Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Patterns of diffusion and social implications of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): A comparative study between United States and Europe (MOOC_DaSI)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Global Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Italy,United States
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-10-01
End date: 2019-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 176203.8
EU funding (EUR): 176203.8
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The MOOC_DaSI project aims to develop a comparative study between the United States and Europe investigating patterns of diffusion of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and their contribution to a “smart ad inclusive growth” through: a) broadening access to education and b) providing individuals with better skills. MOOCs have been pointed out as a flexible, customized, cost-effective type of education that may play a key role in the future of higher education. However, the outburst of MOOCs also brought about contrasting arguments and so far empirical research is limited and fragmented. The project will contribute to shed light on this topic investigating two main research questions. The first deals with the organizational aspects of MOOCs diffusion and will explore whether a “European way” to MOOCs can be identified. The second investigates whether MOOCs do contribute in reducing social inequality by a) broadening access to higher education to non-traditional and socio-economically disadvantaged students; b) providing returns on the labour market. Finally, the research project will summarize a series of policy recommendations providing policy-makers with empirical ground for designing effective policies in the context of open educational resources. MOOC_DaSI will adopt an interdisciplinary approach spanning between organizational studies, sociology of education and stratification research. The project will also make use of mixed methods of research, combining qualitative and quantitative data and different methods of analysis. The MOOC_DaSI project will be carried out at the University of Turin (IT) and Stanford University (USA) over a period of 24 months, including a secondment period at the EC-JRC in Seville (ES). The implementation of the project will contribute to enhance the fellow’s expertise and thus the chances to reach her career objectives of establishing an own research group and obtaining future grants for large international projects.

Keywords: moocs,higher education,social inequality,returns to education,organisational field
Characterizing Microbe-specific Immune Responses in the pathogenesis of Autoimmunity (MIRA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173857.2
EU funding (EUR): 173857.2
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Dysregulation in the balance of CD4+ T helper cell populations can severely alter susceptibility to a number of chronic inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The incidence of IBD is dramatically increasing in Europe and worldwide and its therapy represents an important unmet medical need, since a significant proportion of patients fail to respond to currently available immunotherapies. Therefore, a better characterization of the immunological events underlying each form of IBD is of foremost importance. Increasing evidence points to the pivotal role of a dysregulated mucosal immune response to the intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBD. However, little is known about the mechanisms contributing to the generation of commensal-specific adaptive immune responses, and whether their differential localization can shape severity and anatomical extent of the disease. Indeed, the intestines comprise anatomically distinct regions that are exposed to different luminal antigens and this diversity eventually determines a regionalization of intestinal immune functions and microbiota-specific T cell responses. The aim of this proposal is to deeply characterize microbiota-specific T cell responses generated under different inflammatory conditions, in terms of differentiation, plasticity, heterogeneity, function and homing potential. To this aim, the proposed work will combine the use of CBir1 TCR transgenic mice, whose T cells recognize a microbial antigen that is immunodominant in IBD patients, and cutting-edge techniques such as single-cell RNA sequencing. By modelling the microbiota-specific immune response in vivo in the context of gut inflammation, I will characterize the function and homing properties of microbiota-specific T cells at the population and single-cell level, aiming at identifying new therapeutic targets for the treatment of localized forms of gut inflammation.

Keywords: tissue specific t cell trafficking
Tracing allergenic plants in food products (SafeFood)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Society and Enterprise panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-08-05
End date: 2021-08-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 187572.48
EU funding (EUR): 187572.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The presence of undeclared allergens in food products poses a serious health risk to consumers and results in important economic losses for the food industry. The detection of allergens is typically performed using immunological methods. DNA-based methods complement immunoassays and provide higher specificity and sensitivity, especially in processed foods. DNA-based identification of allergens can currently only be performed using well equipped laboratories which can be difficult to implement in an industry settings where the identification should be fast and on-site. In SafeFood, I will develop a protocol to implement cutting-edge Nanopore sequencing technology for rapid, portable identification of allergenic plant ingredients in complex, multi-ingredient food products. DNA-based identification of allergenic plant species has been challenging due to the lack of variation of the traditional DNA barcodes. I will implement more robust species identification methods based on whole plastid genomes. First, I will compile a comprehensive open-access database of allergen species’ plastomes. Then, DNA extraction and library preparation will be optimized for an on-site protocol tailored to the constraints of the food industry. I will create artificial mixtures of complex food, with varying concentrations of allergens to test the method’s sensitivity, specificity and repeatability and compare the results to those of immunoassays. This innovative solution will solve an industry challenge by allowing on-site, fast and accurate allergen identification. By being hosted at a leading DNA service company, BaseClear, and with the collaboration of a specialised academic partner in EU food safety analyses, RIKILT, I will apply my expertise in plant genomics, develop skills in food chain analyses, in R&D and entrepreneurship. At the completion of this fellowship, I will be able to apply this knowledge and skill to further address societal challenges in the food industry.

Keywords: nanopore technology,allergens,genomic barcoding
Strain-graded MAGnetoelectric composites based on NanoporoUS materials for information and biomedical technologies (MAGNUS)

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: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2021-01-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 172932.48
EU funding (EUR): 172932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Magnetoelectric (ME) composites have the potential to revolutionize current nanotechnologies due to their ability to simultaneously respond to external magnetic and electric stimuli. However, archetypical ME materials prepared on rigid supports show either small effects due to the clamping with the substrate (e.g., Si wafers) or require of extremely high voltages (in case ferroelectric –FE– substrates are employed). To overcome these drawbacks, MAGNUS proposes a comprehensive research program built on the disruptive idea of using strain-gradient (i.e., flexoelectricity), instead of homogeneous strain, to boost the properties of ME composites deposited onto rigid substrates. The project encompasses new strategies to grow ‘mechanically flexible’ nanoporous magnetostrictive materials (FeGa, FeCo, Co ferrite) and fill them with FE polymers (P(VDF-TrFE)), rendering new functionally graded composites, operated with magnetic/electric fields, that will surpass classical compositionally-graded materials. The project aims at using these composites for (i) ME (wireless) bone tissue engineering and (ii) functionally-graded magnetic recording media. MAGNUS will take advantage of (i) my previous experience on electrodeposited Fe-based alloys and spin-coated FE polymers, (ii) the strong background of the main Host Institution (UAB) on magnetism and (iii) the expertise of the Partner Organizations on ME materials for biomedicine (ETH Zürich) and the growth of porous oxides (Univ. Cambridge). MAGNUS will bring interesting cross-cutting outcomes in the field of magnetoelectricity, exploiting strain-gradient mediated ME effects to an unprecedented extent and settling the grounds to consolidate the use of these frontier materials in the newly launched “Horizon Europe” Framework Programme (2021-2027). Besides the fascinating science to be unveiled in MAGNUS, the project will offer me the possibility to create a prestigious network which will reinforce my professional status in science.

Keywords: magnetoelectric,flexoelectricity,electrodeposition,composites,nanoporous alloys and oxides,ferroelectric polymers,energy efficiency
Multilingual acquisition in Germany: the case of Upper and Lower Sorbian (MAG)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Germany
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-09-01
End date: 2024-03-02
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 162806.4
EU funding (EUR): 162806.4
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The goal of this project is to investigate how multilinguals acquire acoustic and articulatory representations of their non-dominant language. Recent research has shown that linguistic representation is distributed in the motor cortex, where it serves as acquired speech motor plans, and in the auditory cortex, where it serves as acquired acoustic-perceptual categories. In order to properly acquire a language, learners must develop a set of acoustic and articulatory representation. Acoustic and articulatory representations play a large role in speech comprehension and speech production, as well as phonological knowledge specific to the acquired languages. Research into multilingual acquisition has indicated that both early and late bilingual learners can form novel acoustic and articualtory categories in their internalized language structure. However, multilinguals have been shown to acquire representations that do not mirror the target language or the learner's L1 and it is still unclear how their representations develop. My project examines the multilingual acquisition of German and Upper and Lower Sorbian at different stages of fluency to assess how acoustic and articulatory representation develops. To do this, I am examining speech production using acoustic and ultrasound techniques. The aim of each of my studies is to investigate multilinguals at various stages of language acquisition to determine how similar sounds in each language emerge with distinct acoustic and articulatory representations. I am also using bio-mechanical models to simulate the movement of the tongue and jaw during speech. Bio-mechanical models give a unique interdisciplinary vantage point for the findings in this study and will provide robust insight into the articulatory representation that speakers develop during the language acquisition process. The results of this study has theoretical implications for cognitive and articulatory models of speech, and biomechanics.

Keywords: phonetics,phonology,multilingual acquisition,endangered languages,language documentation,language acquisition
Insects as Silent Witnesses to Prehistoric Warfare: Forensic Archaeoentomology as a Novel Approach to the Study of Conflict (WARFLY)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: France
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2016-11-01
End date: 2018-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 185076.0
EU funding (EUR): 185076.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

WARFLY is a ‘proof of concept’ study that aims to develop and test an innovative approach to investigating past conflict. This novel study will combine well-established methods from archaeology and Quaternary entomology with the philosophical traditions of forensic sciences to advance an approach capable of producing high-resolution reconstructions of conflict episodes in human history based on material evidence. Insect remains preserved in an archaeological site from southwestern Alaska (Nunalleq), which was the scene of violent actions, will be used as ‘silent witnesses’ to the events that preceded, characterised and followed conflict. Fly, beetle, lice and flea remains will be extracted from sediment samples collected from floor layers, burials and deposits formed or altered as a direct result of conflict, to be identified to the highest taxonomic precision achievable. The results will then form the basis of species distribution maps that will be used to model a series of scenarios for pre-conflict lifeways, the attack on the site and the disposal of victims’ corpses. The plausibility of these scenarios will then be scrutinised in relation to other artefactual and biological evidence available at Nunalleq. This approach, which we have termed ‘forensic archaeoentomology’, will not only produce a holistic narrative of a prehistoric warfare episode founded on material evidence, but will also pave the way for an entirely new field of research in conflict archaeology.

Keywords: conflict archaeology,quaternary entomology,forensic entomology
Super Time-resolved Fluorescence Anisotropy with Switchable States (STARSS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-04-01
End date: 2022-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191852.16
EU funding (EUR): 191852.16
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Viable experimental techniques able to reveal and quantify protein-protein interactions and protein conformational changes can have a significant impact on cell biology and drug discovery. Fluorescence anisotropy (FA) has been widely employed in biomedical research as a tool for high-throughput screening applications, to study the binding of small molecules to protein and characterize protein-protein interaction. Despite the enormous potential of the FA technique, the major limiting factor is the inability of probing the system past the fluorescence lifetime, which in the most favorable cases lasts for a few nanoseconds, setting an upper limit to the time scales that can be addressed with the technique, which translates in an upper limit of few nanometers of molecular size. Reversibly switchable fluorescent transitions have the potential to revolutionize the capability of FA tools for the study of large molecular aggregates, overcoming the limits imposed by the finite fluorescence lifetime, and providing a practical and highly sensible way of measuring rotational diffusion processes with a practically unlimited upper bound on molecular sizes. This proposal aims to develop a novel fluorescent anisotropy technique, named Super Time-resolved Anisotropy with Reversibly Switchable States (STARSS), designed to measure rotational mobility all-across the time scale from nano- to micro-seconds, which will enable to discern clusters from free rotating molecules in situ and with high angular precision. The coupling of STARSS observables and microscopy will provide a powerful tool to reveal the dynamics of protein complexes inside the compartments of living cells, shedding new light on a multitude of biological processes.

Keywords: fluorescence anisotropy,super resolution fluorescence microscopy,reversible photoswitchable fluorescent proteins,resolft,sted,rotational diffusion,high throughput assay,ribosome biogenesis
Recall dynamics of working memory networks: Modeling, analysis, and applications (ReWoMeN)

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: Netherlands
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-06-01
End date: 2023-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 175572.48
EU funding (EUR): 175572.48
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Memory and learning are human central cognitive abilities. The importance of understanding human memory functioning is evident from its central role in our cognitive health as well as its role as the main inspiration behind developments in artificial intelligence, in particular artificial deep neural networks (DNN). Despite considerable progress in the recent years in the area of DNNs, robustness of these networks is an important open issue. In particular, noise robustness, i.e., DNNs are fragile in maintaining the correct predictions if their input is perturbed. In contrast, a healthy human’s memory system maintains performance despite perturbed inputs. This motivates us to learn from the biological neuronal networks of human memory for a more robust DNN. The human memory is composed of several modules responsible for processing, learning, and recalling the received information. Among the memory modules is the working memory (WM) which is responsible for holding and processing information in a temporary fashion and in service of higher order cognitive tasks, e.g. decision making. The short-term nature of the WM makes it a great example for designing dynamic DNNs, which are useful in safety critical applications in uncertain environments. The aim of this proposal is to build a combined model-based and data-driven mathematical framework for understanding Recall dynamics of human Working Memory Networks (ReWoMeN) for realization of a robust DNN as well as contributing to the mechanistic understanding of the human WM. ReWoMeN address three main challenges including derivation of a biologically plausible system-level model to account for the measured data of human experience of WM recalling, analysis of such a complex model for explaining and predicting WM behavior, and comparing the robustness of our WM model with a recurrent DNN in an image recognition application.

Keywords: nonlinear dynamical systems,memory and cognition,deep neural networks,network control systems
Lactic acid and biosurfactants sourced from sustainable agricultural and industrial (food) WASTE feedstocks as novel FUNCtional ingredients for consumer products (WASTE2FUNC)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Bio-based Industries
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: BBI (Art-187)
Countries involved: Germany,Israel,Hong Kong,Belgium,Belgium,Belgium,Belgium,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Resolve supply-chain hurdles for turning residual waste streams into functional molecules for food and/or non-food market applications (H2020-BBI-JTI-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-06-01
End date: 2024-11-30
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 14305851.75
EU funding (EUR): 6703878.85
Participants: 14
Project status: SIGNED

The WASTE2FUNC project aims to resolve supply chain hurdles towards the efficient conversion of food (crop) waste into two types of biobased functional molecules for use in home- and personal care applications: lactic acid and microbial biosurfactants, functionally outperforming or equalling their respective fossil-based and/or 1G bio-based benchmarks. A new and sustainable biomass waste supply chain will be set up, in close interaction with the primary sector, by developing an ‘ad hoc’ registration- and collection system for erratic agricultural biomass waste and integrating this new biomass supply chain with an existing industrially available and continuous food waste stream , currently converted into biogas. This integration is crucial to build viable business cases associated with the WASTE2FUNC supply- and -value chains. The integration of the WASTE2FUNC biomass supply chain with new value chains based on the cost- and eco- efficient conversion of the waste biomass into market ready functional molecules for home- and personal care applications will be demonstrated. The value chains will be set up by (interaction with) all relevant key stakeholders: farmers and their representatives, primary crop-/food processors, food processors and -retailers, food waste collectors, technology owners for bio-based process, scale up facilities, product developers and -retailers in the respective sectors of application (home- and personal care) (B2B and B2C), regulators and last but not least the consumer . This interaction will be key to define benefits required for the farmers, regulatory- and processing hurdles, product developer- and consumer requirements and -constraints. Together with environmental, economic, social and regulatory analyses and constant optimization, performed by the WASTE2FUNC project partners, this will decrease CO2 emissions with at least 20% and increase value from waste with 2-10 fold and create (high tech) jobs for the primary- and downstream sector in Belgium and Europe.

Keywords: biosurfactants,lactic acid,fermentation,purification,biomass,home and personal care products,circular,economy,supermarket food waste,crude glycerin,demonstration,biobased formulation