Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Nonadiabaticity in Biomolecular Vibrational Dynamics (NONABVD)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Panel description: Analytical chemistry, chemical theory, physical chemistry/chemical physics
Countries involved: Germany,Germany
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2018-STG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-01-01
End date: 2024-12-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1486805.0
EU funding (EUR): 587773.26
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

This ERC Starting Grant 2018 aims at the fundamental understanding of ultrafast biomolecular vibrational dynamics in the mid-IR/THz region and respective impact of nonadiabatic effects in dipolar liquids, within nano-confined environments and in the vicinity of biological interfaces. The understanding of these processes via underlying interactions is of fundamental importance with applications covering microscopic descriptions of elementary proton transfer reactions, mechanisms of energy dissipation upon vibrational excitation and solvation dynamics in biological relevant crowded environments. In particular knowledge on anisotropy of ultrafast vibrational energy relaxation together with information about distinguished intra- or inter-molecular acceptor modes, is scarce. As such the ERC Starting Grant 2018 transfers the paradigm of nonadiabatic relaxation, that has proven tremendous predictive power for descriptions of ultrafast electronic relaxation, to the low energy mid-IR/THz domain of biomolecular vibrational (energy relaxation) dynamics. As such the approach provides a description of microscopic phenomena like structural fluctuations, vibrational lifetimes and dissipation of excess energy. The proposed nonadiabatic approach to vibrational dynamics fully accounts for the strong impact of the fluctuating environment and will facilitate a concise theoretical descriptions of proton solvation structure, dynamics and transport within the confinement imposed by proton transport channel proteins. The investigation of proton mobility within reverse micelles will further facilitate the understating of proton structural diffusion within nanoscopic volumes. Such interfacial processes in the vicinity of biological membranes and proton translocation within transmembrane proteins are highly relevant as microscopic foundation of cell respiration driven by the gradient of proton concentration across membranes.

Keywords: vibrational spectroscopy,ultrafast dynamics,solvation dynamics
An ex vivo platform to screen drug effects on bone (BoneScreen)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Products and processes engineering
Panel description: Product and process design, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical, vehicle engineering, energy processes and relevant computational methods
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: Call for proposals for ERC Proof of Concept Grant (ERC-2020-PoC, 2020)
Start date: 2020-09-01
End date: 2022-02-28
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Drug development remains a long and costly process with low success rates in clinical trials. While a majority of cell-based compound screenings are still based on 2D experiments, compelling evidence suggests that 3D culture technologies will accommodate for a better precision in drug discovery. On the other hand, such screening cultures are particularly challenging in terms of 3D visualization. In the BoneScreen project, we propose to develop a high content screening (HCS) platform capable of identifying drugs that alter the reaction of bone cells in terms of bone formation and/or resorption (called bone remodeling). Abnormal bone remodeling is the primary cause of bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Limitations in the development of effective therapeutics for bone remodeling disorders are that the interplay between the bone cells has been ignored, as well as their 3D environment. The micro-computed tomography based monitoring technology of the BoneScreen project is combined with an ex vivo 3D osteochondral system preserving the viability and interactions of tissue-specific cells and their environment. Drug effects are validated in this ex vivo platform by comparison with known drug effects on bone. This system will allow reducing the number of animal experiments needed in drug discovery for bone diseases, as promising leads can first be screened ex vivo before being investigated in vivo. Its experimental design is cost-effective and acceptable in terms of animal welfare and in accordance with the 3Rs. We aim to assess and demonstrate its commercial value to the pharmaceutical industry by building a strong knowledge transfer strategy and by further exploring the platform for potential other applications. In conclusion, the BoneScreen platform has a great fundamental and commercial potential in various fields such as drug discovery for bone diseases.

Keywords: bone,remodeling,bioreactor,monitoring,drug
Quantum Algorithms from Foundations to Applications (QAFA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Computer science and informatics
Panel description: Informatics and information systems, computer science, scientific computing, intelligent systems
Countries involved: United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC-2018-COG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-05-01
End date: 2024-10-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1859312.0
EU funding (EUR): 853981.69
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Quantum computers are designed to use quantum mechanics to go beyond the power of any standard computer based only on classical physics. Following intensive experimental efforts, it is predicted that a demonstration of so-called "quantum computational supremacy" will occur in the near future. However, many urgent questions remain regarding the usefulness of quantum computers for problems of real practical interest, and the timescale on which such usefulness will be achieved. The overall goal of this project is to address the most significant near-term and long-range theoretical challenges involved in bringing quantum algorithms to practical applications. The project comprises three programmes of work, with the following goals: - Design quantum algorithms that accelerate general classical algorithmic frameworks; develop efficient quantum communication protocols; and characterise the features of problems that allow a quantum speedup; - Demonstrate larger quantum-classical separations than previously known, and enable rigorous verification of quantum computational supremacy experiments; - Find new quantum algorithms for key problems in quantum physics, including learning and testing algorithms for large quantum systems. Simulation of quantum-mechanical systems is considered the most important application area for quantum computers, yet current algorithms are still beyond the reach of near-term devices. A unique feature of this project is its approach encompassing the full spectrum of quantum algorithms research, from underpinning mathematics through to detailed analysis of applications. Making progress on the foundations will enable progress on the more technically challenging aspects of applications, while having particular applications in mind will raise interesting new foundational questions.

Keywords: quantum algorithms,quantum computational complexity,theory of computation
A potent Micro-RNA therapeutic for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (FLDcure)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC Proof of Concept Grant (ERC-2014-PoC, 2014)
Start date: 2015-01-01
End date: 2016-06-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 149800.0
EU funding (EUR): 149800.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Fatty Liver disease (FLD) is a widespread disease which can often progress to Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. At present FLD disease affects a huge perportion of the population and prompt treatment will be of major health benefits to the general population. We have developed a specific therapeutic targeting a microRNA we and others have shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of FLD. This therapeutic agent can dramatically reduce FLD in a mouse model. We would like to extend the pre-clinical studies in order to encourage interest of a pharmaceutical company who will license the technology and pursue clinical trials.

Keywords: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,microrna,nafld,nash
Constructing a theory of phonotactic processing during speaking (PhonPred)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2018-10-01
End date: 2020-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 183454.8
EU funding (EUR): 183454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Languages of the world have their unique ways of putting sounds together. For example, word-initial /ŋ/ sounds bizarre to an English but not to a Cantonese speaker’s ear (e.g. /ŋoi/ “love”). These constraints on where sounds tend to occur and how they are typically sequenced within a word are called “phonotactic”. Phonotactic constraints are a source of significant regularity in the sound system of any language. How do humans exploit this phonotactic regularity when they produce speech? This project will provide a general and yet unprecedented theoretical framework of how this happens in a variety of communicative situations. We will develop three converging approaches in order to achieve this goal. First, we will bring together insights from linguistic theory and computational linguistics to develop a comprehensive characterization of phonotactic dependencies in English. Second, we will investigate how phonotactic information is represented in the human mind and how it is used in speaking. To achieve this, we will generate concrete predictions using cognitive psychological models of speech production and reading aloud, thus bridging the gap between these two fields of scientific enquiry that have been long treated as independent. We will simultaneously exploit tools and tasks from cognitive psychology and experimental phonetics to test our predictions empirically through behavioural experimentation. Finally, we will capitalise on advances in the science of learning, to determine phonotactic dependencies shape the acquisition of literacy. This research will shed light on mechanisms involved in the processing of sounds during reading, speaking, and the acquisition of these skills, and will inform the development of novel methods for teaching and enhancing literacy in first and second language.

Keywords: reading aloud,speech production,phonotactics,learning,cognitive modelling
Single Molecule Analytical Raman Tools based on DNA nanostructures (SMART-DNA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Physical and analytical chemical sciences
Panel description: Analytical chemistry, chemical theory, physical chemistry/chemical physics
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC-2017-COG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-04-01
End date: 2023-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1996476.0
EU funding (EUR): 1996476.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The monitoring of single molecule reactions promises unrivalled insight into chemical reaction mechanisms, but represents one of the most challenging tasks in chemistry. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a particularly attractive single molecule (SM) technique due to its high chemical specificity, which allows to directly detect relevant intermediates and molecular subpopulations. However, SM-SERS is still at a premature state due to the highly challenging task to place single molecules precisely in nanoscale gaps of plasmonic nanostructures. These are required to provide sufficiently high electromagnetic field enhancement to reach SM sensitivity. The aim of SMART-DNA is to exploit artificial DNA nanostructures to provide sufficient structural control to assemble both, nanoparticles and target molecules, with nanometer precision. By means of novel DNA origami nanostructures the distance between two nanoparticles will be controlled, and at the same time target molecules will be placed at the positions of highest Raman enhancement through DNA aptamers. Apart from Raman enhancement the excitation of the localized surface plasmon resonance of the metallic nanostructures results in other plasmonic effects such as heating and possibly the transfer of hot electrons. This can lead to diffusion, conformational changes or even dissociation of the target molecules. These issues do not only concern SM-SERS, but also make quantitative SERS and the SERS analysis of complex (bio)molecules very challenging. By the improved structural control achieved by SMART-DNA, nanoscale heating and hot electron transfer and their effect on SERS spectra will be studied on an ensemble and a SM level. Finally, reactions induced by plasmonically generated electrons in DNA and DNA modified with electrophilic molecules will be studied by SERS with the aim to develop novel strategies to improve cancer radiation therapies such as the photothermal therapy.

Keywords: surface enhanced raman scattering,dna origami,low energy electrons
Quantum Measurements with Bose-Einstein condensates strongly coupled to nanophotonic structures (QuantuM-nano)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Global Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: France,United States
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-08-14
End date: 2018-08-13
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 264668.4
EU funding (EUR): 264668.4
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Most of the technologies at the heart of our information society, including the semiconductor and the laser, are based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Yet, there is still a lot to gain in harnessing quantum physics at the elementary level, for example to overcome the sensitivity limits in various kinds of measurements in the quantum regime. In this project, we plan to explore an emerging field of quantum technologies at the boundary between atomic physics and nanoscience, by studying the properties of Bose-Einstein condensates coupled to the evanescent field of nanophotonic structures. We will use this new light-matter interface to build a hybrid quantum gyroscope where the optical Sagnac effect in a photonic integrated circuit is enhanced by slow light in a Bose-Einstein condensate strongly coupled to it. The optical structures will be integrated on atom chips, for improved stability and scalability. Beyond the gyroscope itself, this work will create new prospects for combining the technological opportunities of nanophotonics with the very fruitful field of atomic physics, opening new avenues in quantum technologies, which are expected to become in the near future a key driver for the European competitiveness in information technology.

Keywords: bose einstein condenstate,nanophotonic structure,cavity quantum electrodynamics,hybrid quantum sensor,gyroscope,atom chip
Systematic investigation of the spatiotemporal variability of TOXIC hydrogen sulphide events and their potential RISKs for the Namibian fishing and aquaculture industry (TOXIC-RISK)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: France
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2016-07-01
End date: 2018-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 185076.0
EU funding (EUR): 185076.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The scientific focus is on the study of hydrogen sulphide outbreaks and their sulphur plumes in the Namibian Benguela upwelling system. They are unique events not found anywhere else in the world oceans with such intensity. These outbreaks influence the Namibian ecosystem, the local fishing industry and the aquaculture farming, a rapidly growing industrial sector, as well as the tourism because of their toxic properties. So far there are only sporadic investigations. No systematic long-term studies and statistical analyses with respect to their frequency, intensity, extension and involved processes were conducted. Therefore, the objective is to study their spatiotemporal variability in relation to dynamical processes such as wind and upwelling conditions, circulation of water masses, productivity and climate indices mainly on the basis of EU satellite archives, coupled physical-biogeochemical models and in-situ data. This supports the initiative of the ESA to monitor coastal zones with upcoming sensors (i.e. SENTINEL-3). The product will be a geo-information system containing their spatiotemporal variability and the affected Namibian coastal areas. Other milestones will be a hazard analysis and a risk assessment for the Namibian fishing and aquaculture industry. All results will be provided to local research institutes which will improve the reusability of the scientific findings and will support the EU relationships to Namibian authorities. The innovative aspect is that the programme will contribute to the understanding and predictability of these toxic events in the studied area as well as potentially in other areas in the EU and outside the EU. This fellowship can be only performed in close collaboration between the supervisor and the experienced researcher as different research methods such as modelling and remote sensing must be combined. This involves a two-way knowledge transfer and training of both applicants which will contribute to the researches career.

Keywords: toxic hydrogen sulphide outbreaks,sulphur plumes,namibia,benguela upwelling system,coastal ocean,satellite ocean colour meris sentinel3 modelling halieutic ressources
A bottom-up topological superconductor based on quantum dot arrays (TOPOQDot)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Condensed matter physics
Panel description: Structure, electronic properties, fluids, nanosciences, biological physics
Countries involved: Spain
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2016-STG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-06-01
End date: 2023-05-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1750625.0
EU funding (EUR): 1750625.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The realization of a topological superconductor (TS) and of Majorana fermion (MF) quasiparticles promises to open new avenues towards decoherence-robust topological quantum computing. However, further developments in this direction, including the investigation of their topological properties, have been hindered by the lack of a fully conclusive demonstration. In setups based on 1D nanostructures, e.g. semiconductor nanowires and magnetic adatom chains, this is linked to the difficulty to unambiguously assign the main reported signatures, a zero-bias peak in Andreev conductance, to MF modes. This proposal aims to overcome these limitations by exploring an alternative approach in which a 1D TS is built from the bottom up. In particular, arrays of proximity-coupled semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) will be explored as a platform for emulating the Kitaev chain. Such an approach offers the advantage that the evolution of subgap states into MF modes is followed during the assembly of the TS, thereby providing conclusive evidence of their realization. It also enables to controllably adjust the chain parameters to their optimal values where the topological array is most robust. Recent work from the PI addressed in detail the single QD limit of these arrays, where important milestones have been reached. These include the demonstration of spin-polarized subgap states that are the atomic precursors of topological chains and MF modes, and of the precise electrical control over the parameters of proximity-coupled QDs. Here, the PI aims to take the subsequent steps and study the assembly of these building blocks into a 1D TS. The main goals will be to: i) study the hybridization of subgap states into molecular levels as well as the spinless superconducting pairing in double QDs. This will shed light on the mechanisms involved in the formation of arrays; ii) show conclusive signatures of MF quasiparticles in a topological triple QD array; iii) study properties of MF modes.