Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Demonstration of Methodology for fast and reliable Investigation and Characterization of Contaminated Sites (MICCS-DEMO)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Demonstration Activity
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Netherlands,Germany,Denmark,Denmark
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-08-01
End date: 2014-09-30
Duration (months): 26.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1407948.0
EU funding (EUR): 867463.0
Participants: 5
Project status: CLOSED

Soil contamination is an increasing worldwide problem, which poses severe threats to ecosystems and human health. Therefore, a lot of resources are used for investigating contaminated sites, limiting the damage from pollution and cleaning polluted soil and groundwater. The MICCS project (project no. 222204 co-funded by the EU through the 2007 Research for SME Call) has led to the development of an advanced in-situ soil investigation method for identifying and characterising pollution which is 30% faster and thus reduces the cost for site investigation by 20% compared with conventional methods. This has been achieved by integrating a novel drilling probe technology with dedicated selective and very sensitive volatile organic components sensors (Triple sensor system), combining this with improved ground penetrating radar methods (GPR). After successful completion of MICCS, the consortium is now faced by a number of remaining and real market barriers. The proposal in MICCS-DEMO is therefore to carry out a targeted full-scale demonstration of the MICCS technology. Additional measurements need to be performed under different conditions with regard to geography, geologies, and pollutants. The results obtained need to be compared with existing data obtained from representative samples analysed by conventional methods. The MICCS-DEMO demonstration is needed to ensure documentation and to gain regulatory acceptance of the new MICCS technology. This is a crucial demand from the end-users within the soil investigation and remediation industry, which otherwise are highly reluctant to introduce new equipment, in particular, due to the need for regulatory acceptance of the methods undertaken. Essentially, regulatory acceptance is a key market barrier to be overcome by the project, given the fact that regulators issue necessary site approvals, which are thus important for market uptake of the MICCS technology.

Keywords: chemometry,sensors,gpr (ground penetration radar),miccs,uhr,probe,3-d,soil and groundwater pollution.
PORTABLE KIT FOR DETECTING TRAPPED AND BURIED PEOPLE IN RUINS AND AVALANCHES (RESCUECELL)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Spain,Romania,France,Hungary,Germany,Greece
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2015-02-28
Duration (months): 26.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1417812.95
EU funding (EUR): 1079983.77
Participants: 9
Project status: CLOSED

Although avalanches, earthquakes and collapsed buildings are claiming an increasing death toll due to urbanisation, climate change and tourism, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations are limited and expensive. Even research efforts for Search and Rescue services are relatively unimportant due to the specific and therefore limited market for existing products. The main limitations of existing SAR methods are their inefficiency, time involvement and costly as they are very directional and limited in range and accuracy. In addition, their usage is complex and requires intense training and sophisticated methodology or even resorting to a specialised team. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing a unique, easy-to-use, cost-efficient, safe and reliable tool in order to locate victims who are buried under debris or snow, providing accuracy of their position in a swift way. As experiences from disaster situations show than most of the victims carried mobile phones with them, the aim of the RescueCell project is to develop a novel accurate location system based on mobile signal measurements in order to create a cost-effective and portable kit for emergency search services, easy to be to be installed and used. The SMEs participating in this project will greatly benefit from exploiting the RescueCell application for the location of cell phones worldwide. The RescueCell system is expected to lead to significantly faster searches in SAR missions resulting in finding more survivors, and also in reducing the related SAR cost proportionally. Apart from money savings due to the lower SAR operation cost, and reduction in hospitalization costs, there is also the value of a life or health that cannot be quantified. If this technology saves lives, this research will undoubtedly be worth an investment.

Keywords: mobile phone location algorithm,gsm technology,location accuracy,dgps,data fusion,natural disasters
Enhanced chitin-based biosorbents for drinking water purification (CHITOCLEAN)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Austria,Germany,Türkiye,Lithuania,Sweden,Austria
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-08-01
End date: 2014-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1639356.8
EU funding (EUR): 1198000.0
Participants: 9
Project status: CLOSED

The project represents a technical and technological contribution to purification of polluted drinking waters by selective biodegradable sorbent derived from biowastes. ChitoClean will implement a holistic approach taking into account all necessary steps of a novel drinking water treatment process. This approach is centred on chitin-based biosorbents, which are already used in different applications and known for their excellent adsorption capacities. Natural materials made from carcasses of shrimps and crabs are to be physically and chemically enhanced to be suitable for the use in drinking water purification applications. The characteristics that the Enhanced Chitin-based Materials (ECM) will ideally present are improved stability, adaptability to different forms of filters and maximal adsorption rates and capacities. ECMs are to be implemented in prototypes of filtering units. Different kinds of prototypes will be generated in order for the new technology to be applicable for different use: household filters, on-site water treatment in wells, big-scale treatment and integration into central water supply systems of small towns. In parallel products and processes will be tested in order to regenerate charged filters and extend their lifetime of the latter. As – despite material regeneration - ECM will eventually lose its absorption capacity and be ‘spent’ needing replacement, the project also investigates on methods to recycle and/or dispose of the ‘old’ filter material. In addition, the health aspect will be taken into account by evaluating the effect of the treatment by ECM on the mineral content/balance of the purified water. First discussions towards validation of results by potential customers are supposed to take place within the External Advisory Board regrouping representatives of stakeholder groups e.g. industry and water suppliers. Exploitation of results and IPR management are substantial components of the project and will be streamlined through the project's Exploitation & Dissemination Strategy. In order to raise awareness for project results, a major stakeholder event is planned at the end of the project.

Keywords: drinking water purification,chitin-based filtering materials,chitosan,chitin,radioactive elements,endocrine disruptors,pharmaceuticals,heavy metals,arsenic,biosorbent,cost effective sorbents
Metal Hydride Heat Pump for Waste Heat Recovery in Vans Refrigeration Systems (HP-ACS)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Italy,Italy,United Kingdom,Hungary
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-04-01
End date: 2015-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1255761.56
EU funding (EUR): 959829.33
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

According to Global Industry Analysis Inc., refrigerated transportation world market will reach 5 billion € by 2015. Increasing awareness about food safety, consumer spending on high value perishable goods and replacement of refrigerated vehicles are driving the growth in refrigerated transportation market. Approximately 650.000 refrigerated road vehicles are currently in use within the EU. The increase of fuel price is becoming a crucial aspect for cold transport companies, since the continuous growth of oil price is leading to a drastic increase of operative costs. Refrigerated vans and trucks spend 10.000-100.000 liter of fuel/year and 8% about of this amount is due to refrigeration, today performed by energy-consuming compressor-driven Air Conditioning Systems (ACS) fed by the electricity generated by an alternator. The project here presented deals with the development of an innovative Sorption Heat Pump, based on the adsorption/desorption of a gas stream (hydrogen) on solid beds and able to produce cold exploiting the waste heat generated by the thermal engine and thus saving 800 – 8.000 fuel liter/years for each van/truck. The sorption heat pump to develop is a Metal Hydride Cooling System (MHCS) based on hydrogen adsorption/desorption on solid beds. Such a technology allow reaching the highest compactness and Specific Cooling Power (SCP, i.e. the ratio between cooling power and system total weight) comparing the other heat-driven heat pump units, up to 50 W/kg versus 25 W/kg of silica-gel technology. The main S&T objectives of the HP-ACS are: 1. developing, testing and characterizing of suitable materials for cold van (operating temperature = 4°C). 2. Designing and engineering a retrofit HP-ACS system, to be easily assembled in cold van and with the scope to minimize system weight. 3. Implementation and testing of HP-ACS prototype on a refrigerated van, in conformity to the CEI EN regulation, to be benchmarked with presently van ACS systems.

Keywords: metal hydride materials,waste heat recovery,heat pump development.
Development of a non-invasive and portable tissue viability measurement and intelligent actuation system for the prevention and early detection of Pressure Ulcer risk at Tetraplegic SCI users (PUMA)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Spain,Estonia,Belgium,Spain,Denmark,Netherlands,Spain,Spain
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2015-01-31
Duration (months): 27.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1422798.0
EU funding (EUR): 1056000.0
Participants: 8
Project status: CLOSED

Wheelchair users (over 5 Million) are prone to develop Pressure Ulcers (PU), especially Tetraplegic Spinal Cord Injury (T-SCI, 114.000) as they do not dispose of the natural mechanisms for prevention. T-SCI lack of pain perception, motor control, reduced tissue viability and alterations on the ANS affecting basal tissue status and response (hyperemia). Suffering a PU affects negatively health, needing additional surgical interventions or longer recovery times, constituting even a deadly threat due infections; derive in social exclusion due to odours and pain; and reduce the time being able to spend sitting limiting independent living, leading all to a reduction of Quality of Life. Treating PUs cost €20 Billions per year to the EU Public Health System. Although, PU prognosis is excellent at early stages being 95% preventable, current solutions are not being effective as they rely on pressure reduction instead of tissue viability, do not consider user state, characteristics and context, and do not optimal combine current strategies. PUMA project aims to develop a novel portable and non-invasive system to prevent and early detect the risk of PU and reverts its onset, based on the control and improvement of tissue viability. Based on Real-time PU risk assessment, a combination of dynamic repositioning systems and Functional Electrical Stimulation will be optimally integrated, preserving tissue viability as well as increasing the resistance to PU development. As a result, the SMEs will strengthen their competitive position facing foreign competition, achieving a cumulative benefits of €24 Million 5 years post-project. PUMA project will count with the collaboration of RTDs on biomechanics, smart textiles and mechatronics; and the support of prescribers, distributors, retailers, T-SCI sufferers and relatives and health care professionals defining needs and requirements as well as product validation, ensuring to fulfil the expectations of end-users and market stakeholders.

Keywords: integral pressure ulcers prevention device,intelligent control,blood flow and oxygen saturation,characterization of physiological response of sci,repositioning patterns,user and context awareness
Implementation of Ubiquitous Connectivity for Public Transport (UCONNECT)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Switzerland,Romania,Spain,Portugal,Spain
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-08-01
End date: 2014-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1477334.2
EU funding (EUR): 945000.0
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

UCONNECT is aligned with the current steady growth in the interest of concretization of Smart Cities, centred at solving the connectivity needs for Smart Public Transportation Systems to provide Smart Services, both for the transport itself, the asset that most importantly influences the overall efficiency of a city, and for citizens, the main asset in a city. Enhancing the transport sector will result in the overall enhancement of the city efficiency. Several initiatives are taking place in this scope, towards Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), in terms both of self-providing services and of services for the passengers that it carries. As the first need in order to implement any Smart Service is the connectivity provision, every Smart Service to be implemented in the transport sector will need to be continuously connected to the Internet in order to behave appropriately. Furthermore the connectivity envisaged for the transport sector must be provided ubiquitously and in mobility. UCONNECT proposes to reach this Ubiquitous Connectivity for Public Transport through the implementation of three connectivity systems: (1) a seamless vertical handover system, allowing terminals to get connected to any access technology while maintaining connectivity to avoid services cut-offs; (2) a seamless roaming system, with close relation to the handover system, allowing terminals to get connected regardless of the operator exploiting the access network; (3) an interoperability system, allowing terminals to use several access networks at the same time, improving the overall available bandwidth and allowing the use of specific technologies for specific data transmissions, achieving efficiency both in transmission capabilities needs and in operational costs terms. The related market segments will be explored by the consortium SMEs and feasible business models, with adequate pricing and billing methods for access provision and roaming exchanges will be established accordingly.

Keywords: wireless,handover,roaming,interoperability,ubiquity,mobility
A new tool for sustainable forest management based on LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging) and THERMAL data integration (THERMOLIDAR)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Spain,United Kingdom,Spain,Czechia,Finland
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2014-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1488000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1119000.0
Participants: 5
Project status: CLOSED

THEMOLiDAR project propose the application of advance technologies and methods aimed at increasing efficiency, productivity and reliability of forest exploitation to ensure sustainable forest management. Traditionally, forest management has been performed based on forest inventory measured in the field using hand-held equipment. These methodologies are expensive and have very low efficiency. In a global change scenario context, current forest inventories should include further information related with the status of the health and the dynamic trends of the forest. The detection of predictive physiological variables such us water stress link to accurate structural information must be considered as key solution for the assessment, management and exploitation of forest. The use of new technologies to estimate physiological and structural data is critical to optimize the costs related to traditional forest inventories. The integrated estimation of structural and physiological variables in European forest inventories can provide a substantial leap forward in the way we assess forest condition and as a guide to inform decisions. In this area, the combined use of remote sensing tools with field methods will enhance the quality and the extent of our knowledge about our forest resources. The main objective of THEMOLiDAR is the combination of airborne LiDAR with THERMAL data sets to determine structural information of tree, canopy organization and physiological variables obtained at the scale of individual trees in order to implement monitoring capabilities over large areas. This approach is essential in a context of climate change to evaluate and support forest management practices as described in forest predictive models. The THERMOLiDAR project will aim at the development of software capable of processing both LiDAR and THERMAL imagery as an operational tool for the SMEs participants.

Keywords: remote sensing,forest management,inventory,gis software
Electro-agglomeration and separation of Engineered NanoParticles from process and waste water in the coating industry to minimise health and environmental risks (NANOFLOC)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Czechia,France,Norway,Germany,Sweden,Germany
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2015-03-31
Duration (months): 27.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1483868.8
EU funding (EUR): 1141968.8
Participants: 8
Project status: CLOSED

The rapid introduction of nano-based products into the market has caused a major concern both for health and environmental impacts, among others from the paint and coating business. A number of studies have documented health risks related to nanoparticles, inhalation exposure and dermal contact being main exposure routes in the coating and paint industry. Likewise, discharge of nanoparticles into aquatic environment causes damage to the gill membrane of fish and crustaceans. Today, the only effective means of removing nano-particles from water is application of energy intensive methods such as reverse osmosis. Therefore, the coating industry that uses products with nanoparticles needs a cost effective technology for removing them from used water. The proposers of NANOFLOC have thus identified a new market opportunity in developing a novel electro agglomeration technology for removing nanoparticles entrained in water. The technology is cost effective, compact and nvironmentally friendly. It is based on destabilisation of nano suspensions and agglomeration of charged particles in solutions using electric fields and flocculation in one step, avoiding addition of chemicals. The objectives of NANOFLOC will be attained by development of innovative reactor for agglomeration and stabilisation of flocs, superior hydraulic design of a reaction chamber and creation of intelligent process control system (PCU). The RTD work is structured in 5 of 8 WPs: In WP1, a life cycle analysis will be undertaken to provide a benchmark for the development program. Scientific characterisations of the process and development of parameters will be performed in WP2. Design and configuration development of the reactor will be carried in WP3. The PCU will be developed in WP4. The NANOFLOC system will be integrated and tested in WP5. Demonstration activities and dissemination of results will be carried out in WP6 and WP7 respectively, while project management tasks will be included in WP8.

Keywords: electroagglomeration,nano particles,health risk,environment,electrolysis
Sustainable technologies for the production of biodegradable materials based on natural chitin-nanofibrils derived by waste of fish industry, to produce food grade packaging (N-CHITOPACK)

Framework: FP7 — Capacities
Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs
Destination: Research for SMEs
Action type: Research for the benefit of specific groups
Countries involved: Romania,Germany,Czechia,Italy,Norway
Call:  (FP7-SME-2012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2014-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1190241.0
EU funding (EUR): 901096.9
Participants: 8
Project status: CLOSED

The food sector (including beverage industry) accounts for approximately two thirds of global packaging and about 50% of these packages are made of plastics. Plastic food packaging materials currently in use are generally non-biodegradable causing ecological imbalance and aesthetic deterioration of nature. At the same time being a petro-chemical based product, plastics rely on a depleting and increasingly costly natural resource with relatively low LCA performance (high CO2 footprint). Food packaging – which is predominantly produced by SMEs - is crucial as physical and barrier protection keeping foodstuffs clean, fresh, and safe for consumers while increasing shelf life. Bio-based plastics offer a highly promising alternative and new biological materials are emerging as potential feedstock, such as chitin waste material from the fishing industry, mostly used in cosmetics applications due to their inherent bacteriostatic properties. Chitin waste exceeds 250 billion tons/year, and is considered hazardous due to its high perishability and polluting effect, both on land and sea. So re-use and up cycling to higher value applications would establish an important step forwards towards resource efficiency, providing a relevant innovation for the SME packaging industry that is under pressure to reduce cost and respond to environmental concerns. Recent research results at the University of Prague, leveraging on an SME owned world-wide patent (MAVI) for the production of chitin Nano fibrils, show interesting additional application opportunities of chitin as a bio-based polymer. The n-CHITOPACK project will leverage on the inherent superior properties of these chitin nano-fibrils for the development of new food packaging materials that are bacteriostatic, 100% bio-degradable and can be used by European packaging SMEs, contributing to increase their competitiveness in the market and to solving environmental challenges.

Keywords: new bio based products,food packaging,chitin nanofibrils,renewable feedstock from waste materials