Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
NEXT generation of microwave PHotonic systems for AeroSpace Engineering (NEXTPHASE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Systems and communication engineering
Countries involved: France
Call:  (ERC-2011-StG_20101014, 2011)
Start date: 2011-11-01
End date: 2016-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1384628.0
EU funding (EUR): 1384628.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Aerospace and communication engineering technologies are in constant need of microwaves with extremely high spectral purity and stability. Unfortunately, the generation of such ultra-pure microwaves with compact, versatile and transportable sources is still a very complex challenge. In aerospace engineering, ultra-stable quartz oscillators are overwhelmingly dominant as key components for both navigation and detection systems. However, it is unanimously recognized today that their frequency stability performance is reaching its floor, and will not improve significantly anymore. In the search for an alternative standard for the next generation of ultra-pure microwave sources in aerospace technology, we propose the exploration of an elegant and promising solution relying on optical resonators with ultra-high Q factors (Q ~ 1E10). In these quasi-perfectly shaped cavities, nonlinear effects are significantly enhanced and microwave generation is performed through the extraction of the intermodal frequency. This approach has several advantages over existing or other prospective methods: conceptual simplicity, higher robustness, smaller power consumption, longer lifetime, immunity to interferences, very compact volume, frequency versatility, easy chip integration, as well as a strong potential for integrating the mainstream of standard photonic components for both microwave and lightwave technologies. Our ambition in the NextPhase project is to significantly outperform quartz oscillators and demonstrate performances comparable to cryogenic sapphire oscillators, with a compact (< 100 cm3), versatile (up to at least 200 GHz) and ultra-stable (Allan variance ~ 1E-15 at 1 s; phase noise floor < -160 dBc/Hz) microwave photonic generator. We also expect our work to open new opportunities of research in optical communications (photonic components for full-optical processing, carrier synthesis), as well as in fundamental aspects of condensed matter and quantum physics.

Keywords: microwave photonics,optoelectronics,whispering-gallery mode optical resonators,time-frequency metrology,condensed matter physics.
Pliocene Constraints on Earth System Sensitivity (PLIO-ESS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Earth system science
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2011-StG_20101014, 2011)
Start date: 2011-12-01
End date: 2016-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1419968.0
EU funding (EUR): 1419968.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The magnitude of long-term global temperature rise due to an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is a question of relevance to policy makers and society. Previous studies have addressed this issue on the basis of the equilibrium response of the climate system due to fast feedbacks such as clouds and sea ice-albedo, often referred to as Climate Sensitivity. Plio-ESS will use the new concept of Earth System Sensitivity that additionally includes slow feedbacks such as those derived from changes in the major ice sheets and vegetation distribution. This has the potential to revolutionise the scientific debate on anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and climate stabilisation targets. The aim of the project is to produce a robust estimate of the Earth System Sensitivity using the last interval in Earth history when CO2 was at modern or near future levels – the mid-Pliocene Warm Period. Using a combined modelling and geological data approach, Plio-ESS will integrate reconstructions of mid-Pliocene vegetation and ice sheets into climate and Earth system models. In this context Plio-ESS will push the frontier of palaeoclimatology by using state-of-the-art models which will enable the importance of resolution, improved model physics and the inclusion of additional Earth System components on model estimates of Earth System Sensitivity to be identified. Ensembles of experiments exploring the plausible range in model boundary conditions and physics will also quantify the uncertainty on estimates of Earth System Sensitivity. The outcome of the project will be a rigorous estimate of Earth System Sensitivity, which can be used by climate scientists and policy makers in defining stabilisation targets for greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.
Toward Zero-Defect Software Through Automatic Cooperative Self-Improvement (NOBUGS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Computer science and informatics
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (ERC-2011-StG_20101014, 2011)
Start date: 2012-02-01
End date: 2018-01-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1334977.0
EU funding (EUR): 1334977.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This proposal advocates a fundamentally new approach to achieving software quality: remove the distinction between software use and software testing -- enable programs to accumulate experience from each one of their executions, and leverage this experience toward self-improvement of the software. My hypothesis is that every program execution has information by-products that, if suitably captured and aggregated, can substantially speed up the process of testing programs and proving them correct. Software is being executed billions of times around the world, with the corresponding information going to waste. At the same time, traditional software testing tries to simulate a small subset of real-world conditions and executions. I propose instead viewing every execution of a program as a test run, and the aggregation of executions across the lifetime of all copies of that program as one gigantic test suite. I propose the study of techniques and formalisms for automatically recouping the information that is lost during everyday software use, aggregating it, and automatically turning it into tests and proofs; techniques to use these tests and proofs to automatically correct the behavior of programs; and techniques for automatically steering programs into exploring behaviors for which information is lacking. All these techniques will be embodied in a platform, called BeeNet, that implements a massively distributed learning process which turns execution by-products into a collective experience that leads to higher quality software. This is a radical new way of exploiting the vast (but today completely wasted) information that results from program execution. I will investigate these questions with an integrated approach that combines thorough theoretical studies with practical application to real-world software, employing the perspectives of three different research communities: operating systems, programming languages, and software verification.

Keywords: operating systems,software systems,software reliability
INNOVATIVE CELL AND STACK DESIGN FOR STATIONARY INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS USING NOVEL LASER PROCESSING TECHNIQUES (LASER-CELL)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV-SP1)
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Fuel Cells and Hydrogen
Action type: Collaborative project
Partnership: FCH (Art-185)
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Finland,Belgium,Germany
Call:  (FCH-JU-2010-1, 2010)
Start date: 2011-12-01
End date: 2014-11-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2877089.6
EU funding (EUR): 1421757.0
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

The alkaline fuel cell (AFC) is one of the most efficient devices for converting hydrogen into electricity. Project LASER CELL will develop a novel, mass producible AFC and stack design for stationary, industrial applications utilising the latest laser processing technology. This economically viable, sophisticated technology will enable design options, not previously possible, that will revolutionise the functionality and commercial viability of the AFC. Key parameters that will dictate fuel cell and stack design are; safety, reduced part count, easy of assembly, durability, optimised performance, recyclability and increased volumetric power density in a way which delivers a cost of under €1,000 per kW. To realise this vision, proprietary cell and stack features that have never before been incorporated into an AFC system will be employed and deliver a flawlessly functioning stack. In order to achieve these ambitious objectives, the consortium comprises world leading specialists in the fields of alkaline, polymer electrolyte and solid oxide fuel cells, advanced laser processing technologies, conductive nano composites, polymer production and large scale, stationary power plants. A cell design tool, based on physical and cost models, will be produced. This disseminated tool will provide design rational for material selection and geometric design and will be applicable for all low temperature fuel cells. Commercially viable porosity forming processes developed in this project will enable organisations working with other fuel cell types to re-evaluate the fabrication and design of their core technologies. Furthermore, other sectors that will benefit are; solar cell, aviation, medical and automotive. Having the ability to convert ‘waste’ hydrogen into electricity and being the ‘pull through’ technology for carbon capture and storage (CCS), AFCs could play a crucial role in helping the EU meet its reduced CO2 emission targets and improve its energy security.

Keywords: fuel cell stack design alkaline laser sintering
Micropattern-Enhanced High Throughput RNA Interference for Cell Screening (MEHTRICS)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Health
Destination: Biotechnology, generic tools and medical technologies for human health
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: France,Germany,Lithuania,Germany,Switzerland
Call:  (FP7-HEALTH-2011-two-stage, 2011)
Start date: 2011-10-01
End date: 2015-01-31
Duration (months): 40.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5901860.4
EU funding (EUR): 4363380.0
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

The MEHTRICS proposal aims to challenge the current limits of HT cell-based screening by combining HT-RNAi with an emerging new technology for normalizing cultured cell behaviors, namely the growth of cells on adhesive micropatterns. Initial applications of this technology have already demonstrated its potential for enhancing the quality of existing high content analyses by radically reducing the cell population’s phenotypic variability, resulting in much lower cell sampling requirements. This approach also promises to open up major new “assay development space” by broadening the range of analysis strategies that drive the novel cell-based assay designs, whose evolution has otherwise stagnated in recent years. The consortium will carry out several parallel and complementary lines of development to diversify the applicability of the MEHTRICS platform for both academic and industrial uses, ultimately validating the new capabilities through proof of principle screens. Our key objectives are 1) to optimize micropattern geometries and compositions to accommodate extended timelines typical of siRNA assays, 2) to integrate the promising Transfected Cell Array (TCA) technique to decrease cost and increase throughput, 3) to develop novel cell models of key diseases based on micropatterned adult stem cells and polarized epithelia/endothelial architectures and 4) to validate each of these implementations in key industry-relevant siRNA screening applications. Since experimental designs required to run RNAi screens are among the most demanding of all HT/HC studies and encompass virtually all technical challenges also encountered in compound screens, we expect the proposed scope of activities to deliver the maximal potential for impactful innovation, widespread adoption and clear relevance for all major applications of HT/HC cell screening. The resulting new tools and methodologies will be incorporated into the commercial offerings of the consortium’s two key SMEs, CYTOO and CENIX.

Keywords: adhesive micropattern networks,cell normalization,high throughput screen,high content analysis,transfected cell array,sirna screen,cell modeling,quantitative analysis,assay development
A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A MULTI-MODAL INTERVENTION IN OLDER PEOPLE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES ON FRAILTY AND QUALITY OF LIFE: THE MID-FRAIL STUDY (MID-FRAIL-STUDY)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Health
Destination: Translating research for human health
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Spain,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,France,Italy,France,Germany,Belgium,Spain,Czechia,Italy,Belgium,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call:  (FP7-HEALTH-2011-two-stage, 2011)
Start date: 2012-03-01
End date: 2017-04-30
Duration (months): 62.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7533728.97
EU funding (EUR): 5975821.0
Participants: 17
Project status: CLOSED

The prevalence of diabetes in people ≥ 65 years approaches 25% (40% of all patients with diabetes are > 65 years). This number will increase 4-fold in people > 70 years in 2050. Diabetes results in a high personal and social health burden, and a significant public health burden in terms of rising healthcare costs. Diabetes is associated with increased functional decline in older people and may explain up to 20% of their excess risk of disability. Our project focuses on the use of interventions to improve functional status and enhance quality of life. This is justified because there has been a lack of intervention studies in this population and improvements in function and well-being may be of more clinical benefit in older patients than attention to metabolic control alone. The MID-FRAIL STUDY is a Phase IIb open randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-modal intervention (optimizing medical management, resistance-based exercise program and educational/nutritional intervention) in 1,704 frail or pre-frail subjects ≥ 70 years with T2D to prevent functional decline and maintain or improve quality of life and its associated costs. This approach is original (both the intervention and outcomes are unique for studies in diabetes), relevant (it concerns 25% of people with diabetes), pertinent and feasible. The project is highly aligned with objectives pursued by two topics of this call: investigator-driven clinical trials in elderly populations (HEALTH 2011 2.2.2-1) and in diabetes complications (HEALTH.2011.2.4.3-1). The study aims to demonstrate a reduction of 20% in that risk, which will mean an annual prevention of around 700,000 incident cases of some disability in old people, with a major impact on global quality of life and financial costs. This is especially true in older women. Three research-intensive SMEs will play a leading role in this project and it also has the support of Diabetes UK, a major patient and family advocacy organisation

Keywords: diabetes,elderly,frailty,clinical trials,study
Identification of genes important for human midbrain dopamine neuron development and Parkinson’s disease (DDPDGENES)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Health
Destination: Translating research for human health
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Sweden,Switzerland,United Kingdom,Spain,Spain
Call:  (FP7-HEALTH-2011-two-stage, 2011)
Start date: 2012-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3700382.4
EU funding (EUR): 2817939.8
Participants: 5
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of this project is to determine whether the expression of developmental genes in defined subpopulations of DA neurons contributes to the specification of currently unrecognized midbrain DA neuron subtypes and whether their missexpression may contribute to the loss of DA neurons in the adulthood and to the pathogenesis of PD. Many developmental genes have been found to be implicated in the maintenance of midbrain DA neurons at postnatal and adult stages, as assessed by the loss of DA neurons in transgenic mice heterozygous for: Nurr1, Pitx3, FoxA2, en1. On the other hand, genes involved in the pathogenesis of genetic forms of PD, such as Lrkk2 and PINK1, do not cause cell death. In this project we hypothesize that a disregulation of the expression of developmental genes may play a previously unrecognized role in PD. We propose to identify subtypes of midbrain DA neurons at a molecular and functional level in: (i) the developing rodent and human ventral midbrain (VM), (ii) human neural and embryonic stem cell preparations differentiated into midbrain DA neurons, and (iii) DA neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells generated from control and PD patients.

Keywords: dopaminergic parkinson development disease midbrain
Advanced Multi-Fuel Reformer for Fuel Cell CHP Systems (REFORCELL)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV-SP1)
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Fuel Cells and Hydrogen
Action type: Collaborative project
Partnership: FCH (Art-185)
Countries involved: Spain,Netherlands,France,Italy,Norway,Netherlands,France,Switzerland,European organisations area
Call:  (FCH-JU-2010-1, 2010)
Start date: 2012-02-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 47.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5546194.57
EU funding (EUR): 2857211.0
Participants: 11
Project status: CLOSED

Distributed power generation via Micro Combined Heat and Power (m-CHP) systems, has been proven to overcome disadvantages of centralized plant since it can give savings in terms of Primary Energy consumption and energy costs. The main advantage is that m-CHP systems are able to recover and use the heat that in centralized systems is often lost. Wide exploitation of these systems is still hindered by high costs and low reliability due to the complexity of the system. REforCELL aims at developing a high efficient heat and power cogeneration system based on: i) design, construction and testing of an advanced reformer for pure hydrogen production with optimization of all the components of the reformer (catalyst, membranes, heat management etc) and ii) the design and optimization of all the components for the connection of the membrane reformer to the fuel cell stack. The main idea of REforCELL is to develop a novel more efficient and cheaper multi-fuel membrane reformer for pure hydrogen production in order to intensify the process of hydrogen production through the integration of reforming and purification in one single unit. To increase the efficiency and lifetime of the reformer, novel stable catalysts and high permeable and more stable membranes will be developed. Afterwards, suitable reactor designs for increasing the mass and heat transfer will be realized and tested at laboratory scale. The most suitable reactor design will be scaled up at prototype scale (5 Nm3/h of pure hydrogen) and tested in a CHP system. The connection of the novel reformer within the CHP will be optimized by designing heat exchangers and auxiliaries required in order to decrease the energy losses in the system. The project aims to increase the electric efficiency of the system above 45% and the overall efficiency above 90%. A complete lifecycle analysis of the system will be carried out and cost analysis and business plan for reformer manufacturing and CHP system will be supplied.

Keywords: micro combined heat and power,m-chp,atr,reformer,fuel cell,catalytic membrane reactor,bop
Epilepsy Pharmacogenomics: delivering biomarkers for clinical use (EPIPGX)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Health
Destination: Biotechnology, generic tools and medical technologies for human health
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: United Kingdom,Belgium,Italy,Germany,Netherlands,Germany,Ireland,United Kingdom,Iceland,Luxembourg,Netherlands,United Kingdom,Germany
Call:  (FP7-HEALTH-2011-two-stage, 2011)
Start date: 2011-11-01
End date: 2015-10-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7838258.8
EU funding (EUR): 5997996.0
Participants: 15
Project status: CLOSED

The purpose of the project is to identify genome-based biomarkers for use in clinical practice to individualise treatment of epilepsy, and stratify patients for clinical trials, aiming to avoid chronicity, prevent relapse and reduce adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The need for improved treatments in epilepsy is undoubted. Epilepsy is affects 50,000,000 people of all ages worldwide. Epilepsy is serious, increasing morbidity across all aspects of life, including a high risk of premature mortality. Over 20 antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are licenced for its treatment. Seizures can be effectively controlled by AEDs in ~70% of people. Control of seizures leads to risk reduction for most of consequences of epilepsy, improves quality of life, permits social re-integration and leads to direct economic benefits. However, in 30% of patients, currently-available AEDs do not control seizures – recurrent seizures threaten life and impair its quality in these patients, and account for much of the €15.5 billion annual cost of epilepsy in the EU alone; there is currently no way to predict which patients will not respond to any or all AEDs; even in the 70% who do respond, only 47% respond to the first AED – whilst the correct drug is being sought, risks from seizures continue – we need to be able to predict the right drug for an individual from the outset; unrelated to responder status, AEDs can cause serious ADRs – a biomarker exists for only one ADR; there is a clear need for novel means of discovery of new AEDs – existing AEDs are anti-seizure drugs, not disease-modifying drugs. We will use genome-wide analyses, including next-generation sequencing, in large, well-phenotyped patient cohorts to identify genome-based biomarkers, to improve use of current AEDs and identify new therapy targets. SMEs, which are central to this project, will be able to take the data forward for development of clinical tests; data will also be invaluable for industry seeking to develop new treatments.

Keywords: epilepsy,pharmacogenomics,antiepileptic drugs,clinical testing,efficacy,adverse reactions,prediction,teratogenesis,stratification,database,searchable,virtual test-bed,industry