Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Exploring the therapeutic potential of perinatal cell SECRETomes (SECRET)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Doctoral Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Italy,Netherlands,Germany,Belgium,Portugal,Switzerland
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-DN-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2703395.31
EU funding (EUR): 2585808.0
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

Over the past two decades, cells isolated from human perinatal (or birth-associated) tissues (amniotic membrane, umbilical cord tissue and cells from amniotic fluid), have been shown to provide tremendous pro-regenerative activities. Amongst others, the application of these cells or of components of their secretome, including extracellular vesicles (EVs), have been found to improve myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in various animal models. Currently, cell-free therapies represent a frontier for innovation in regenerative medicine for clinical unmet needs, however, very few scientists are trained for their clinical translation. “Exploring the therapeutic potential of perinatal cell SECRETomes - SECRET” sets out with the ambition to train 10 doctoral candidates (DCs) to disentangle the inherent therapeutic potential of perinatal cell secretomes (either as a whole or as fractionated small EVs) in order to possibile translate novel biologics into the clinic. Their specific focus will be the characterisation, the delivery and the preclinical evaluation of these perinatal secretomes as an innovative therapeutic approaches for MI, IS and MS. To achieve this goal, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Prof. Ornella Parolini, Italy) unites internationally-renowned academic and non-academic institutions from Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Switzerland, to deliver an inter-disciplinary programme that goes beyond current state-of-the-art research in next generation medicinal product development and validation. These include the development and use of iPSC-derived organoids and organ-on-a-chip models to identify the most efficient perinatal cell secretome in terms of immunomodulation, angiogenesis, anti-fibrotic, cardio-protective and neuro-trophic properties, as well as the assessment of their in vivo cardiac reparative and neuro-regenerative potential using novel delivery methods.

Keywords: perinatal cells,secretome,extracellular vesicles,immunomodulation,organ on a chip,organoids,regenerative medicine,tissue repair,cardio protection,neuro regeneration,biomaterials
Fuel Cell Ionomers from Durable Aromatic Hydrocarbon Polymers of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIMIonFuelCell)

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: Germany,Japan
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-03-01
End date: 2028-02-29
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 290627.04
EU funding (EUR): 290627.04
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Vehicular transportation is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Hydrogen fuel cells, comprising of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) coated with catalyst layers (CLs) and sandwiched between gas diffusion layers, generate electrical energy with high efficiency and zero emission. The concern regarding a potential ban by the European Union on the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl-type ‘forever chemicals’ that are currently used as PEMs and CL ionomers prompts us to seek sustainable alternatives, such as aromatic hydrocarbons (AH). Significant progress has been made to use AHs as PEMs, due to their excellent thermal stability and eco-friendly synthesis. However, presently the specific adsorption of aromatic constituents on the noble metal catalyst and low gas permeability in the CL causes a performance penalty, thus aggravating the use of AHs as catalyst ionomer. The aim of this project is to address these issues by developing a new class of catalyst ionomers based on AH polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs). AH PIMs are expected to improve FC performance: as highly gas permeable ionomer in the CL, they facilitate chemical reactions and improve interfacial compatibility between CLs and PEM. Using chemically durable polyphenylenes as scaffold we propose to synthesize a range of AH PIMs with enhanced gas permeability and chemical durability (objective 1-2, University of Yamanashi). Catalyst ink formulations will be prepared and coated on both sides of best-in-class AH-based PEMs to obtain catalyst coated membranes (CCMs) with optimized morphology, electrochemical surface area, electrochemical activity and ionic conductivity (objective 3-4). Finally, the performance and durability of the novel CCMs will be evaluated in the single fuel cell at University of Freiburg (objective 5). This project will contribute to the increased market penetration of the fuel cell technology and to the realisation of a more sustainable society.

Keywords: catalyst ionomer develoment,material science
LUCERO BIO: Smart Optofluidic Isolation of Spheroids for Early-Stage Drug Discovery (LUCERO-BIO)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Transition
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: EIC Transition Open 2021 (HORIZON-EIC-2021-TRANSITIONOPEN-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2026-03-31
Duration (months): 39.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1298712.5
EU funding (EUR): 1298712.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Personalised medicine has become a key focus for the pharmaceutical industry as it can address global health challenges, such as strong variations of drug efficacy and toxicity linked to different patient subgroups. A major obstacle that pharmaceutical companies still face is the lack of enabling technologies to predict the effects of drug candidates in patients before entering clinical trials. In preclinical drug screening procedures, pharmaceutical companies demand that the technologies be selective in terms of detection and isolation of patient-derived 3D cell cultures while being scalable for high-throughput drug screening. Lucero fills this need by providing a novel cell-handling platform that combines microfluidics, optical tweezers and artificial intelligence. During our ERC PoC project, we developed an integrated benchtop device for in-vitro handling of single 3D cell cultures, in particular mini spheroids. Lucero will build on this achievement by expanding our prototype’s functionalities and adapting its design to automatically detect spheroid viability and fully automate their isolation, to match the drug screening workflow. By thoroughly testing the prototype’s performance and compatibility with our large European pharmaceutical partner on-site, we will mature our prototype to technological readiness level (TRL) 6. Based on their feedback we will increase our commercial readiness level (CRL) 6 and will be ready for the next acceleration phase. The intended result of this proposal is to introduce Lucero’s 3D cell-handling platform as an enabling tool for pharmaceutical companies to develop more effective “near-patient” treatments at a lower cost, as well as to establish Europe as a leader in precision healthcare.

Keywords: 3d cell culture,spheroid,neural network,metabolic profiling,in vitro toxicology,personalised medicine,drug discovery
JustWATER -- Water Decision Making tools for informed hydro politics in Italy (JustWATER)

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 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-10-01
End date: 2025-12-31
Duration (months): 27.0
Total project cost (EUR): 188590.08
EU funding (EUR): 188590.08
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Italy is the 1st European country to export crops irrigated from depleted groundwater sources. JustWATER will uncover exactly where in Italy export-led irrigation agriculture is exploiting the most vulnerable groundwaters and water-scarce areas, identifying bad virtual water GIS hotspots. JustWATER is a research aimed at providing Italian water experts and water decision-makers with a set of tools for informed actions in the realm of the hydro politics of the country. JustWATER connects irrigation patterns to crop-exports trends in Italy, producing GIS maps, graphic charts and socio-economic data to enhance water-related decision-making through virtual water analysis. The novelty of this research is the connection among sub-national levels of analysis (regional and district level) to global virtual water flows, exploring their social and environmental effects and paying attention to gender issues. Exploring the connection between irrigation trends and patterns of agricultural exports will lead to better understanding national water politics in Italy and can be replicated in other drought-prone EU countries.The researcher will get training and knowledge transfer, enhancing her employability and career prospects; the project will enhance the visibility of University of Bergamo in the forefront institutions that are active in both virtual water issues and water & gender enquiry, thanks to the gender-transformative tools enacted by the project. Interdisciplinary in nature, JustWATER will draw upon insights from Human Geography, Political Economy and Political Ecology. Introducing the sub-national scale of analysis constitutes a substantial theoretical innovation in the virtual water literature, which has so far concentrated on the global and national scale. JustWATER will provide policy-oriented tools and end-users data to serve citizen science and open science practices, allowing not only interoperability of research outputs, but also replicability in other countries.

Keywords: virtual water,water decision making under climate change,droughts
EPIC - ExPloring the ecohydrological Impacts of a changing Cryosphere in the Peruvian Andes (EPIC)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Austria
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2025-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 183600.96
EU funding (EUR): 183600.96
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Glacier runoff is vital for the downstream populations and ecosystems of the Peruvian Andes. However previous predictions of future runoff have failed to take account of the complexity of the glacier surface energy balance nor of future vegetation succession. Our project aims to provide a new, interdisciplinary understanding of the possible futures of the hydrology of the Cordillera Blanca, combining changes in climate, glaciers, hydrology and ecosystems, and disentangling their interactions. We will use the advanced ecohydrological model Tethys-Chloris, which takes a physically-based approach to representing glacier and catchment processes. We will determine both the key drivers of Peruvian glacier mass balance and the role of vegetation in altering the catchment water balance. Through ‘big-data’ remote sensing approaches we will identify the past changes in land cover and wetland area and how they have coincided with glacier recession. We will then assess the future of the region’s hydrology, including the changing climate, glacier evolution and scenarios of vegetation succession, to provide a holistic view of the controls on projected catchment runoff. The proposed fellow has a strong background in the glacier surface energy balance, remote sensing and glacier hydrology, but she will diversify her knowledge to encapsulate catchment modelling, ecological understanding and the use of large geospatial data archives. She will be supported by Dr Francesca Pellicciotti who is a world-class scientist specialising in the use of physically-based approaches to modelling high mountain catchments. This project will therefore not only provide unique insights into the future hydrology of the Peruvian Andes but will also provide a springboard for the fellow to become a truly interdisciplinary researcher working at the interface between glaciology, ecology and catchment hydrology.

Keywords: ecohydrology,peruvian glaciers,cordillera blanca,water resources,vegetation change,catchment water resources
Coacervate-Controlled Membrane Remodelling and Connecting of Synthetic Cells (PhaseShape)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Panel description: Analytical chemistry, chemical theory, physical chemistry/chemical physics
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-04-01
End date: 2030-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Membranes are crucial for the functioning of living cells. They enclose and protect the cell and organize the cellular machinery in subcompartments. Membrane proteins regulate the transport of molecules entering and exiting the cell, which is essential for homeostasis and energy production. However, transmembrane transport, shape regulation and division also present major challenges for creating synthetic cells and integrating synthetic and living cells. Without complex transport proteins, vesicle-based synthetic cells cannot take up nutrients, excrete waste or stay alive. Moreover, connecting synthetic cells into functional synthetic tissues capable of communication has proven difficult. Emerging evidence shows that, in living cells, biomolecular condensates are involved in a wide range of functional interactions with cellular membranes, leading to signalling, membrane repair, remodelling and exocytosis. This proposal aims to develop coacervate protocells with dynamically controlled properties that are capable of similar functional interactions in synthetic cells, and at the interface between synthetic and living cells. The coacervates proposed here have three vital functions: (1) supply nutrients and functional biomolecules via triggered delivery; (2) reshape and divide synthetic cells; and (3) connect cells into synthetic tissues with tunable communication and mechanical properties. Key to these coacervates is the ability to dynamically control their interaction with membranes, which we achieve via active (bio)chemical reactions that we develop. Controlling this unique coacervate-membrane interface will be a gamechanger for building viable synthetic cells and tissues, and synthetic/live cell hybrids by creating new opportunities for delivery, remodelling and signalling, and provide a fundamental understanding of condensate-membrane interactions in biology.

Keywords: synthetic cells coacervates liquid liquid phase separation systems chemistry
Gated Twisted 2D Superconductor Devices for Quantum Technologies (G-TScon2D) (G-TScon2D)

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: Ireland,Switzerland
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-09-14
End date: 2026-09-13
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 215534.4
EU funding (EUR): 215534.4
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

G-TScon2D delves into the exciting realm of superconducting (SC) twistronics, where the manipulation of the twist angle between the layers has opened up new avenues for investigating unconventional superconductivity, quantum transport, and emergent phenomena. A significant research gap exists in understanding and harnessing the unique properties of twisted 2D SC materials. G-TScon2D will bridge the scientific gap through a correlated experimental and simulation approach. Its technological advantage lies behind the inherent SC nature of the planned materials, which is expected to lead to higher operating temperature, a critical condition in quantum computing application. The primary objectives of G-TScon2D are to unravel the quantum phenomena and electronic states that arise from stacking and twisting SC layers at precise angles and to explore the SC-to-insulating switching properties by applying vertical gate field. G-TScon2D is a multidisciplinary project in nature and includes the development of 2D SC twisted device fabrication and carrier transport characterisation. G-TScon2D will benefit from close collaboration with a simulation team in the host, which will provide insight into the properties of twisted SC structures and the impact of gate field on those properties. Discoveries in 2D SC materials will accelerate the development of quantum technologies within the EU Quantum and Graphene flagships goal: “Turn Wonder into Action”. G-TScon2D contributes to expanding Europe’s leadership and excellence in this research area, to starting a competitive European industry in Quantum Technologies, and to making Europe a dynamic and attractive region for innovative research, business and investments in this field. This Fellowship will help me to improve my scientific, transferable, and leadership skills. Such skills will assist me in achieving my primary goal of becoming an independent research leader, and improving my employability in academia.

Keywords: van der waals heterostructures,twistronics,superconductivity,quantum technology,moir patterns
Spying on Ultrafast Structural Changes Through Three Sets of Eyes (123-CO)

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: Germany,United States
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2025-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 265647.84
EU funding (EUR): 265647.84
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Modern ultrafast laser technologies have initiated a 'femtosecond revolution' revolution in chemical physics, allowing the motion of nuclei within molecules to be visualised on the femtosecond (millionth of a billionth of a second) timescale. The insights from femtochemistry experiments allow detailed probing of the mechanics underpinning chemical reactions, and are therefore invaluable for fundamental investigations into molecular structure and reactivity. This proposal aims to advance understanding of how carbonyls, a key class of organic molecules found within the earth’s atmosphere (with important implications for understanding radiative forcing and climate change), react upon excitation by ultraviolet light, using state-of-the-art ultrafast experimental techniques. Whilst this crucial photochemistry has been studied by other techniques previously, a deep understanding of the complex electronic and nuclear dynamics which control the outcomes of the possible photoreactions is, so far, elusive. Throughout the grant, three different experimental techniques (ultrafast electron diffraction, ultrafast X-ray diffraction and Coulomb explosion imaging), each offering complementary structural information, will be exploited to gain an exquisitely detailed view of this important fundamental photochemistry. By studying a series of related carbonyl molecules, insights will be gained into the broad class of carbonyl molecules as a whole. Furthermore, the results will also assess the relative applicability of these experimental techniques (which have only been facilitated by recent technological advancements in the field of free-electron laser science) to probing complex molecular photochemistry on the shortest timescales. Consequently, the results will be of wide-reaching impact both in the fields of atmospheric science and within the ever-growing multi-disciplinary community which utilizes modern free-electron lasers to record so-called 'molecular movies'.

Keywords: xfels,diffractive imaging,coulomb explosion imaging
Formation and Evolution of Exocometary Discs (FEED)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Universe Sciences
Panel description: Astro -physics/ -chemistry/ -biology; solar system; planetary systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy; cosmology; space sciences; astronomical instrumentation and data
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2030-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499321.25
EU funding (EUR): 1499321.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The last two decades of exoplanet discoveries have revolutionised our view of planetary systems and our place in the cosmos, bringing us closer to answering fundamental questions about how these systems form and evolve. These advancements have, however, mainly focused on the inner regions of these systems due to the difficulties of probing their colder outer regions, despite their importance for the formation and evolution of planets. These barriers are, nevertheless, breaking thanks to observational campaigns led by me and others with ALMA studying exocometary discs analogous to the Kuiper belt, and JWST searching for sub-Jupiter mass planets at tens of au. This ERC program aims to constrain how the outer regions of planetary systems, and in particular the debris of which exocometary discs are made, form and evolve. Such an endeavour will require transforming our understanding of three key and interconnected pillars. First, we must understand how exocometary discs form as their structures encode key information about planet formation processes. This will require developing the first holistic models for exocometary disc formation and their comparison with ALMA observational constraints. Second, we must study what processes shape exocometary discs after formation to be able to use disc observations to infer the dynamical history of systems. This will require studying the disc interaction with planets and even stellar encounters while systems are young, and comparing the outcome of these interactions with JWST and ALMA observations. Third, we must advance in our understanding of exocometary gas as it could allow us to infer the presence of planets, affect their atmospheres and the distribution of exocometary dust biasing our dynamical inferences. Only by developing these three pillars, we will truly advance in our understanding of exocometary discs, a key element for deciphering planetary systems.

Keywords: debris discs,exoplanets,protoplanetary disks,direct imaging,alma,jwst