Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
DEep COgnition Learning for LAnguage GEneration (DECOLLAGE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — 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: Portugal
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2022-COG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-08-01
End date: 2028-07-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999595.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999595.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

In recent years, transformer-based deep learning models such as BERT or GPT-3 have led to impressive results in many natural language processing (NLP) tasks, exhibiting transfer and few-shot learning capabilities. However, despite faring well in benchmarks, current deep learning models for NLP often fail badly in the wild: they are bad at out-of-domain generalization, they do not exploit contextual information, they are poorly calibrated, and their memory is not traceable. These limitations stem from their monolithic architectures, which are good for perception, but unsuitable for tasks requiring higher-level cognition. In this project, I attack these fundamental problems by bringing together tools and ideas from machine learning, sparse modeling, information theory, and cognitive science, in an interdisciplinary approach. First, I will use uncertainty and quality estimates for utility-guided controlled generation, combining this control mechanism with the efficient encoding of contextual information and integration of multiple modalities. Second, I will develop sparse and structured memory models, together with attention descriptive representations towards conscious processing. Third, I will build mathematical models for sparse communication (reconciling discrete and continuous domains), supporting end-to-end differentiability and enabling a shared workspace where multiple modules and agents can communicate. I will apply the innovations above to highly challenging language generation tasks, including machine translation, open dialogue, and story generation. To reinforce interdisciplinarity and maximize technological impact, collaborations are planned with cognitive scientists and with a scale-up company in the crowd-sourcing translation industry.

Keywords: deep learning,natural language processing,attention mechanisms,computational models of higher level cognition
UNalphabeting the Central Dogma of Life (LIFE-19)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Panel description: For all organisms : Molecular biology , biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biophysics , synthetic and chemical biology, drug design, innovative methods and modelling
Countries involved: Czechia
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2030-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2498875.0
EU funding (EUR): 2498875.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

This proposal aims to construct a bacterial strain LIFE-19 which relies solely on 19 amino acids to build all its proteins. While all living cells known to human beings produce proteins from the same 20 coded amino acids, the study of origins of life imply that earlier cells may have functioned with a smaller alphabet. This is thought-provoking in the present biological context, wherein each of the 20 serves a distinct and vital role. Although many scientists have engaged in theoretical exercises involving the reduction of this amino acid “alphabet”, the inherent biological intricacy and a lack of suitable tools have impeded experiments on an organismal level. This project seeks to mutate all the tryptophan (Trp) protein sites in a minimal Mycoplasma genome template. Trp stands out as both one of the scarcest and one of the evolutionary youngest members of the protein alphabet. Here, we will engineer Trp out of a minimal genome in a 2-stage process. Initially, semi-automated gene editing will target all individual Mycoplasma Trp-sites concurrently, using broad randomization schemes (capitalizing on the PI’s expertise). This will allow us to compare Trp dispensability across the proteome and select the most viable Trp-substituted protein variants. Second, the selected mutations will be combined to “write” a new LIFE-19 genome using a bottom-up synthesis. LIFE-19 will lay the next steppingstone to our understanding of life’s limits. We will be able to get a glimpse into what cells probably went through billions of years ago, when they teetered on the border between life and nonlife. With the reduced number of building blocks, LIFE-19 will also generate an important step towards a cellular chassis with minimal energetic demands and therefore key inventory in Synthetic Biology research. Overall, this project will challenge the textbook knowledge that life depends on the 20 canonical amino acids, by effectively UNalphabeting the Central Dogma of biology.

Keywords: minimal cell,laboratory evolution,genome editing,genetic code evolution,origins of life
Sustainable resilient data-enabled offshore wind farm and control co-design for Med Sea environments SUDOCO-Hop On (SUDOCO-Hop On)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Improved access to Excellence
Destination: Improved access to Excellence
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Netherlands,Greece
Call: Hop on Facility (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-06, 2023)
Duration (months): 33.0
Total project cost (EUR): 492753.75
EU funding (EUR): 492753.75
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

In SUDOCO-Hop On, the widening member NTUA will collaborate with the SUDOCO consortium in the co-development of wind farm control strategies, and demonstration of their effectiveness in a different application example, that of the Mediterranean basin. NTUA's main role and objective in the SUDOCO-Hop On project is to recommend, characterize and test appropriate modifications to specific elements of the control strategies developed within the original SUDOCO project, with the aim to enable adaptation of offshore wind farms to the unique conditions of the Mediterranean Sea environment. To achieve the goals of SUDOCO-Hop On, NTUA will mobilize substantial High Performance Computing capacity, for the computational assessment of the control strategies and its large wind tunnel facility, in which a novel experiment on wind farm control will be performed. NTUA will leverage the tool-box developed by the SUDOCO consortium but it will also test new control strategies, alternative methodologies and in-house tools when the existing framework is challenged by the environmental conditions of the newly addressed Med Sea environment.

Keywords: wind farm control,offshore wind farms
A novel hardware & software platform to revolutionise artificial intelligence at the edge (Axelera Europa)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Challenges
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: EIC Accelerator Challenge: Emerging semiconductor or quantum technology components (HORIZON-EIC-2023-ACCELERATOR-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-03-01
End date: 2026-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3580000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499999.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Our solution is a hardware (HW) and software (SW) platform optimized for inference at the edge, which, as a market, is projected to grow exponentially, and to reach €15.52 B in 2025. Our solution will accelerate the latest generation of neural network models for computer vision, natural language processing and generative AI to revolutionize the way we use AI, at a fraction of the costs and power consumption of available solutions. The HW will be available in various form factors for rapid adoption and is highly scalable–from a single device running in an embedded system to multiple instances on cards in an edge datacenter. Our SW tools provide a consistent, powerful and easy-to-use development environment for all of these instances, while driving the adoption of AI through our no-code web composer. We have a strong team led by the CEO who was the Head of Artificial Intelligence at Bitfury and has 20+ years of managerial experience in tech corporations such as Asus and Advantech.

Keywords: natural language processing,generative ai,risc v
Transforming Concrete Resilience: Investigating High-Temperature Effects on Self-Healing Properties (TraaSH)

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: United Kingdom
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-12-01
End date: 2027-11-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 276187.92
EU funding (EUR): 276187.92
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Since urbanization and climate are getting stronger, for sustainable development it is crucial to enhance the safety and durability of construction materials. TRaaSH aims to study the response of Self-Healing Concrete (SHC) at elevated temperatures and to develop temperatures dependent properties for SHC. SHC is one of the modern concrete types inspired from the natural process of human wound healing and developed to ensure the longevity and durability of concrete structures. Extending the service life of structures is essential for reducing carbon footprints of the construction industry and managing construction waste. Current research on SHC focuses primarily on its mechanical properties and crack healing efficiency under normal conditions and ambient temperatures. Due to lack of investigations, significant research gaps exist in understanding the performance of SHC at elevated temperatures and in fire exposure scenarios. Understating the response of SHC at elevated temperatures is crucial for ensuring the safety of occupants/users and for the sustainability of concrete structures. TraaSH adopts a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach, bridging together material science, rigorous fire resistance testing, post-fire structural integrity, thermal analysis and structural fire engineering. With Dr. Naveed Alam's support and expertise in structural fire engineering, this fellowship will train me in advanced fire safety engineering and computational modeling, enhancing my knowledge of self-healing technologies. The findings from this interdisciplinary research will help with sustainable construction which will in turn reduce the construction sector's environmental impact contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities. The project will also help with industrial innovation (SDG9) and will ensure responsible consumption of material (SDG12).

Keywords: self healing concrete,fire safety engineering,fire tests,temperature dependent properties
Poor Prognosis Colorectal Cancers Display Self-sustained Growth by Niche-mimicry (NIMICRY)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator 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: Netherlands
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2021-COG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1949357.5
EU funding (EUR): 1949357.5
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease with widely variable clinical outcomes. I previously contributed to a unifying molecular classification of CRC, the consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs). The mesenchymal subtype (CMS4), representing ~25% of all CRC patients, is characterised by early metastatic dissemination and poor response to therapy. This is often attributed to activated and rich stroma and therefore much attention in the field goes to dissecting the interaction of the mesenchyme with the cancer cells in these tumours. However, in this research program I will investigate a radically different hypothesis: Mesenchymal CRCs display self-sustained growth by niche-mimicry (nimicry). I define nimicry as the adoption of niche features by cancer cells, thereby rendering the cancers independent of micro-environmental signals for their expansion. This hypothesis is directly based on preliminary experiments from my laboratory, which demonstrated that mesenchymal CRCs are not dependent on external growth factors for expansion in vitro and display autocrine and paracrine loops that drive self-sustained growth. The abundant stroma in mesenchymal CRCs is secondary to the growth factors and cytokines produced by the tumour cells. To study this concept, I will employ primary human CRC models in combination with molecular and functional characterisation, to delineate the self-supporting signalling loops in a patient specific fashion. These studies are paralleled by the investigation of clonal dynamics within established human CRCs by means of a novel genetic lineage tracing strategy in combination with quantitative analysis. Dedicated analyses will resolve the impact of nimicry on metastasis formation, therapy resistance and tumour evolution. These studies into nimicry as a critical concept in tumour biology, will importantly advance our understanding of the signals that drive CRC growth and progression, and will pave the way to new treatment strategies.

Keywords: colorectal cancer,tumour growth dynamics,cancer stem cells,molecular cancer subtypes,lineage tracing,cancer modelling
Thermal and energy Management for INcreased Driving range of an Electric minibus including improved user-centric Design and thermal comfort (MINDED)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Mobility
Destination: Clean and competitive solutions for all transport modes
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: 2ZERO (co-programmed)
Countries involved: Austria,Italy,Croatia,Germany,Spain,Czechia
Call: User-centric design and operation of EV for optimized energy efficiency (2ZERO Partnership) (HORIZON-CL5-2023-D5-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6735413.75
EU funding (EUR): 4999301.25
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

MINDED addresses in full the “expected outcome” and “scope” of the HORIZON-CL5-2023-D5-01-01 topic by delivering a battery electric IVECO eDaily minibus with 20% improved range at 0°C against the 2023 baseline. This is achieved by introducing a highly efficient heating system based on infrared (IR) panels, controlled by a novel user-centric HMI, embedding an optimised thermal and energy management strategy (TEMS) for improved comfort and reduced energy consumption. These activities are complemented with the demonstration of a new HVAC unit based on a heat pump, capable of reducing the vehicle’s cooling energy requirements by 15% against the baseline, while leveraging the efforts made on the HMI and TEMS. To do so, MINDED encompasses 10 Technology Bricks, organised in three AREAs: - Heating and Cooling System (AREA I), including (1) IR heating panels, (2) thermal cabin insulation, (3) a thermal mannequin for evaluating passenger comfort, (4) the optimised HVAC unit featuring an e-compressor with gas bearings, (5) the required ECUs, and (6) the user-centric HMI. - Digital Twin and Control Strategy (AREA II), including (7) a new digital twin model, (8) an AI-based algorithm for predicting driving behaviour, (9) the TEMS, and (10) a comfort control strategy for determining optimal settings. - Demonstration and Performance Evaluation (AREA III), demonstrating the IVECO eDaily minibus on the dynamometer at TRL7 and the HVAC unit on the ThermoLab testbed at TRL6. Beyond the range improvement, MINDED demonstrates a cost reduction of 5% at vehicle level from simplified systems’ installation and reduced battery requirements, and a development time reduction of 30% achieved using the digital twin model and AI. The project generates its primary impact in the bus and minibus vehicle segments, with the MINDED Technology Bricks expected to equip 75% of the IVECO bus fleet by 2035, while delivering technologies exploitable in the medium/heavy commercial electric vehicles market.

Keywords: zero emission vehicle,e minibus trl 7 demonstrator,digital twin,energy and thermal management,operating strategy,human machine interfaces,novel heating system
Value in Contact: measuring how language contact and priming regulate language change (ValCon)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Italy
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 209483.28
EU funding (EUR): 209483.28
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

All languages change at variable rates through time. Several language internal and external factors have been considered as underlying mechanisms for such change. Language internal factors have been successful in modelling chains of changes within the system, but their relevance as initial triggers remain controversial. In this respect, language external factors are frequently invoked, among which language contact holds a prominent role. Languages are not in contact per se, however, people are: languages are in contact because people acquiring them as grammatical systems store them both in their brain and use them both alternatively. The question is what drives potential interferences between the systems (crosslinguistic influence) and if it can trigger diachronic change. This project proposes a new, replicable methodology for testing hypotheses on the mechanisms underlying diachronic change and verifies it by testing the hypothesis that such mechanism corresponds to priming, intended as the facilitative effects of an encounter with a stimulus on subsequent processing of the same or a related stimulus. Priming has been shown to be active both within and, crucially for our objectives, across languages (multilingual & L2 populations): in multilingual settings, the frequent activation of a linguistic structure of Grammar A could lead to produce said structure in the system of Grammar B, sparking the process of language change. I test this hypothesis by exploiting the fact that different phenomena show consistently different rates of change and checking if there is a significant correlation between such rate of change and the strength of priming affecting a given phenomenon. The Italian area, where a wide range of well-studied varieties coexist with Italian as a majority language in a comparable sociolinguistic environment, offers the perfect testing ground for this methodology, paving the way for the psycholinguistic study of crosslinguistic microvariation.

Keywords: historical linguistics,psycholinguistics,priming,dialectology
Ecosystem synergies towards cross-border scale-up of innovative Digital and Deep Tech start-ups (Ready2Scale)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: other EIC
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Estonia,Poland,Belgium
Call: Enhancing synergies between the EIC and Startup Europe (HORIZON-EIC-2022-STARTUPEU-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-11-01
End date: 2025-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 4
Project status: SIGNED

OVERALL OBJECTIVE of Ready2Scale project is to enhance the EIC scale-up mechanisms and the establishment of lasting synergies between the ecosystem builders of Start-up Europe by coordinating and supporting the acceleration and market expansion of digital and deep tech startups, bringing closer the strategic autonomy and competitiveness of EU industry in these key areas. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE is to connect Digital and Deep-Tech (DDT) start-up ecosystems, including those from Widening countries, increasing their engagement with EIC, national & international offerings and enhancing their capabilities to scale-up outside national borders. This objectives of the Ready2Scale project will be achieved through implementing the set of interrelated work packages (WPs). In WP2, the ecosystem players will be mapped and synergies with stakeholders and between ecosystems will be established, especially focusing on the Widening Countries. WP3 aims to spread knowledge of EIC offerings, national and international funding, as well as inform start-ups of procurement possibilities and build their capacity to become impact driven companies. WP4 aims to set up the acceleration programme, including impact assessment, and monitoring framework, start-up enrolment, assessment and selection, and implementation of the programme, that includes investment readiness training, investors and start-ups matching and market discovery missions. These WPs are heavily interrelated with the WP5 communication and the dissemination activities, and finally ensuring the sustainability of the project and exploitation of the results. WP1 assures the project’s success by coordinating the consortium in their tasks, proposing efficient and pro-active measures to guarantee quality control and timely delivery of results, ensuring efficient financial management and reporting; oversees the ethical aspects.

Keywords: scale,engage,connect,digital deep tech statups,impact driven entrepreneurship