Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Bridging fundamental knowledge and novel technology to increase rice heat tolerance (CRISPit)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Staff Exchanges
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Portugal,Italy,France,Japan,Canada,Australia,United States,Viet Nam,Chile
Call: MSCA Staff Exchanges 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-SE-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 590771.43
EU funding (EUR): 588800.0
Participants: 14
Project status: SIGNED

Seeds are the link between the end of the reproductive cycle of adult plants and the establishment of their next generation. Seeds are the means through which plants can adapt to climatic changes. Feeding the ever-growing population is a major challenge, especially in light of rapidly changing climate conditions. Genome editing is set to transform plant breeding and help secure the global food supply. Advances in genome editing technologies provide new opportunities for crop improvement by employing precision genome engineering for targeted crop traits. This proposal, which addresses critical stages of the reproductive development, integrates several approaches to comprehensively investigate sexual reproduction in Rice under heat stress (HS) conditions with the aim of using the novel knowledge generated to improve rice production. The model plant system Arabidopsis thaliana, will be used as proof of concept, to generate quick knowledge that can be readily translated into concrete outcomes in rice, specie of high importance to the European agricultural sector. CRISPit main goal is to understand the mechanisms that regulate heat stress tolerance during the reproductive process in rice. CRISPit will provide answers to the following questions: how plant reproductive cells and tissues are affected by heat stress? What are the molecular mechanisms underlying rice plants resilience to HS during reproduction? To answer these, CRISPit proposes to achieve three main objectives: 1) Define HS features and marker genes in Nagina22 rice variety, 2) Generate a new transcriptomic dataset 3) Obtain and fully characterize mutants from the chosen genes in order to deliver rice HS lines produced by CRISPR technology.

Keywords: heat stress,rice,arabidopsis,sexual plant reproduction
Caucasus and Central Asia Research on Social Innovation: Development Assistance, Innovation and Societal Transformation (CARSI)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Staff Exchanges
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Ireland,Latvia,Türkiye,Mongolia,Uzbekistan,Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan,Azerbaijan,Tajikistan,Georgia,Ukraine,Portugal,Czechia,Sweden,Estonia
Call: MSCA Staff Exchanges 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-SE-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-03-01
End date: 2027-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1662571.43
EU funding (EUR): 1619200.0
Participants: 16
Project status: SIGNED

Development assistance to the Caucasus and Central Asian regions has grown significantly. Not only do these regions attract international attention for some of the largest world reservoirs of natural resources, but they are also considered fertile markets for their proximity and links to Europe. What possibly distinguishes the EU’s approach from others (i.e. China, India, US) is its interest not only in technical innovation and local market shares but also the regions’ social and human development. This is a major tendency with the EC that has been addressed already as early as 2014, when development strategies started emphasising the importance of taking into account social impacts in its overall development approach. In spite of this declarative intentions by local governments, but even by EU agencies, to introduce social innovation in development and assistance have not been followed through by clear and precise instructions on how to do this. This is visible both at the international and local levels and may be due to: 1) the fact that although a framework for EU-Caucasus-Central Asia relations has significantly advanced, production of specialists and intelligence regarding the regions has not followed accordingly; 2) only a limited amount of intelligence on the region is available. As a response, CARSI is a training and research programme bringing together 16 leading institutions across two continents with a major focus on the Caucasus and Central Asia to train fellows through secondment and eventually produce new empirical evidence on the region. By processing first-hand data and thus identifying the gap between declarative approaches and reality with regards to social innovation CARSI teams will define new relationships between global social innovation approaches and social theory while working to translate research findings into policy recommendations

Keywords: central asia,development,international cooperation
Unveiling massive stellar clusters as cosmic ray accelerators (MeerSHOCKS)

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: Physics
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 187624.32
EU funding (EUR): 187624.32
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The origin of Galactic cosmic rays is a persistent and fundamental open question in modern astrophysics. Gamma-ray observations have in the past five years suggested young massive stellar clusters as prominent cosmic ray accelerators but remain unable to provide smoking gun evidence for this scenario. Specifically, the exact sites, acceleration physics, and power sources of cosmic ray production in such clusters are unknown and unquantified. Building on revolutionary developments in radio telescope capabilities to overcome these limitations, I will explore novel MeerKAT and Australian Square Kilometre Array Precursor observations to, for the first time: (i) directly locate the shock sites of cosmic ray acceleration in three massive clusters; (ii) measure the microphysical properties of the acceleration process using stellar bow shocks as pristine, isolated testbeds; and (iii) obtain the most complete measurements of the power reservoir in massive star winds in these clusters. This three-step approach will confirm young massive stellar clusters as cosmic ray accelerators, reveal the exact acceleration scenario for the first time, measure currently unconstrained but essential physical properties for cluster modelling (large scale and local magnetic fields, acceleration efficiencies, cumulative stellar wind power), and lay the foundation for synergies between planned future radio and gamma-ray telescopes. I will openly distribute all analysed radio images and analysis tools developed in this Action to facilitate open science and maximize their impact as a training tool for the astrophysical community. I will furthermore develop an interactive high-school engagement module based on the analysed MeerKAT data. Performing this work at the UvA, I will simultaneously acquire the research, management, and supervision training that will complete my transition into a fully rounded research group leader.

Keywords: massive stars
NExt generation high poWer fuel cells for airBORNe applications (NEWBORN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Clean Aviation
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: CLEAN-AVIATION (JU-JTI)
Countries involved: Czechia,Belgium,Germany,Italy,United Kingdom,Slovenia,Sweden,France,Spain,Austria,Poland
Call: Multi-MW Fuel Cell Propulsion System for Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft (HORIZON-JU-Clean-Aviation-2022-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2026-06-30
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 43976765.54
EU funding (EUR): 33323824.24
Participants: 23
Project status: SIGNED

NEWBORN focuses on realistic and commercially viable project outcomes significantly exceeding the Call topic Expected Outcomes. This is the only path to bring a real impact, well beyond paperwork and test rigs. With this in mind, the project applies the steppingstone principle and intends to bring aviation graded fuel cells into the market as soon as safely possible. This will generate operational data to support certification on CS-25 aircraft. It will further provide vital acceptance gap mitigation in the conservative air transport environment. The 18 multi-disciplinary partners, including 3 non-traditional aerospace partners and 2 SMEs, will work on 28 key enabling technologies. They will be matured and optimized to support an EIS of CS-23 aircraft by 2030 and regional aircraft by 2035. The ambition of the project is to achieve an overall propulsion system efficiency of 50% by 2026, calculated as a ratio of energy on the propeller shaft to the hydrogen lower heating value. This ambition greatly surpasses the expected outcome of the HPA-02 Call. Similarly, by the end of 2025, the project will demonstrate widely scalable fuel cell power source technology with a power density of >1.2 kW/kg and stack power density of >5 kW/kg. Technologies will be adaptable to different maximum flight altitudes of ≤ FL250 and ≤FL450, and scalable down to ~250kW and reusable for secondary power in SMR flying altitudes by 2026. An innovative cryogenic tank concept will be integrated, demonstrating a gravimetric index of 35% for the CS-23 aircraft and scalable up to 50% for regional aircraft. The project will also address high power density high voltage energy conversion, propulsion systems, and the next generation microtube heat exchangers, along with an accurate digital twin of the overall system. All together, NEWBORN will develop a technology demonstrator prepared for flight demonstration in Clean Aviation Phase 2.

Keywords: fuel cell,pem,propulsion,cryogenic,load bearing,lh2 storage,modular,scalable,regional,commuter,miniliner,secondary power,break through
Atomic Scale Quantum Sensing and Information with Molecular Nanostructures on a Scanning Probe Tip (QuSINT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Condensed Matter Physics
Panel description: Structure, electronic properties, fluids, nanosciences, biological physics
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1461424.0
EU funding (EUR): 1461424.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The ability to measure – at the atomic scale – quantum states and their interactions, as well as fundamental observables such as magnetic and electric fields, and to freely entangle and teleport quantum mechanical states at this length scale is the dream of nanoscale quantum technology. Yet this vision comes with the daunting challenge of combining ultimate quantum sensitivity with atomic resolution in a mobile quantum sensing and information device – so far elusive for solid-state quantum systems. QuSINT will turn this dream into reality. This breakthrough will rely on a single electron spin being turned into a quantum mechanical two-level system in a magnetic field. Crucially, this quintessential quantum mechanical two-level system will be brought to the tip of a scanning probe microscope, to form a fully integrated and mobile spin-qubit sensor capable of sensing static and time-dependent magnetic fields on the atomic scale with single-spin sensitivity. Core of the spin-qubit sensor is a single, well-isolated electron in an open-shell molecular nanostructure. It will be fabricated in situ from single atoms and molecules on surfaces by atomic manipulation, and coherently controlled by electron spin resonance. QuSINT will foster “quantum leaps” in solid-state quantum technology and its many applications. For example, it will allow the ultra-precise characterization of quantum materials at the atomic scale, transform the diagnostics of nanoelectronic devices and multi-qubit systems, and enable the analog quantum simulation of so far intractable many-body systems. In quantum computing and cryptography, it can also be used for quantum state tomography, and as a transport bus to entangle remote stationary qubits and teleport information, paving the way for atomic-scale solid-state quantum computing with spin qubits on surfaces. Combining quantum sensitivity with atomic resolution, QuSINT will unleash the quantumness of condensed matter at the most fundamental level.

Keywords: quantum sensing on atomic scale quantum simulation on surfaces scanning probe microscopy,mobile spin qubit sensor sensing static and time dependent magnetic fields entanglement of remote stationary qubits on surfaces
Discovering and Analyzing Visual Structures (DISCOVER)

Framework: Horizon Europe — 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: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2028-05-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1493498.75
EU funding (EUR): 1493498.75
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The goal of this project is to shift the dominant paradigm of learning-based computer vision: instead of systems attempting to replace human interpretation by providing predictions, we will develop approaches to assist experts in identifying and analyzing patterns. Indeed, while the success of deep learning on visual data is undeniable, applications are often limited to the supervised learning scenario where the algorithm tries to infer a label for a new image based on the annotations made by experts in a reference dataset. In contrast, we will take as input images without any annotation, automatically identify consistent patterns and model their variation and evolution, so that an expert can more easily analyze them. I will introduce and develop the concept of visual structures. Their key features will be their interpretability, in terms of correspondences, deformations, or properties of the observed images, and their ability to incorporate prior knowledge about the data and expert feedback. I propose two complementary approaches to formally define and identify visual structures: one based on analyzing correspondences, the other on learning interpretable image models. We will develop visual structures in two domains in which breakthrough progress will open up new scientific discoveries: historical documents and Earth imagery. For example, from temporal series of multispectral Earth images, we will identify types of moving objects, areas with different types of vegetation or constructions, and model the evolution of their characteristics, which may correspond to changes in their activity or life cycle. Ultimately, experts will still be needed to select relevant visual structures and perform analysis, but DISCOVER will revolutionize their work, trivializing tedious annotation tasks and even allowing them to work on issues they would have been hard-pressed to identify in the raw data.

Keywords: unsupervised learning deep learning object discovery application to historical documents application to earth observations
Temporal processing in Drosophila melanogaster (TEMPRODROME)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting 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 – In humans and all other organisms
Countries involved: Austria
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1294994.0
EU funding (EUR): 1294994.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

All information processing in nervous systems relies on spatial and temporal patterns of neural activity. While spatial patterns are dictated by neuroanatomy, the mechanisms that give rise to temporal activity patterns are diverse. They range from fast voltage dynamics of single neurons at one end of the spectrum to slow transcriptional and structural changes at the other, but the rules that shape signals at timescales in between milliseconds and minutes are poorly understood. The proposed research aims to uncover mechanisms of temporal information processing at these intermediate timescales, at which temporal patterns are thought to emerge from recurrently connected circuits. Detailed insight into the function of these circuits has been limited by the large number of circuit elements, by the lack of knowledge about their connectivity, and by the impracticability of recording from all circuit elements under naturalistic conditions. In Drosophila melanogaster, these limitations no longer apply. The comparatively low number of neurons, their well-mapped connectivity, and our ability to record and control their activities make mechanistic concepts testable. We will focus on three processes in the brain of Drosophila that unfold over three timescales ranging from milliseconds to minutes: 1) temporal filtering in the motion vision system, 2) sequential sampling of motion information in the lead-up to a perceptual judgement, and 3) temporal integration of distance during locomotion. Patch clamp experiments in the smallest of invertebrate neurons in vivo will allow us to record activity at the highest temporal resolution. We will combine this technique with behavioural, genetic, and imaging experiments to test the roles of individual neurons, their biophysical properties, and their synaptic connections in processing signals at intermediate timescales. The proposed experiments will further our understanding of motion vision, perceptual decision-making, and path integration.

Keywords: drosophila,motion vision,synapse,temporal processing,path integration
LOCALITY - Nature-positive aLgae-based fOod, agriCulture, AquacuLture and textIle producTs made in North and Baltic Sea ecosYstems (LOCALITY)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Mission
Theme: Ocean, seas and waters
Destination: Ocean, seas and waters
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Norway,Netherlands,Portugal,Spain,France,Germany,Estonia,Belgium,Slovenia,Lithuania,Poland,Sweden,Denmark,Finland
Call: Lighthouse in the Baltic and the North Sea basins – bringing sustainable algae-based products and solutions to the market (HORIZON-MISS-2022-OCEAN-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2027-05-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9819477.5
EU funding (EUR): 8499975.01
Participants: 28
Project status: SIGNED

LOCALITY will implement local, innovative, and sustainable value chains, supporting the interaction of the algae value chain actors with relevant waste stream producing industries. Three regional ecosystems will be strategically developed in key regions considering strong and active business on which circularity and sustainability will be improved by the reutilization of wasted nutrients for algae cultivation. These ecosystems will be positioned in the Baltic and North Sea bordering countries but multi-perspectively supported by other R&D and industrial experienced partners in sustainable algae production. The biomass will be processed using a biorefinery approach and raw and treated ingredients applied in the food, aquafeed, agriculture, and textile markets. An integrative methodology involving R&D partners, industry, and SMEs will work in each market sector to develop innovative and sustainable algae-based products. The consumer readiness for the designed products will be assessed, and significant constraints and legal barriers will be identified. Those will be evaluated and integrated into the business model to prepare a successful market implementation and exploitation of the developed products. A dissemination and communication plan for maximum outreach to all relevant stakeholders will be implemented. The designed products will gain a strong position in the European marketplace in the coming years.
Hierarchical Enzyme Reactors for Out-of-equilibrium CO2 capture and fixation (HEROCO2)

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: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain,Portugal
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 194074.56
EU funding (EUR): 194074.56
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies are considered crucial for reaching carbon neutrality. Biocatalysis could offer sustainable alternatives to utilize emitted CO2 as building block for green industrial processes. However, CO2 low solubility in aqueous media and high stability result in low substrate availability for the enzymes and in thermodynamic limitations. In this project we propose to address two challenging CO2 biotransformations: i) the reduction to methanol; ii) the carboxylation of methional to 4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoate (MOTB), that can be further aminated to give the L-methionine amino acid. However, only high CO2 concentration can lead to high product yield and overcoming thermodynamic limitations. The purpose of the HEROCO2 project is to overcome these limitations through the design of hierarchical porous heterogeneous biocatalysts. The final material will be obtained by the assembly of microporous nanostructured sorbents, deputed to generate reservoirs of CO2 surrounding a macroporous material acting as carrier for the enzyme cascades. CO2 controlled desorption from the micropores is expected to keep high local CO2 concentrations within the macropores where the enzymes are immobilised, allowing out-of-equilibrium reactions under atmospheric pressure conditions. The selected cascades will be immobilized together with the corresponding cofactors, resulting in self-sufficient biocatalysts. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) will be selected as green solvents since they combine high CO2 solubility with the preservation of enzyme activity. The two biocatalytic pathways will be finally tested in continuous flow reactors. This project could inaugurate new sustainable technological routes for carbon capture and utilization, addressing significant environmental challenges and advancing the field of biocatalysis towards carbon-negative processes by introducing innovative approaches never explored before.

Keywords: enzyme immobilization carbon capture and bio utilization hierarchical materials deep eutectic solvents continuous flow reactors self sufficient biocatalyst biocatalysis