Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Optimization and historical contingency in living systems: a biophysical approach (OptimHist)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — 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: Switzerland
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2019-STG, 2019)
Start date: 2020-03-01
End date: 2025-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1498214.0
EU funding (EUR): 1498214.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Populations of living organisms are pushed to optimality by evolution, but may also be shaped by the contingency of their evolutionary history. The recent explosion of sequence data gives us access to the outcomes of molecular evolution, and controlled microbial evolution experiments allow us to analyze the predictability of evolution. In this exciting context, I aim to explore quantitatively the importance of optimization and contingency both at the molecular scale and at the scale of populations of microorganisms, using a theoretical biophysical approach. First, I will assess how functional optimization and evolutionary history, i.e. phylogeny, shape protein sequences. Importantly, correlations arising from phylogeny are a double-edged sword, often confounding signal from functional optimization, but sometimes providing useful complementary information. I will improve sequence-based predictions for protein-protein interactions by exploiting information both from phylogeny and from the required complementarity of interacting residues. I will disentangle the collective modes of correlations in protein sequences due to optimization from those due to phylogeny, and investigate the importance of functional sectors as an organizing principle of proteins. This will be a breakthrough in our understanding of the sequence-function relationship of proteins. Second, I will analyze the impact of optimization and contingency on the evolution of microbial populations. I will study microorganisms with a rugged fitness landscape presenting several optima. In these realistic cases, populations tend to remain trapped in local optima. However, most real populations possess specific geographic structures. I will quantitatively study how structure helps populations to explore model and real rugged fitness landscapes. I will build a universal model of structured populations. I will then focus on important applications to antimicrobial resistance evolution and to expanding populations.

Keywords: correlations,optimization,phylogeny,inference,protein sequence data,protein protein interactions,rugged fitness landscape,population subdivision
Small Efficient Gas Engine (SEGE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure, clean and efficient energy
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for a low carbon and efficient energy system (H2020-SMEINST-1-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2017-03-01
End date: 2017-07-31
Duration (months): 5.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The proposal involves the development of a productionised version of the Pulse-R multigas engine. Pulse-R is Oaktec's patented technology. Optimised for gas fuels, it represents a step change in the performance of small ICE's. Delivering 15-30% better fuel economy than diesel and petrol units and up to 40% improvement on current gas alternatives. Targeted at the large but often overlooked static power sector, the engine has huge market potential both within the EU and globally. The project will allow Oaktec to undertake the work necessary to take the current prototype to production and sales. Follow on will be the development of further iterations of the engine optimised and for additional sectors.

Keywords: lpb biogas,fuel efficiency emissions
Contact Mechanics of Soft and Complex Biological Tissues (BIOCONTACT)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-04-01
End date: 2021-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 212933.76
EU funding (EUR): 212933.76
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In the last decade, a number of medical and bio-engineering challenges, requiring a deep understanding of the phenomena occurring at biological interfaces, have intensified scientific interest in the field of biological contact mechanics. BIOCONTACT will develop an innovative methodology to tackle bio-lubricated contacts involving soft tissues in the presence of complex fluids, enhancing the understanding of these interactions, by pursuing new models and numerical methodologies, specifically suited for this class of problem. This approach is key to provide long-term societal benefits by solving long-standing issues including the prevention of hospital bedsores, the mechanical compatibility of prosthetic implants or contact lens, and the optimization of surgical procedures and tools. In particular, my vision is to first build a mechanical model for biological soft tissues that specifically uses constitutive laws for multi-layered linear viscoelastic materials. This model will be then implemented in a newly developed contact mechanics solver, based on improved Boundary Element Method schemes that I have recently proposed, and that will be able to capture specific chemo-mechanical local responses adopting mean potentials that rely on atomistic and molecular descriptions of the interface. In the framework of inverse analysis, the material properties of individual layers will be tuned to best replicate the experimental behavior captured using an innovative procedure. This relies on a new scale separation methodology and is able to probe different zones and layers within the tissue. Finally, in order to provide a complete and widely applicable tool, solid-liquid interaction will be addressed by coupling the contact model with a lubrication model, based on non-Newtonian Reynolds theory. The development of this ready-to-use numerical tool will foster the uptake of my proposed methodologies for use in the above mentioned complex cases of industrial and medical relevance.

Keywords: complex biological interfaces,multi layer biological tissues,non newtonian biological lubrication
GUT VIrus BRain Axis Technology In OrgaNoid Science (GUTVIBRATIONS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, and Biotechnology
Theme: Nanotechnologies
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Belgium,Sweden,Netherlands,Denmark,United Kingdom
Call: Next generation organ-on-chip (RIA-LS) (H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2020-twostage, 2020)
Start date: 2021-04-01
End date: 2025-03-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6832267.86
EU funding (EUR): 6061375.0
Participants: 7
Project status: SIGNED

The battle against infectious diseases is hampered by lack of therapeutic innovations due to poor understanding of disease outcome in humans. Organoid technology is a major breakthrough for medical research that has traditionally relied heavily on animal models. In our current OrganoVIR consortium, we are at the forefront in establishing human organoids as superior models for viral pathogenesis and antiviral research. The next critical step is to integrate organoid models to create a complex multi-organ ex vivo model that better mimics the human physiology. This raises several challenges such as incorporation of various cell types, medium incompatibility, validation, high throughput, and robust ways to connect mature organoid models. At the same time, the model has to be accessible, user friendly, and affordable to all end users. Therefore, this proposed GUTVIBRATIONS consortium will leverage its expertise in microfabrication, organoid technology, virology, immunology, bioengineering, and materials science to deliver an enabling organ-on-chip system. As a demonstrator, a modular human gut-brain axis multi-organ model will be achieved for studying viral disease and treatment. This model will be built by combining an open source 3D printed scaffold technology with human gut and brain organoid models. The deliverables will include a complex gut epithelial layer, immune cell layer, blood-brain layer and brain organoid; all individually developed and subsequently connected by vertical stacking. Our unique modular approach where individual components are separately developed and validated minimizes compatibility issues. The individual models and the multi-organ model will be used for studying three different clinically relevant viral infections with high global burden and will be validated against existing clinical data to bring the system to TRL5. Routes towards commercialization will also be assessed by performing a market analysis and developing a business plan.

Keywords: gut brain axis,virology,antivirals,organoids
New Insights on the Snow Cover: From Snowflakes to Ice Sheets, in Seconds to Centuries. (IVORI)

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: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2020-STG, 2020)
Start date: 2021-02-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1799252.0
EU funding (EUR): 1799252.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Snow is a pillar of the Earth’s climate system, affecting all its components with critical impacts for Nature and human societies. Perennial snow evolves to firn and ice, providing unique records of the past climate. Yet today no snow model adequately simulates relevant snow variables worldwide, not to mention their inability to represent firn processes and snow/permafrost interactions. I argue that this is because current models focus on a limited number of physical processes and none suitably consider snow microstructure. IVORI’s goal is to build a microstructure-based model encompassing all the relevant snow and firn physical variables. Drawing on advanced observations of snow and firn, the proposal has three objectives: (1) Understand the role of water vapour transport in snow and its subsequent impacts on the ground thermal regime governing permafrost evolution; (2) Understand how initial changes in surface snow microstructure are transferred deeper into the firn and affect ice core records; (3) Determine the contributions of snow-climate feedbacks, triggered by changes in the albedo and insulating capacity of snow to the past and future of snow cover and ground temperature. To this aim, I will build a microstructure-based model, with a novel physics core, unifying the evolution of snow and firn. IVORI will also deliver unprecedented season-long observations of snow microstructure in the Arctic, Alps and Antarctica using X-ray tomography. These observations will significantly advance our understanding of the physical processes involved and be used for a thorough evaluation of the model. The model will provide a reliable assessment of snow-climate feedbacks in a changing climate and a rigorous appraisal of the modelling uncertainties. When completed, this work will pave the way for crucial advances in our understanding of glaciers, ice sheets and past climate through ice core records, with many fallouts for sea ice and permafrost evolution.

Keywords: tomography
STAIR4SECURITY- STANDARDS, INNOVATION AND RESEARCH FOR SECURITY (STAIR4SECURITY)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure societies - protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens
Theme: Enhance stadardisation and interoperability of systems, including for emergency purposes
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Austria,Germany,Sweden,Belgium,France,France
Call: Pre-standardisation mechanisms for security (H2020-IBA-SC7-PSM-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-01-01
End date: 2021-06-30
Duration (months): 30.0
Total project cost (EUR): 900000.0
EU funding (EUR): 900000.0
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

A wide range of security threats including man-made and natural risks can result in disruptive events having serious consequences for societal and citizen security. Both, public and private stakeholders require adequate solutions in organization, procedures and technological capabilities to be able to respond timely and effectively. Thus, there is a need to develop specific standards to enable the various public and private organizations within Europe, being local, national, European or international to be effectively coordinated ensuring as much as possible a smoothly cooperation before, during and after a disruptive event. The main objective of this proposal is to propose a collaborative platform as single entry point of information on the security sector coming mostly from research activities allowing a better governance of standardization needs in the Disaster Resilience and Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and Explosive (CBRN-E) sectors. The aim of the platform is to permit a better overview of current and new projects being at, national, European or International level; ensuring more coordination between all stakeholders and responding more efficiently and timely to the critical needs following an agreed strategic vision and identified priorities. Besides ensuring the necessary partnering network, the project will review the necessary tools and mechanisms including the CEN and CENELEC Workshop Agreement (CWA) process and a fast-track procedure to adopt, if market relevant, a CWA or any other deliverable or reference document e.g. TS and TR into a consensus standard (EN). Possibilities and conditions to include classified information in a non-consensus standard (CWA, TS or TR) will also be explored.

Keywords: standards,innovation and research for security
Assembly and plasticity of inhibitory cortical networks by early learning experience (EXPERIENTIA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced 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: United Kingdom
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2019-ADG, 2019)
Start date: 2021-01-01
End date: 2025-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499990.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499990.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The extraordinary diversity of animal behaviors relies on the precise assembly and fine-tuning of synapses in neuronal circuits that adapt to an ever-changing environment. Hence, mature networks are the final expression of experiences accumulated throughout our life. Importantly, young brains are more amenable to learning that older brains, but the neural mechanisms underlying these differences remain largely unknown. In the cerebral cortex, for example, there are two main classes of neurons, excitatory projection neurons (pyramidal cells) and inhibitory neurons (interneurons). Interneurons have a remarkable capability to sense changes in sensory experience and therefore occupy a unique position to orchestrate circuit remodeling. The goal of this project is to understand the mechanisms through which enhanced sensory experience during development sculpts cortical circuitries to improve behavioral performance in mice. To this end, we will use: (1) a synaptic connectivity mapping strategy (e-GRASP) and an activity-dependent promoter to explore specific cell- and synaptic-specific reorganizations driven by sensory experience; (2) sensory discrimination tasks and two-photon microscopy to explore the emergence of cortical functional properties, cell ensembles and behavioral performance; (3) unbiased screenings in cell populations and specific synapses together with single-cell RNA sequencing to identify genes that regulate cell-type specific modifications; and (4) loss of function approaches (shRNA and CRISPR/Cas9) to analyze the role of the identified candidate genes. Our research will shed light on the mechanisms shaping the assembly and function of cortical circuitries during early sensory experience.

Keywords: interneurons,synapse formation,development,cortical circuitries
Bond activation and catalysis with low-valent aluminium (AlCat)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Panel description: New materials and new synthetic approaches, structure-properties relations, solid state chemistry, molecular architecture, organic chemistry
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2016-STG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-03-01
End date: 2022-08-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1493679.0
EU funding (EUR): 1493679.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

This project will develop the principles required to enable bond-modifying redox catalysis based on aluminium by preparing and studying new Al(I) compounds capable of reversible oxidative addition. Catalytic processes are involved in the synthesis of 75 % of all industrially produced chemicals, but most catalysts involved are based on precious metals such as rhodium, palladium or platinum. These metals are expensive and their supply limited and unstable; there is a significant need to develop the chemistry of non-precious metals as alternatives. On toxicity and abundance alone, aluminium is an attractive candidate. Furthermore, recent work, including in our group, has demonstrated that Al(I) compounds can perform a key step in catalytic cycles - the oxidative addition of E-H bonds. In order to realise the significant potential of Al(I) for transition-metal style catalysis we urgently need to: - establish the principles governing oxidative addition and reductive elimination reactivity in aluminium systems. - know how the reactivity of Al(I) compounds can be controlled by varying properties of ligand frameworks. - understand the onward reactivity of oxidative addition products of Al(I) to enable applications in catalysis. In this project we will: - Study mechanisms of oxidative addition and reductive elimination of a range of synthetically relevant bonds at Al(I) centres, establishing the principles governing this fundamental reactivity. - Develop new ligand frameworks to support of Al(I) centres and evaluate the effect of the ligand on oxidative addition/reductive elimination at Al centres. - Investigate methods for Al-mediated functionalisation of organic compounds by exploring the reactivity of E-H oxidative addition products with unsaturated organic compounds.

Keywords: aluminium,low valent,main group chemistry,bond activation,small molecule activation
Integrated Urban Electric Mobility Solutions in the Context of the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda (SOLUTIONSplus)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Smart, green and integrated transport
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: EGVI (cPPP)
Countries involved: Germany,Spain,Germany,Germany,Spain,Spain,Italy,Ecuador,Uruguay,Germany,Italy,Germany,Austria,Germany,Colombia,Belgium,Sweden,Tanzania, United Republic of,Finland,France,France,France,Netherlands,Philippines,Netherlands,Netherlands,Netherlands,Kenya,Denmark,Viet Nam,Nepal,Rwanda,Chile
Call: InCo flagship on “Urban mobility and sustainable electrification in large urban areas in developing and emerging economies” (H2020-LC-GV-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 20325768.75
EU funding (EUR): 17996079.75
Participants: 47
Project status: SIGNED

The project SOLUTIONSplus aims to set up a global platform for shared, public and commercial e-mobility solutions, and to kick start the transition towards low-carbon urban mobility. The project work-plan encompasses city level demonstrations to test different types of innovative and integrated e-mobility solutions, vehicle and user-level demonstrations complemented by scaling up and replication activities. To appropriately address the call topic LC-GV-05-2019 and maximise its impact, SOLUTIONSplus brings together highly committed cities, industry, research, implementing organisations and finance partners. Through numerous synergistic projects, networks and a strong technical experience, the SOLUTIONSplus consortium will be able to deliver a highly ambitious project. Direct co-funding contributions will be provided by partner cities and SOLUTIONSplus works closely with UN Environment and the International Energy Agency (IEA) on a joint global urban e-mobility programme that will significantly boost replication and impact of this Innovation Action. Through the regional platforms, a global programme and local teams, the project aims to develop highly effective and innovative approaches to urban e-mobility ensuring that mobility systems and interventions from this project deliver on the Paris Agreement, meet the Sustainable Development Goals and address the New Urban Agenda. The Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI, launched by UN-Habitat) is the project coordinator, collaborating closely with the MobiliseYourCity and Decarbonising Transport partnerships. The consortium has developed a collaboration with a partner programme led by the IEA and UNEP funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which will turn the overall partnership into the leading global platform on urban electric mobility.

Keywords: innovation,demonstration,e mobility,international cooperation