scale. We will develop and apply novel palaeogenomic methods to extend the current limits of DNA recovery, which will allow us to address scientific questions previously thought to be beyond the realm of ancient DNA research. More specifically, we aim to sequence one hundred ancient genomes recovered from Early and Middle Pleistocene remains of multiple Holarctic mammalian species. This will enable us to examine macroevolutionary changes across speciation events and key periods of Pleistocene climate change. More specifically, we will investigate several fundamental questions on how species originate, the importance of interspecific introgression, the timing and rate of adaptive evolution, and the demographic consequences of past environmental change. My research group has a track-record at the cutting-edge of wildlife palaeogenomics, and recently led the study that extended the limit of ancient DNA recovery to beyond one million years. Based at the newly established Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm, the project will extend beyond the current state of the art and will set a new paradigm for palaeogenomic research. The resulting data will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers studying long-term evolutionary dynamics and environmental changes at a global scale.

Keywords: ancient dna,palaeogenetics,palaeogenomics,palaeontology
Transforming regions into innovation valleys (RInnoValleys)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: European innovation ecosystems
Theme: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems
Destination: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Greece,Spain,Hungary,Malta,Belgium,Ireland
Call: Preparatory action for setting up joint programmes among innovation ecosystems actors (HORIZON-EIE-2023-CONNECT-01, 2023)
Start date: 2023-12-01
End date: 2024-11-30
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 535633.04
EU funding (EUR): 499981.25
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

RInnoValleys is a project that aims to address the challenges and disparities faced by EU regions in accessing the European Innovation Council (EIC) and fully leveraging its benefits for their innovation ecosystems. The project focuses on creating a transnational joint action plan to enhance the capabilities of these regions to connect with the EIC ecosystem and foster inclusive, gender-diverse, and connected innovation ecosystems in line with the New European Innovation Agenda. The project adopts the Quadruple Helix Model, the participatory approach, peer learning and best practice sharing, joint transnational action plan development, capacity building, and implementation support, communication, and dissemination to achieve its objectives. The project will engage stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and civil society in each region and cover 5 EU countries, including rural areas, ensuring gender equality objectives. The project's methodology aims to ensure that the solutions developed are relevant, inclusive, and responsive to the unique needs and priorities of the participating regions. By combining these concepts, models, and assumptions, the RInnoValleys project methodology aims to address the challenges faced by EU regions in accessing the EIC, foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, and enhance the innovation capabilities of the regions. Ultimately, the project seeks to create a more cohesive, connected, and balanced innovation ecosystem within the European Union, ensuring that all regions can more equally thrive and prosper in the global innovation landscape.

Keywords: ecosystems,deep tech,eic,new european innovation agenda
An innovative ‘Forest and Trees Toolkit’ for reducing malnutrition in Africa (TREETOOL)

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 GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2023-10-01
End date: 2025-03-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Malnutrition affects one in three people across the world and is the number one risk factor in the global burden of diseases. Inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables is a key component of low quality diets, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Trees are a source of nutrient-rich fruits and leafy vegetables – and research shows that one promising solution to Africa’s malnutrition problem is to increase the planting of trees that provide nutritious fruits and vegetables. Currently, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are adopting large-scale tree planting programs as a climate mitigation strategy and to improve local livelihoods. As such, trees can provide a triple-win solution for nutrition, conservation and climate goals. However, the agencies and NGOs implementing these tree-planting programs often lack the necessary research and knowledge on which species to plant to maximize benefits for both the environment and people. Here, we will develop a ‘Forest and Trees Toolkit’ that can be used by extension workers and NGOs to make more targeted tree planting programs that also optimize people’s nutrition – thereby creating triple-win outcomes for nutrition, conservation, and climate goals. The toolkit will consist of; 1) a knowledge platform hosting information on nutritionally important tree species across areas and contexts, 2) an app to generate tree species portfolios adapted to local contexts, and 3) a user manual on how to use the app, including information on how to do live tree portfolio demonstration plots in community areas so that farmers can adopt the trees on their own farms. In short, the toolkit will be able to identify location-specific combinations of tree species that address month-on-month harvest (fruits and vegetables) and micronutrient gaps in local households’ diets. The development of the toolkit will be based on a unique high quality interdisciplinary dataset that we have collected and compiled during the ERC project FORESTDIET.
The REpresentative DIsconnect: diagnosis and strategies for RECTification (REDIRECT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Theme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Destination: Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Italy,Poland,Belgium,Norway,United Kingdom,Hungary
Call: Representative democracy in flux (HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-02-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2402047.5
EU funding (EUR): 2402047.5
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

The focus of REDIRECT is to study the current transformation of democratic polities in Europe, to realise whether and how their centres of gravity are shifting, and to improve our understanding of the “representative disconnect” – a multidimensional phenomenon of regression of the demos-kratos linkage involving institutional, behavioral and affective components. REDIRECT moves from the idea to study representative democracy in a comprehensive manner, connecting several relevant dimensions of analysis, in order to extract sustainable ideas and viable instruments to cope with the current problems of “democracy in flux”. These, in turn, will allow a parsimonious formulation of remedies, to be activated both at the institutional level (i.e. assuring a future to crucial “mediating bodies” of representatives democracy like parties, leaders, parliamentary institutions), and at the level of civil society. In parallel to a critical review of the theoretical reflection on representative democracy, an interdisciplinary and multi-level approach to several empirical dimensions of the phenomenon of representative disconnect will be offered, focusing on several topics: the crisis of representation, trust in institutions and political representatives, political personalization, political individualism, mass-élite congruence, social and media discontent. The long-term outcomes expected from the project mark the passage from the diagnosis to the strategies for rectification. Indeed, REDIRECT aims at provides a number of pragmatical recommendations to rearrange the demos-kratos relationship along a two-way street of intervention: the top-down way of institutional reforms (i.e., legislative and procedural innovation to ensure transparency and full information to citizens) and the bottom-up way of a stronger liaison between citizens and mediating bodies (i.e., remobilizing citizens via digitalization, diffusion of share values of social sustainability and civic education).

Keywords: representative democracy responsiveness trust legitimacy,ruling class political elites democratic mediating bodies democratic deliberation,affective disconnect,political affect rectification