Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Quartromicins; Enantioselective Total Synthesis and Generating Molecular Libraries of Drug-like Bioactive Compounds. (QUEENS GEM)

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: France
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-11-01
End date: 2025-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195914.88
EU funding (EUR): 195914.88
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Nature is an indispensable source of bioactive compounds, but not necessarily an ideal provider of bulk or analogs. Total synthesis plays an important role in generating new analogs of natural molecules and as a means to reduce dependency on natural resources. The outbreak of COVID-19 and other viruses has posed a significant global threat, the urgent need arises to study and discover new antiviral. It has become imperative for researchers to develop strategic research plans in order to synthesize medicines to combat these viruses. Quartromicins are well known for their antiviral properties but barely explored due to no known synthesis to date and low isolation yield (0.36-0.06%) makes them an attractive target molecule for the total synthesis for further investigation and development to combat the viruses. With this proposal, we address the synthetic aspects of the main bioactive molecules and their analogs being considered to be repositioned for the effective treatment of viral infections. The first total synthesis of Quartromicins A1, A2, A3, D1, D2, D3 is proposed by a convergent synthetic strategy that involves the use of an enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction, the carbonyl-ene reaction mediated by organocatalyst, and the Heck dimerizing coupling reaction as the key step to the macrocyclization. The endo adduct is proposed to be readily synthesized by the enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction while the exo unit by a carbonyl-ene reaction, both mediated by the organocatalyst. The exo & endo fragments are proposed to be transformed to the corresponding exo & endo-spirotetronate fragments by simple organic transformations. Finally, the symmetrical Quartromicins A1, A3, D1 & D3 and unsymmetrical Quartromicins A2 & D2 can be synthesized by the Heck dimerizing coupling and the Heck double cross-coupling reactions respectively. The late-stage glycosylation strategy shall furnish a library of bioactive molecules essential for medicinal chemistry applications.

Keywords: organocatalysis,enantioselective,diels alder,carbonyl ene,heck macrocyclization,cross coupling,glycosylation,spirotetronate,antiviral
Losing genes but gaining symbionts: Why beetles outsource key metabolic traits (SYMBIVORE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Panel description: For all organisms : Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change , evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, microbial ecology , marine biology, ecophysiology, theoretical developments and mod elling
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2026-02-01
End date: 2031-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999758.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999758.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Herbivorous beetles represent one of the most successful animal radiations. The cooption of microbial enzymes is cited as a key innovation that endowed beetles with the catalytic tools to breach the plant cell wall and facilitated the evolution of remarkably diverse herbivorous habits. Beetles incorporated microbial plant cell wall-degrading enzymes either through horizontal gene transfer or symbiosis. This binary distribution is most evident in leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), where the loss of horizontally acquired pectinases coincided with the evolution of functionally convergent digestive symbioses. Prior efforts either examined the role of horizontal gene transfer or symbiosis in shaping the phenotypic complexity of herbivorous beetles. But a comprehensive approach reconciling both fields is lacking. SYMBIVORE aims to fill this gap by defining the metabolic requirements and determining the physiological and ecological conditions favoring symbiosis as an alternative strategy for beetles to deconstruct pectin. The proposed research is integrative and extends beyond the state-of-the-art by examining the adaptive importance of symbiosis relative to horizontal gene transfer across multiple scales of biological organization. From the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying symbiont acquisition, to the biochemical, physiological, and ecological consequences of outsourcing a key metabolic trait. Through comparative genomics, transcriptomics, structural biochemistry, bioassays, and nutritional geometry, SYMBIVORE will address the hypothesis that symbiosis upgraded the digestive physiology in a subset of beetle clades, thereby relaxing selection for these insects to endogenously maintain essential genes. SYMBIVORE capitalizes on the functional overlap conferred by symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer to define how these processes differentially shape the adaptive potential of beetles, Earth’s most speciose animal order.

Keywords: symbiosis,host microbe interactions,nutritional symbiosis
Bulgarian Robotics & AI Nexus - Where Human Ingenuity meets Artificial Intelligence (BRAIN PP)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Digital, Industry and Space
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: European High Performance Computing
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: EUROHPC (JU-JTI)
Countries involved: Bulgaria
Call: Artificial Intelligence Factories (HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2025-AI-01-IBA, 2025)
Start date: 2025-12-01
End date: 2028-11-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 19984212.0
EU funding (EUR): 9992106.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

BRAIN++ will establish Bulgaria's first comprehensive AI Factory, creating a national hub for foundation model development, adaptation, and deployment while strengthening European digital sovereignty through indigenous AI capabilities. This coordinated initiative addresses critical gaps in Bulgaria's AI ecosystem by delivering five interconnected pillars: advanced computing infrastructure, specialized foundation models, robust AI governance frameworks, comprehensive talent development, and cross-sector implementation support. BRAIN++ will develop four specialized foundation models addressing Bulgaria's unique needs and strategic advantages. BgGPT will pioneer new techniques for low-resource language model development, creating the first comprehensive language model optimized for Bulgarian with 175 billion parameters, enabling natural language applications from government services to cultural heritage preservation. RoboticsBG will establish modular foundation models for industrial robotics with particular emphasis on manufacturing and logistics use cases, accelerating automation adoption among Bulgarian SMEs. FORSE (Foundation for Observation, Recognition, and Sensing Environments) will develop specialized vision-language models incorporating Earth observation data from Bulgaria's aerospace initiatives, enabling applications from precision agriculture to environmental monitoring. MEDBG will focus on biomedical applications, developing foundation models attuned to Bulgaria's specific healthcare challenges and population characteristics. The project incorporates robust AI governance through COMPL-AI, a comprehensive compliance framework ensuring all developed models adhere to the EU AI Act requirements. This framework includes automated testing protocols for bias detection, transparency mechanisms, and security assessments specifically attuned to the Bulgarian context, establishing a model for responsible AI development within emerging European innovation ecosystems.

Keywords: high performance computing ai factory low resource language gpt federated data lake,trustworthy ai
In-depth understanding of multiphase mass transfer in CO2 electrolyzers through application of engineered, ordered reactor components (TRANSCEND)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Products and Processes Engineering
Panel description: Product and process design, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical, vehicle engineering, energy processes and relevant computational methods
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2022-COG, 2022)
Start date: 2024-04-01
End date: 2029-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999588.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999588.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

To avoid catastrophic climate change, European countries are bound by the European Climate Law to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to become climate-neutral by 2050. To meet this necessary but steep target, radical progress in the technology for carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is needed. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 (eCO2R) is key to aid in the reduction of carbon levels and the production of sustainable chemicals and fuels. Current electrochemical reactor systems suffer from low efficiency and mass transport inhibitions due to the low CO2 solubility in aqueous electrolytes. By using gaseous CO2, zero gap electrolyzers overcome the low solubility issue. However, the productivity and product purity obtained with current zero gap cells are still a far way off from the industrially required levels. We believe that the main blame for this lies with the components used to facilitate the mass transport of the CO2 gas and liquid water to the catalyst on the one hand, and the removal of products and solid carbonate salts, out of the cell on the other hand, as they are still based on materials used in hydrogen fuel cells. The use of unsuitable materials affects the overall efficiency negatively. In TRANSCEND, I propose a disruptive approach to the CO2 electrolyzer. I will apply a radically new bottom-up design to arrive at an integrated structure of all components responsible for multiphase transport. Three work packages are designed to develop an in-depth understanding of the mass transport and functionality of each of the different reactor components whilst in parallel building up the integrated electrolyzer. The envisaged high control over the mass transport and reaction environment will lead to high efficiency and durability. If successful TRANSCEND will contribute greatly to the fundamental understanding of the requirements and operation of eCO2R reactors and lay the foundation for the next generation and industrial application of this technology.

Keywords: electrochemical engineering porous transport electrode 3d nanostructuring co2 electrolyzers
AST Technology: Reducing Agricultural Emissions with Circular Sustainable Solutions (AST)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Denmark
Call: EIC Accelerator 2024 - Short application (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-01, 2024)
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The AST Add-On technology revolutionizes biogas plants by converting low-value digestate into high-value substrate and organic nutrients for the agricultural sector. This Circular Bio-Economic Concept establishes a dynamic cycle linking biogas production, substrate generation, and nutrient recovery. By addressing challenges in agriculture, AST reduces greenhouse gas emissions from untreated digestate. The AST substrate is nearly carbon-neutral, replacing environmentally harmful alternatives. Integrated into biogas plants, the Add-On creates a closed-loop system, converting digestate into valuable products and extracting essential nutrients for organic farming. AST's innovation transforms waste into valuable resources, offering a sustainable solution for eco-friendly and economically viable agricultural practices.

Keywords: substrate production,sustainable agricultural,biogas plant add on
Foundation AGI model for Industrial Robots (HYPER)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: EIC Accelerator Open 2024 (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-02, 2024)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3413093.77
EU funding (EUR): 2389165.64
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Today's automation solutions excel in structured environments but fail in complex and variable situations, significantly impacting industries like manufacturing and warehouse logistics. Robotics has traditionally focused on pick-and-place tasks because they provide a foundational basis for automation. Mastering these tasks allows for the generalization of solutions to other industrial automation applications. However, automating unstructured and unpredictable environments remains a significant challenge, requiring greater flexibility and adaptability in he supply chain. To disrupt the automation industry SICS is developing next-generation AI that addresses the limitations of today’s AI and solves key problems of: 1) Lack of robustness; 2) Lack of structured world model; 3) Lack of online interaction; 4) Lack of multi-step reasoning and planning. At best, the step-by-step reasoning in today’s AI is based on statistical pattern recognition rather than true reasoning. SICS's objective is to build a foundation model for robots, a more general AI that learns online and can control any type of robot hardware independent of geometry and kinematics, using any type of sensors and data sources as input. This will allow robots to “learn by doing” and have an inherent continuous improvement where every interaction with the world is training the system, much like human learning. With support and financing from EIC, we will be able to boost the development and lower the threshold for VCs to co-invest alongside EIC. The funding will also play an important role in independent external quality approval and a granted application will serve as a due diligence that increases the trust and lower the threshold for investors to engage.

Keywords: foundation model,robotics,artificial general intelligence,automation
Covalent Chaotropic Membrane Transport for Biotherapeutic Delivery (CARAMEL) (CARAMEL)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Synergy grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Spain,Germany,Switzerland
Call: ERC SYNERGY GRANTS (ERC-2025-SyG, 2025)
Start date: 2026-04-01
End date: 2032-03-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9949929.0
EU funding (EUR): 9949929.0
Participants: 4
Project status: SIGNED

Finding new synthetic compounds that facilitate membrane transport of impermeable bioactive molecules constitutes one of the grand scientific challenges in chemistry, biology, and medicine. Until today, the design principles of artificial transporters have been mainly restricted to membrane-targeting molecules with segregated hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. We propose a disruptive strategy that uses boron clusters as membrane carriers that abandon the classical amphiphilic topology and exploit the (super)chaotropicity of boron cluster anions. Chaotropicity, historically associated with the salting-in effects of ions on proteins, has only recently been related to the affinity of large cluster ions to hydrophobic surfaces. In comparison to amphiphilic carriers, boron clusters are fully inorganic, highly water-soluble, globular in shape, and induce direct membrane transport despite being anionic in nature. The mere existence of these carriers defies all previous conceptual assumptions and biomimetic design criteria. Here, we introduce a new scenario for chaotropic membrane transport. A new chaotropic strategy will be introduced. A systematic transport screening will be carried out to study the fundamental physicochemical parameters and to generate a cargo-dependent predictive model for covalent chaotropic transport. Functional biomolecular hybrids will be validated to achieve proof-of-principle for the therapeutic potential. This proposal is aimed to fully unfold the potential of the new chaotropic scenario and intended to shake the very foundations of research in membrane transport.

Keywords: lipid bilayer,membrane transport,synthetic membrane carriers,peptide chemistry,counterion activation,boron clusters,intermolecular interactions,boron clusters,chaotropic materials,extracellular vesicles,protein delivery
The ProM platform: New ways to drug the undruggable (ProM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Germany
Call: EIC Accelerator Open 2021 (HORIZON-EIC-2021-ACCELERATOROPEN-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-04-01
End date: 2025-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3516250.6
EU funding (EUR): 2461375.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Existing pharmaceutical methods can only target 15% of all proteins in the human proteome. Given this limitation, pharmaceutical companies are running out of options to develop effective drugs to tackle hard-to-treat diseases. To have a better chance of fighting these diseases, further targets of the remaining, so far undruggable 85% of our proteome need to be unlocked. PROSION developed a disruptive platform of chemical building blocks called ProMs. The ProM-platform addresses a specific class of yet undruggable proteins linked to hard-to-treat-diseases. ProMs can be combined into small molecule drugs to target proteins that play a key-role in pathologies such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases and immune mediated disorders. The platform’s potential is currently being validated: in its first project, PROSION addresses a yet undruggable target to potentially provide new therapies for pancreatic and breast cancer and fight drug-resistance effects within cancer therapies.

Keywords: proms,undruggable diseases,cancer,drug discovery
Revolutionising Beverage Cooling with Compact, High-Efficiency Technology: Chill It Mini (Chill It Mini)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Uruguay
Call: EIC Accelerator 2025 - Short application (HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-01, 2025)
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

ChillIt is revolutionising the beverage industry with its innovative on-demand cooling technology, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 90% compared to traditional refrigeration methods. Founded in 2019, ChillIt addresses the growing demand for perfectly chilled beverages while eliminating the excessive energy waste associated with conventional cooling. Our flagship product, the ChillIt Artica, rapidly chills individual beverages to optimal temperatures within seconds, without requiring continuous power. This breakthrough has attracted major players like Heineken and AB InBev, who recognise its potential to enhance sustainability and customer satisfaction. To scale our impact, we have partnered with Imbera, a global leader in commercial refrigeration. We are now developing the ChillIt Mini, a more compact and versatile solution for bars, cafes, and smaller retail outlets. The ChillIt Mini will further drive the shift toward sustainable refrigeration practices. With the support of the EIC Accelerator, ChillIt aims to expedite the development and market entry of the ChillIt Mini, enabling key activities such as advanced research, prototyping, and large-scale testing. This non-dilutive funding is essential to maintain strategic control as we scale up, enhancing our competitive position in the rapidly growing market for eco-friendly cooling solutions. By supporting ChillIt, the EIC will help drive a new era in sustainable refrigeration, establishing Europe as a global leader in climate-conscious innovation for commercial cooling.

Keywords: food engineering,fast refrigeration technology,sustainable beverage cooling,environmental and green technologies,energy efficiency,and thermodynamics
Fossil-Free Graphite by Nordic Bio-Graphite: Advancing Sustainability and Resilience in Critical Raw Materials Supply Chains (Fossil-Free Graphite)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Challenges
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: Acceleration of advanced materials development and upscaling along the value chain (HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02, 2025)
Start date: 2025-12-01
End date: 2027-11-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2766510.51
EU funding (EUR): 1936557.36
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Nordic Bio-Graphite (NBG) is developing a fossil-free, bio-based graphite to address the growing demand for sustainable materials in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, green steel production, and other industrial applications. Traditional graphite production is highly carbon-intensive and relies on fossil-based inputs, with Europe importing most of its graphite. This dependency creates significant supply chain risks and environmental challenges. To overcome these issues, NBG has developed a patent-pending process that converts biochar into high-purity graphite with 70% lower energy consumption and 95% fewer chemicals than conventional methods. This CO2-neutral process provides a cost-competitive, scalable alternative that can be produced locally, strengthening Europe’s raw material supply and contributing to the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act objectives. This project aims to scale the technology from TRL 6 to TRL 8 by establishing a pilot plant. The pilot will validate performance in batteries and industrial applications, engage with key industry partners, and prepare for large-scale commercialization. By replacing fossil-based graphite with a sustainable alternative, NBG will reduce Europe’s reliance on imports, support the clean energy transition, and enable industrial decarbonization, fully aligning with the EU’s sustainability and climate goals.

Keywords: graphite,sustainable materials,steel,battery,nuclear,fuel cells,decarbonization,energy efficiency,electric arc furnace eaf,critical raw material,resilience