Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Monitoring real faults towards their critical state (MONIFAULTS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Earth system science
Panel description: Physical geography, geology, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, climatology, cryology, ecology, global environmental change, biogeochemical cycles, natural resources management
Countries involved: Italy,France,France
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2018-STG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1393174.0
EU funding (EUR): 32629.56
Participants: 5
Project status: SIGNED

The last seismic sequence in Italy, responsible for 298 fatalities and important economic loss, remind us how urgent it is to improve our knowledge about earthquake physics to advance earthquake forecasting. While direct observations during laboratory earthquakes permit us to derive exhaustive physical models describing the behaviour of rocks and to forecast incoming lab-earthquakes, the complex physics governing the nucleation of earthquakes remain poorly understood in real Earth, and so does our ability to forecast earthquakes. I posit that this ‘ignorance’ emerges from our limited ability to unravel information about fault physics from geophysical data.The objective of this proposal is to introduce a new and integrated methodology to monitor the spatiotemporal evolution of elastic properties on real faults using seismological and geodetic data. We will apply machine learning and covariance matrix factorization for improved earthquake detection, and to discover ‘anomalous’ seismological signals, which will reveal unknown physical processes on faults. These novel observations will be integrated with time dependent measurements of rheology and deformation, obtained from cutting-edge techniques applied to continuous seismological and geodetic data. Our integrated monitoring approach will be applied to study how faults respond to known stress perturbations (as Earth tides). In parallel, we will analyse periods preceding significant earthquakes to assess how elastic properties and deformation evolve while a fault is approaching a critical (near rupture) state. Our natural laboratory will be Italy, given its excellent geodetic and seismological instrumentation, deep knowledge about faults geometry and the relevant risk posed by earthquakes. Our research will provide new insights about the complex physics of faults at critical state, necessary to understand how real earthquakes nucleate. This project will also have a major impact on observational earthquake forecast.

Keywords: earthquakes forecasting
Exploiting light and material interaction (lightMaterInt)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Computer science and informatics
Panel description: Informatics and information systems, computer science, scientific computing, intelligent systems
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2014-STG, 2014)
Start date: 2015-12-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 85.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999825.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999825.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

The interaction between light and material leads to beautiful visual phenomena that greatly enrich our perception of the world. The ability to measure and model light scattering is central to almost any field of science. However, light transport in rich scenes is a complex process involving a long sequence of scattering events. Computationally modeling, reproducing and acquiring the processes generated so easily by Mother Nature is an extremely challenging task. While several computational models have been proposed, they are all making various simplifying assumptions that cannot capture the full complexity of light transport processes in nature. In the proposed research, we suggest new measurement strategies and new inference algorithms that will allow us to infer more information on light and material interaction. Specifically, the research will focus on the following tasks: (i) Acquiring internal sub-scattering, and recovering the volumetric structure of partially translucent objects using transient imaging data; (ii) Acquiring external illumination from its reflection on diffused objects; (iii) Exploiting illumination for developing digital light sensitive displays, capable of presenting 3D scenes with spatially varying reflectance properties. As light scattering is such a fundamental phenomenon, our envisioned new tools have applications in almost any field of science, from astronomy to microscopy, and in medicine. We plan to push the bound on the penetration depth of medical imaging devices, and allow chemists to infer more information on material decomposition through scattering. In earth science we can infer aerosol density from the scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere and ocean, a central challenge in any study of climate and pollution. In addition, we will pursue new technological developments such as light sensitive displays, offering a novel form of immersive visual experience, and new technologies of coded security cameras.

Keywords: computational photography,subsurface scattering acquisition,light sensitive displays
Beta-lactams for Tuberculosis Treatment (BLMs 4 TB)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Society and Enterprise panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2018-04-01
End date: 2020-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 170121.6
EU funding (EUR): 170121.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most deadly infectious disease worldwide. TB therapy takes 6 months with unpleasant side effects that leads to poor adherence and the development of drug resistance. Patients infected with multi (MDR) or extensively (XDR) drug resistant strains must undergo longer treatments (up to 24 months) associated with even severe side effects and only 30-50% positive treatment outcomes. New treatments are urgently needed. Beta-lactams (BLMs) are the safest antibiotics in the market with a long track record of clinical use to treat bacterial infections. They were, however, traditionally regarded as ineffective for TB therapy to the point that research was virtually discontinued for the last three decades. A renewed interest recently arose after a report of Phase IIa clinical trial validated the potential of meropenem (a carbapenem). This study was led by Dr. Barros, Head TB unit GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (the beneficiary of this proposal). In addition, Dr. Ramón-García (the applicant) just identified first-generation cephalosporins (cephems), a subset of the BLM family never pursued for TB therapy, as potential anti-TB agents. Promoting BLM development is the best immediate hope for TB patients that currently have very dim life prospects. Carbapenems and cephems have different anti-bacterial killing properties, pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) parameters. These specificities affect therapy design for an optimal clinical outcome. Although promising, it is still unclear how BLMs should be included in new combo therapies (i.e. dosage, duration and frequency of administration) to shorten the duration of TB therapy, prevent relapse and treat M(X)DR-TB. To answer these questions, I will use time-lapse microscopy linked to mathematical PK/PD modeling, transcriptomic and proteomic studies and clinical microbiology techniques to provide high quality molecular and PK/PD pre-clinical data to inform the design of future BLM TB clinical trials.

Keywords: tuberculosis,pd modelling,beta lactams,drug repurposing,preclinical development,time lapse microscopy,synergy,transcriptomics,proteomics,in vivo models of infection
SmartRAIN: an IoT-based solution for real time rain mapping (SmartRAIN)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Italy
Call: New business models for inclusive, innovative and reflective societies (H2020-SMEINST-1-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2016-06-01
End date: 2016-11-30
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

SmartRAIN is our patented image-processing technology for measuring rainfall intensity from images shot during rain events. It is the core of an integrated IoT system which transforms imaging devices, like surveillance IP cameras (SmartRAIN Nodes) and smartphones (SmartRAIN Sentinels), into “eyes” for seeing, gauging and communicating rain intensity in real-time. SmartRAIN Nodes are non-dedicated, existing video cameras, typically owned by public agencies. A plugin developed by WaterView for the cameras of the main manufacturers is installed on the devices, giving them the pre-processing functionalities and connecting them to the cloud-based engine of SmartRAIN. SmartRAIN Sentinel is a mobile app which involves citizens in rainstorm sensing by simply sharing photos shot with their devices. The app also provides personalized alerts via push notifications, based on the current position of the user and the flow of real time rain data coming from other Sentinels, Nodes and traditional rain gauging systems. A balanced mix of Sentinels and Nodes provides our customers (public bodies in charge of civil protection duties, entities that own or manage transport infrastructures, agencies that own or manage rain gauging networks, managers of urban drainage systems, etc.) with a real-time rain gauging service which achieves spatial resolutions up to ten times greater than traditional rain gauging networks, at a comparable cost. Increasing the density of traditional rain gauging networks would importantly enhance the quality of real-time representations of rain events; feed forecasting models with better data; enable the implementation of optimal stormwater management strategies; improve the safety of urban and transport infrastructures; reduce the costs of unmanaged events. The project aims at outlining the technical features of SmartRAIN and defining effective marketing strategies, based on the outcomes of market surveys and customer/user analyses.

Keywords: open rain maps,crowdsourcing,weather data
Affordable Hyperspectral Imaging System for on-line foreign body detection and chemical composition analysis (HYPERA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy
Theme: Sustainable agriculture and forestry
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for sustainable and competitive agriculture, forestry, agri-food and bio-based sectors (H2020-SMEINST-2-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2016-07-01
End date: 2018-11-30
Duration (months): 29.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1651750.0
EU funding (EUR): 1156225.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In response to growing industry demand for rapid, non-destructive techniques for foreign body detection and identification in food products, IRIS (an advanced engineering company from Spain that specialises in the integration of real-time monitoring solutions in the industry) will accelerate the development of an affordable, rapid and accurate hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system for the on-line detection of foreign bodies and chemical composition analysis in modern food processing plants. The HYPERA® system is based on a novel and disruptive combination of Shortwave Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging (SWIR-HSI) in reflectance with Near Infrared Multispectral Imaging (NIR-MSI) in reflectance/transmittance and chemometric software. HYPERA offers outstanding performance for the detection of foreign bodies in foodstuffs by enabling: a) penetration (enabled by the NIR); b) composition differentiation (enabled by the SWIR); and c) resolving the image distortion caused by scattering (enabled by the chemometrics); d) compact and low-cost design (enabled by the extended infrared spectral bands to obtain more chemical information from the sample using novel detectors), e) high inspection speeds and versatility (enabled by combining a flexible hyperspectral imager design with integrated chemometric tools). The HYPERA® system, which will be suitable for multiple application purposes and object, will equip food processors to prevent contaminated food entering the supply chain, thereby protecting the brands as well as the consumer.

Keywords: food processing,foreign body detection,chemical composition analysis,food safety,brand protection,real time monitoring,non destructive technique,hyperspectral imaging,chemometrics
Selfish Genome Exclusion under Hybridogenesis (SEXY)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-12-01
End date: 2023-11-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191149.44
EU funding (EUR): 191149.44
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Selfish genetic elements increase their transmission at the expense of others. The ultimate reasons for their increased transmission are generally well understood. However, the molecular mechanisms driving their transmission above the Mendelian 50/50 ratio are poorly understood, especially in the case of selective exclusion of entire haploid genomes. A prime example for genome exclusion is hybridogenesis: some F1 hybrid species clonally transmit one of their haploid genomes (the selfish one) by selectively eliminating the other (the so-called ‘host genome’) during gamete formation. Here, I propose to use Bacillus stick insects to elucidate the molecular innovations that enable genome exclusion and lead to the evolution of hybridogenesis in Bacillus. The Bacillus system is uniquely suited for the proposed research as it is possible to introgress genome-eliminating elements into the genetic background of a ‘normal’ sexual species. This enables identification of genomic regions associated with genome exclusion by targeted genotyping. The project will answer three key questions: I) Bacillus comprises at least two hybridogenetic species that use different host genomes: how did host genome exclusion originate (independent origin vs host switch)? II) what is the genomic basis of genome exclusion?, and III) are cytoplasmic (maternally derived) components involved in genome exclusion? The methodological repertoire will comprise haplome phasing and phylogenomics using long-read data, experimental introgression and genetic mapping, and an experimental cytoplasm switch. By combining the methodology of different disciplines we will generate a cohesive understanding of the mechanistic basis of genome exclusion in a new model organism. The project addresses general hypotheses and will serve as a blueprint for genome exclusion studies with applicative potential in medicine and agriculture.

Keywords: genome exclusion,selfish genes,hybridogenesis,sexual parasitism,reproductive systems
Health-benefit understanding of mercury-selenium interactions from fish to human (MERFISH)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Research and innovation staff exchange
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain,Norway,Slovenia,Mauritius,France,France,Brazil,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-02-01
End date: 2026-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 395600.0
EU funding (EUR): 289800.0
Participants: 10
Project status: SIGNED

MERFISH brings together international experts from a wide array of interdisciplinary research areas (analytical chemistry, fish nutrition, environmental science, communication, toxicology & aquaculture) from industry and academia from EU, Brazil and Mauritius, with a long-term goal of furthering the understanding of the source, transport, fate and effects of mercury from fish to humans and the detoxification role of selenium. MERFISH surges from a global demand, directly related to mercury, one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern identified by the World Health Organization. However, mercury metabolic pathways in biota still remain poorly understood. Its understanding is crucial to elucidate its (eco)toxic effect and to identify important drivers of the mercury biogeochemical cycle. Fish and seafood consumption is the principal human exposure source to (toxic) methymercury. EU food safety authorities (such as EFSA), and well-known US and United Nation environmental and food organizations (such as USEPA and FAO) clearly advise about avoiding certain fish species for vulnerable populations (including pregnant women and young children) depending on their methymercury concentrations. Mercury binding with proteins has been identified as a potential cause for toxicity and the role of selenium as antagonist for mercury toxicity has been identified but not well understood. MERFISH is based on the development of novel analytical approaches to gather new knowledge about mercury and selenium mechanisms in fish and humans. The project will be a critical contribution to establishing more realistic scenarios to estimate human health risk and benefits, but also to better capture the economic impacts on commercial fisheries. MERSFISH will build a lasting research network to answer emerging challenges in analytical chemistry, food safety, trophic transfer, fish nutrition and environmental and human health related to the global mercury issue.

Keywords: mercury,selenium,stable isotopes,speciation
Microbial networks for PAC cycling in polluted soils (NETPAC)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Spain,United States
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-06-16
End date: 2018-07-13
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 239191.2
EU funding (EUR): 239191.2
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major soil pollutants causing special concern due to their high recalcitrance and (geno)toxicity. Despite the extensive knowledge gathered on microbial PAH degradation, current biorestoration technologies are still not sufficiently effective to decontaminate contaminated soils. One of the main characteristics that constrain PAH biodegradability in the environment is their low bioavailability for natural microbial communities, and the concomitant limited degradation rates. In addition, at PAH-polluted sites, other toxicologically relevant polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), such as oxygenated PAHs (oxy-PAHs) and nitrogen heterocyclic PAHs (N-PAHs), are generally present, their fate and, in the case of oxy-PAHs, formation being normally neglected. As a result, the success of bioremediation and its ecotoxicological assessment are often limited. NETPAC aims to identify the microbial communities and functions relevant for PAC biodegradation, and their adaptations to low bioavailability conditions, to further exploit them in novel and more sustainable approaches for biologically mediated restoration of PAH-impacted soils. Molecular microbial ecology and analytical chemistry methods in combination with stable isotope tracers will allow a systems biology insight into the complex microbial metabolic networks dealing with PAH-biodegradation and bioavailability in situ, by integrating genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics data. Diagnostic tools will be developed and applied to monitor a lab-scale Green remediation approach based on enhanced natural attenuation, and to identify the natural microbial adaptations to promote the degradation of the expected low bioavailability residue. Understanding these processes will provide us with tools to assess biodegradation occurrence and, as a final outcome, predict the success of bioremediation thus reducing its uncertainties, one of the main drawbacks of this technology.

Keywords: biodegradation,polycyclic aromatic compounds,stable isotope probing,microbial ecology,bioavailability,microbial networks,high throughput sequencing
Genome maintenance and evolution (GENMAINEVO)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Reintegration panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Portugal
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-05-01
End date: 2023-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 147815.04
EU funding (EUR): 147815.04
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Genome maintenance describes a subset of conserved cellular processes responsible for the faithful propagation of genomes across cell divisions. Defects in genome maintenance have been associated with several medical disorders such as cancer, aging and developmental defects. Recently we showed how perturbations in DNA replication, one of the most conserved processes in genome maintenance, induce an evolutionary process that leads to the sequential and concerted accumulation of adaptive mutations that increase the cellular fitness in response to replication stress. To what extent this fast-evolutionary rescue applies to other defects in genome maintenance, and what evolutionary trajectories are responsible for adaptation under different cellular stresses remain unexplored questions. Furthermore, while adaptive mutations rewire genetic networks to achieve increased fitness, their pleiotropic effect on cell biology is unknown. Here I propose a plan to comprehensively investigate these questions by taking advantage of a multi-disciplinary methodology using the budding yeast S. cerevisiae as a eukaryotic model organism. Experimental evolution of cells perturbed in several aspects of genome maintenance will be combined with computational and quantitative approaches to study their evolutionary adaptation in response to the different initial perturbations. Molecular genetics and cell biology techniques will be then used to investigate the consequence of these adaptations to cell’s sensitivity to genotoxic agents, a phenotype directly relevant for the treatment of medical-relevant diseases including cancer and infection diseases. The knowledge generated by the proposed research project will reveal important aspects of how cells adapt to genetic perturbations, with implications for both medical therapies and evolutionary cell biology at large.

Keywords: experimental evolution,s cerevisiae,drug resistance