Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
How the brain creates Mutual Understanding during Social InteraCtion (MUSIC)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Netherlands,United States
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2016-12-31
End date: 2020-07-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 260929.8
EU funding (EUR): 260929.8
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

How can we understand one another? Our everyday conversations appear to revolve around our linguistic abilities. But creating mutual understanding involves more than formulating grammatically correct sentences. Recently, cognitive science has shown that mutual understanding relies on shared knowledge and beliefs, conceptual knowledge that is continuously adjusted as we interact. Yet, social neuroscience has mainly focused on how individuals respond to social stimuli without a social context. Consequently, the neural mechanism that underlies our ability to create mutual understanding with another person remains largely elusive. The proposed project addresses this interdisciplinary gap, testing the hypothesis that creating mutual understanding requires a neural mechanism that supports a continuous adjustment of conceptual knowledge. That hypothesis will be tested by sampling and interfering with neuronal activity in humans during live social interaction, at the University of California. First, I will investigate the neuronal implementation of mutual understanding through intracranial recordings from the human brain. The exquisite spatiotemporal precision of these recordings offers the unprecedented possibility to characterize how conceptual knowledge is mechanistically adjusted during social interaction. Second, I will investigate frontotemporal dementia, a neurological disorder known to disrupt access to conceptual knowledge. This unfortunate experiment of nature offers the unique opportunity to understand how progressive alteration in brain tissue and connectivity affects the ability to create mutual understanding. These studies will offer a neural- and system-level mechanism of human mutual understanding, which I will translate into testable accounts of communicative alterations in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, during the return phase at the Donders Institute and King’s College London.

Keywords: human cognition,social interaction,conceptual knowledge,electrocorticography,lesion symptom mapping
Invisible forces: The contribution of universities’ proffessional staff to knowledge production within the academic ecosystem (InviFo)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Netherlands,United States
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-09-01
End date: 2023-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 253052.16
EU funding (EUR): 253052.16
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Using an innovative ecological perspective, the objective of this project is to conceptualize and optimize the contribution of professional staff of universities to knowledge production within in the academic ecosystem. It compares case studies in the US, the Netherlands and Spain. Professional staff does not teach or do research, but is involved in organizing these tasks. Despite this body of staff now making up 20- 50% of university employees, this study is the first to consider its contribution to knowledge production. Insights into this major but still poorly understood component of universities contributes to more efficient and effective use of these public resources. The relevance and urgency of this project are that the European Commission will allocate approximately €40 billion to universities in Horizon Europe. The project investigates the expertise of professional staff, the way it concentrates and uses its expertise, the power that it exercises through it and the effects of its power on academic knowledge production. The study consists of 1) a literature review 2) network analysis 3) ethnographic studies of professional staff in six universities and 4) the construction of a conceptual model to explain the function of professional staff in academic knowledge production. The fellow will receive training at The University of Chicago and Leiden University and through a secondment at INGENIO (CSIC/UPV). It includes an ethnography course, network analysis training and teaching and supervision tasks. This facilitates the fellow’s transition into a mature researcher, well-prepared to establish a group studying the relationship between university governance and academic practice. Results will be shared with 1) academic (seminars, conference presentations and journal publications) 2) professionals (blogs, a conference presentation and journal publication for professional staff and 3) the wider audience (presentations at science events and a videoblog.)

Keywords: professional staff,academic knowledge production,university governance,network analysis,ethnography
New vaccine for a paradigm shift in Brucellosis (BGV1)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Spain
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2018)
Start date: 2018-12-01
End date: 2019-05-31
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Brucellosis is consistently ranked as the world’s most common and widespread zoonotic disease, meaning that it normally exists in animals but it can also infect humans. In livestock, it causes devastating production losses in low-income countries accounting in more than €3bn per year. In humans, there are 500,000 new cases annually requiring long-term hospital treatments. Brucellosis is endemic in most Asia, Africa and LATAM and is prevalent in the EU Mediterranean regions. Also, outbreaks may take place anywhere in a global world with international trading, people travelling all around the world and potential threat of bioterrorism. Since human vaccines are not available, the most rational approach for preventing human brucellosis is the control and eradication of infection in animals. Animal vaccines are an essential tool, but existing vaccines own some inconveniences, such as residual virulence, complex management systems and costly diagnostic techniques that are not appropriate for developing countries; in Europe, control programs are based in tests for animal check-ups and compensation to farmers for slaughter of the infected animals, with vaccination prohibited or highly restricted to areas with higher prevalence of Brucellosis. These inconveniences recommended the development of new candidate vaccines. We are developing BGV1, a patented vaccine that has the potential of allowing, for the first time, mass vaccination of any animal at any time (including pregnant and lactating animals), which is a radical paradigm shift in Brucellosis control and eradication. It also simplifies existing vaccine management systems as it can be used without interfering standard diagnostic techniques. In our 5-year forecast, we estimate accumulated revenue and net profits of €58.29m and €15.13m, a conservative projection by just reaching 86.02m animals that represent only 3.92% of our TAM, generating 1.76bn economic benefits to our users.

Keywords: brucella,brucellosis,neglected infectious diseases,vaccine,animal health,zoonosis,control and eradication programs,prophylaxis,human health,rural development,sheep,goat,cattle,ruminant
EUROPES FIRST SCALABLE MOBILE MAPPING SOLUTION WHICH EMPOWERS ALL BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS TO ACCESS ESSENTIAL GEO-SPATIAL DATA (LEAN MOBILE MAPPING)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2018)
Start date: 2018-12-01
End date: 2019-03-31
Duration (months): 4.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Over €2.4tn in revenues are lost annually due to poor data quality with 85% of all business data either being obsolete or of unknown value. 80% of all data owned by businesses and institutions is in the form of images or videos which are notoriously more difficult to analyze than simple text. All data needs to be updated within 1-24 months to remain useful but due to the high processing costs, businesses are unable to keep their data relevant. Current solutions to this problem are either offering (1) costly cameras and require the customer to process data manually or (2) a full-service which does all processing and data collection at a high service cost. We have realized that the key to providing a sustainable, low-cost and high-quality solution requires automation of the labour-intensive processing work. With LEAN MOBILE MAPPING, we provide Artificial Intelligence powered object recognition in combination with a small and high-performance camera system that can be placed on any vehicle, boat, train or other moving platform to perform location-based asset management. We developed our software and hardware prototype in over 3 years of close work with customers and by the end of 2017, we have completed 6 extensive pilot studies and received multiple LOI. LEAN MOBILE MAPPING will penetrate the €18.8bn mobile mapping market in the EU with €6.6m in accumulated profits in the first 3 years, an ROI of 6.35 and the creation of 8 jobs. We will not only bring Europe to the forefront of the fast growing mobile making market but can also reduce gasoline consumptions in agriculture by 3.5bn litres per year (saving €16.9bn and reducing emissions), enable cities to have barrier free access for the disabled, facilitate renewable energy installations, reduce European outsourcing to low economic areas and address social challenges through our extensive work in undeveloped countries such as Kenya.

Keywords: geo spatial data,mobile mapping,infrastructure,emergency response
Competitive Wave Energy on Islands (Wavepiston)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-2, 2018)
Start date: 2018-12-01
End date: 2024-03-31
Duration (months): 64.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4361893.75
EU funding (EUR): 2499999.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Wavepiston is developed on the shoulders of the first-generation wave energy technologies. Due to its low weight, low-tech design, simple installation and operations & maintenance, Wavepiston will be the disruptive technology that can make wave energy competitive with the other renewable energy sources. Our prototype test and Phase 1 feasibility study have confirmed this potential. The Wavepiston system is easy to assemble on site by local staff and can be deployed from a regular tug boat, just like operations and maintenance can be carried out without expensive specialists. In the Phase 2 project we will install a full-scale Wavepiston demonstration system to demonstrate the energy potential, durability and survivability ensuring a low cost per kWh. In the first step our customer focus is islands and isolated coastal communities. We already have the first 4 commercial customers in the pipeline; Isola Piana at Sardinia, Ebeye at Marshall Islands, Siargao at the Philippines and the Alidhoo J-resort at the Maldives. During Phase 2 we will prepare the first commercial projects together with professional energy project developers. This will enable us to start the commercialisation right after the finalisation of Phase 2. The Wavepiston technology is protected by several patents. The Phase 2 project plan has 6 work packages; WP1 Management, WP2 Preparation for the full scale demonstration, WP3 Manufacturing demonstration system and site installation, WP4 Demonstration and qualification, WP5 Business plan, commercial exploitation and dissemination WP6 NEC Requirements

Keywords: wave energy,wave power,decarbonising islands
Harvesting out-of-equilibrium forces for molecular control (MolecularControl)

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: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2020-06-01
End date: 2023-05-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 275619.84
EU funding (EUR): 275619.84
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Numerous biological processes harvest out-of-equilibrium forces for transport, sensing, signaling and more. For example, pumping of ions is performed within fluctuating pores that are believed to facilitate transport. The nature of these forces is extremely diverse, from electrical driving to thermodynamic or chemical driving. The ability to describe nonequilibrium states is critical to understand a broad range of biological processes but remains extremely challenging as appropriate thermodynamic concepts have only recently been introduced and are still scarce . The MolecularControl project aims at developing theoretical tools that can be widely applied to out-of-equilibrium soft matter problems. I will use these tools to address more specificially systems relevant to health issues or sustainable energy. In this context, I will develop two theoretical frameworks in the USA. The first will address the dynamics of ions in confinement (electrochemical driving) and will be used to describe the blockage mechanism of a specific neuronal ion channel called NMDA. The second will address the fast growth of molecular crystals via screw dislocations (kinetic and thermodynamic driving) and will be applied to the growth of L-cystine crystals, involved in the formation of kidney stones, a major health issue. Back to Europe with this added value of mastering numerous tools to control molecular assembly and ionic transport in nonequilibrium systems, I will use them to study (a) ion current fluctuations in confinement and between electrodes for applications in individual ionic sensing, advanced capacitive electrode design and blue energy generation and (b) molecular assembly in a more realistic kidney representation, in particular under flow. This project represents a unique opportunity to grow as an independent researcher with a strong transatlantic network and to become a future leader in an emerging scientific field of great fundamental and societal relevance.

Keywords: nanofluidics,molecular crystals,fluctuating hydrodynamics,out of equilibrium driving,electrochemical sensing
Deciphering the enigma of memory persistence: how the brain stably stores information using dynamic networks and unstable neurons (DYNAMIC_ENGRAM)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Panel description: Nervous system development, homeostasis and ageing, nervous system function and dysfunction, systems neuroscience and modelling, biological basis of cognitive processes and of behaviour, neurological and mental disorders
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2020-COG, 2020)
Start date: 2021-02-01
End date: 2026-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

How does the brain store and retrieve information over time? The accepted notion that these processes rely on the neuronal ensembles that were active during learning is now challenged by findings by our lab and others that reveal that different neurons and networks than those that were active during learning support persistent memory. Most notably, we found that the long-term persistence of spatial memory is correlated with the degree to which neuronal activity is spatially informative, but not with the stability of the coding carried by individual neurons. These discoveries—obtained via novel imaging technologies that enable, for the first time, to track large populations of the same neurons over weeks—expose a fundamental gap in our understanding and highlight the need to reveal how neural codes across brain circuits, including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and prefrontal cortex, change over the lifetime of a memory. Here we propose to investigate the mechanisms that govern the reorganization of memory using innovative methods we recently developed for optical imaging, large-scale data analysis, and circuit manipulation. Key among them is our ability to simultaneously and longitudinally image in two related brain areas the activity of large neuronal populations in freely behaving mice. Using these new tools, we will elucidate the factors governing the circuit dynamics of memory representations (Aim 1); how such dynamics relate to the behavioral manifestation of memory (Aim 2); how hippocampal-cortical and cortical-cortical interactions change over weeks to support remote memory (Aim 3); and what mechanisms could underlie the transfer of learned information between neurons in a network (Aim 4). Our approach will allow us to resolve how systems-level consolidation is realized at the neural code level, both within and across brain areas, and how a stable memory is maintained over the long term despite an ever-changing neuronal representation.

Keywords: long term memory,hippocampus,entorhinal cortex,prefrontal cortex,calcium imaging,place cells,grid cells,memory consolidation,engram
The aging germ cell – biological pathways, risk factors and mechanisms underlying an increasing medical and socio-economic problem (GermAge)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Understanding health, wellbeing and disease
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Sweden,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Understanding health, ageing and disease: determinants, risk factors and pathways (H2020-PHC-2014-two-stage, 2014)
Start date: 2015-05-01
End date: 2020-10-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5350598.75
EU funding (EUR): 5350598.75
Participants: 4
Project status: CLOSED

The main objective of GermAge is to understand the devastating decline in germ cell quality during aging, and thus to define the determinants, pathways and risk factors for age-dependent infertility, aneuploidy and inherited diseases. The aging population and the dramatically increasing age of parenthood are associated with grave medical problems, declining reproductive health, and severe consequences for the socio-economic well-being of our societies. These proboems will impact the demographic structure and societal welfare in the European population. Thus the urgent need to understand the biological basis and to identify risk factors and pathways of the steep age-dependent decline in female and male germ cell quality. GermAge will address mostly the aging female gametogenesis known to be most severely affected by aging, but also the important contribution of aging male germ cells to age-related fertility and inheritance problems. The decay of key chromosome proteins such as cohesins, the failure of quality control mechanisms such as the spindle assembly checkpoint, and the mutation load in aging spermatogonial stem cells are among the highly synergetic research topics of GermAge. Mouse and human germ cells will be analyzed by high-end and innovative techniques. The expected insights will eventually lead to much improved diagnostics in various reproductive medicine procedures such as quality control of germ cells frozen for delayed in vitro fertilization, development of new biomarkers for oocytes, risk assessment for inherited diseases including aneuploidie in carriers of specific mutations, and prognosis based on individualized genomics on age-related quality decline of oocytes and spermatocytes. We also expect that our findings will raise awareness of the risks associated with postponing parenthood, leading to a much-needed prioritization on the public health agenda.

Keywords: germ cell aging risk factors,reproductive health decline,age dependent aneuploidy,aging sperm mutation load,late parenthood,meiosis errors,aging oocyte failures,cohesin,chromosomes,checkpoints
Laser bonding of linear edged super-abrasive blades (LESA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, and Biotechnology
Theme: Nanotechnologies
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Accelerating the uptake of nanotechnologies, advanced materials or advanced manufacturing and processing technologies by SMEs (H2020-SMEINST-1-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2015-07-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

C4 Carbides of Cambridge (UK) are a manufacturer and supplier of linear edge abrasive blades to many of the world’s biggest brand names in power tool accessories, and industrial cutting and machining equipment. We have identified laser metal deposition (LMD) - additive manufacturing techniques – as a revolutionary new way to manufacture profiled super-abrasive coated linear edge blades. This has the potential to create a new product category across both the power tool accessories market and the machining and fabrication industry. Currently, most linear edge blades have teeth, formed by machining bimetal strip or by welding solid tungsten carbide pieces to steel strip then grinding them to shape. When they are used to cut many modern composite materials, toothed blades blunt very quickly. An alternative is ‘abrasive blades’ which have bonded tungsten carbide grit to steel strip or electroplated diamond blades; while these are available, they are expensive and have limited life due to insufficient bond strength. C4 Carbides has been developing techniques to improve these blades using a braze to bond diamond and cBN grit to steel. This improves the performance of the cutting edge but requires the entire assembly to be heated, reducing the backing strip life by up to 40% - which makes it only a niche product. We believe that using LMD would allow finished and polished backing material to be coated and heated on the top surface to depth of less than 0.3 mm; achieving the required strength and flexibility and using 75% less energy in manufacture. Furthermore, using this method will open up a large range of variable and complex tool geometries to be cost-effectively fabricated. The ultimate aim of the project is to scope and develop an automated production facility using LMD. The initial expectation is to supply 10% of the $2bn blade market through C4’s global sales network, though it is envisaged that all blades will eventually be made using this technology.

Keywords: laser brazing,welding,super abrasives,laser metal deposition,additive manufacturing