Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Explainable, Safe, Contact-Aware Planning and Control for Heavy Machinery Manipulation and Navigation (XSCAVE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Digital, Industry and Space
Theme: Digital
Destination: Digital & Emerging Technologies for Competitiveness and Fit for the Green Deal
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: AI-DATA-ROBOTICS (co-programmed)
Countries involved: Estonia,Finland,Germany,Czechia,Sweden,United Kingdom
Call: Novel paradigms and approaches, towards AI-powered robots– step change in functionality (AI, data and robotics partnership) (RIA) (HORIZON-CL4-2024-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, 2024)
Start date: 2024-12-01
End date: 2028-11-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7975530.0
EU funding (EUR): 7975530.0
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

Earth-Moving, Forestry, and Urban Logistics are sectors where increased autonomy can spur drastic economic growth along with addressing some core societal (e.g. address labor shortage) and environmental problems (e.g. minimize soil damage, fuel consumption). Yet there are persisting challenges related to variations of tasks/environments that are intricately linked to the terrain-machine contact encountered during navigation and manipulation. For example, an Excavator machine used in Earth-Moving needs to adapt to different types of terrain (ground) underneath (loose soil, rocks of different shapes and sizes), for scooping. Such task and environment adaptation require machines to modify their “perception-to-action” mapping based on online observations from different sensing modalities. XSCAVE will leverage the exceptional representation and approximation capabilities of deep neural networks to automatically learn the terrain/specific adaptation of excavation, forwarding, and navigation strategies from data. The overall objective of XSCAVE is (i) to develop capabilities for learning performant (high-speed), safe (stable, contact-aware), and explainable perception-to-action models for terrain adaptive excavation and navigation strategies and (ii) demonstrate step-change in autonomy for Excavation, Forwarding and Navigation tasks prevalent in Earth-Moving, Forestry and Logistics industries. To this end, XSCAVE aims to re-imagine deep-learned models as neural networks augmented with parameterized structured priors derived from physics, optimization, and classical search to bring domain knowledge into the learning pipeline. The fundamental innovations at the algorithmic level will translate to unprecedented ability for the machines to plan, control and adapt their actions depending on the task and terrain contact conditions. The end-results will be demonstrated in partnership with Novatron (earth-moving), Komatsu (forestry), and Clevon (outdoor logistic vehicles).

Keywords: contact aware planning,control heavy machinery earth moving machine terrain interaction structured priors,differentiable simulator world model,end to end explainability,trustworthiness
LIGNin-based arOmatic FUNnelling to high-value biochemicals and biomaterials production (LIGNOFUN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Circular Bio-based Europe
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: CBE (JU-JTI)
Countries involved: Sweden,Germany,Spain,Hungary,France,Belgium,Finland,Ireland,Türkiye
Call: Selective and sustainable (co)-production of lignin-derived aromatics (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024, 2024)
Start date: 2025-06-01
End date: 2029-05-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 8840506.3
EU funding (EUR): 7496382.42
Participants: 18
Project status: SIGNED

LIGNOFUN is a groundbreaking initiative founded on the transformative idea to replace fossil-derived aromatic chemicals with sustainable, lignin-based alternatives while addressing environmental challenges like greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion. In the phase one, the project aims to advance two key lignin depolymerization technologies (METNIN and OHRIGINS) to industrially relevant scale (TRL6-7) and valorize low-value underutilized lignin from paper mills into valuable aromatic molecule rich streams. The second phase focuses on validation and TRL progression for each of these depolymerized streams into high-value demonstration prototypes (such as foams, nylon 66, adhesives, coatings, composites, wood panels, cosmetics, personal care products and rubber products), showcasing their potential for superior performance and economic viability. LIGNOFUN will also conduct a thorough impact assessment through process simulations and curated mass balance data, utilizing TEA, S-LCA, ssBD, and LCC analyses to optimize sustainability, economic feasibility, and social impact. The project’s robust consortium of 18 partners (7 SMEs, 1 large company, 9 RTOs, and 1 cluster) unites expertise from both industry and research, ensuring end-user engagement and the industrial adoption of results. By engaging stakeholders across the value chain, LIGNOFUN will foster industry uptake of sustainable, bio-based alternatives. The project will revolutionize lignin utilization and empower EU industries to reduce fossil dependence, driving sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness for a greener future.

Keywords: chemo enzymatic depolymerization chemo catalytic depolymerization kraft lignin,biobased adipic acid,lignin based antioxidants,lignin based resins,composites
CliCBrain: Climate, Cities and Brain health; Addressing the impact of climate and exposome on brain health (CliCBrain)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Staff Exchanges
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Ireland,Portugal,Spain,Egypt,Colombia,Argentina,Peru,South Africa,Kenya,Chile,United States,Singapore,Netherlands,Switzerland,France,Germany
Call: MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-SE-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1548090.0
EU funding (EUR): 1548090.0
Participants: 22
Project status: SIGNED

Climate change poses an existential crisis for the future of civilisation and is already significantly affecting the brain health of populations worldwide. These impacts include the direct effects of climate change (extreme heat or cold, flooding, pollution) and downstream exposome effects such as increased migration, food insecurity, and the exacerbation of threats to the brain from structural and systemic issues (unplanned urbanisation and systemic inequality). These factors can have immediate consequences for health and well-being while also increasing the risk of dementia later in life. However, significant gaps remain in understanding how these factors intersect and impact brain health across different contexts, the transdisciplinary methodological frameworks needed to assess them, and how to develop new approaches to protect brain health through design, practice, and policy.. CliCBrain will address these gaps through a strategic programme involving 76 staff/researcher exchanges, 6 networking and training events, and intentional collaboration across 23 global, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary partners. We focus on 3 main objectives: (i) to understand how climate change impacts brain health by developing an extended exposome framework (ii) using these insights to identify, design, and drive new approaches to protect brain health at the individual and community levels and (iii) to develop recommendations to inform and drive change at community, service and policy level. This innovative transdisciplinary initiative will yield high scientific returns, new methodologies and practices, and actionable recommendations for policymakers. CliCBrain will engage widely with public and sectoral stakeholders in co-creation and dissemination activities. This project will create the structure, network, and human capital to sustain a community of practice in climate change and brain health that can inform future policy developments.

Keywords: climate change,brain health,migration,urbanisation,social inequalities,neuroscience,public policy,community resilience,exposome,sustainability,urban design
Electric Machines with Inherent Speed-Dependent Characteristics for More Sustainable and Efficient Energy Conversion (CHARMAELEON)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting 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: Austria
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2028-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499921.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499921.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Half of the total electric energy consumed within the European Union is used for operating electric machines. Those might feature high efficiency for rated load, but partial load and overload performance often is very poor. Additionally, given some voltage and current limits for driving machines, designers need to trade good performance at high torque versus high-speed capabilities. Machines with speed-dependent characteristics would facilitate overcoming the current limitations and thus are the subject of this ERC project. The main approach for realizing operation dependent machine characteristics is to acquit oneself of thinking that the electric machine structure must be static. Allowing solid parts of the rotor to change in position or powder-based compounds to vary in local density while rotating enables a new class of designs. The realization requires all-new methods for designing the speed-dependent properties. This embraces techniques for co-simulating mechanical and electromagnetic aspects including components’ or particles’ movement, the experiment-driven characterization of powder-based soft magnetic materials with variable local density, micro- versus macroscopic modelling of magnetic properties, and the development of promising concepts for future electric machine design and their experimental proof of concept. The basic idea is simple, but its effective implementation is challenging and requires pioneering cross-disciplinary research. The PI has successfully demonstrated the ability to advance the state-of-the-art in electric machine design. The gained results will allow for simultaneously achieving higher net efficiency levels and reducing the consumption of resources due to an improved utilization of the applied components. The project will thus help to reduce the overall energy consumption and to minimize the need for critical raw materials. The reward of this project is tremendous and the expected outcome will beneficially affect our future lives.

Keywords: new electric machine topologies,more efficient and sustainable energy conversion,soft magnetic material characterization
Targeting eicosanoid metabolism to overcome tumor immunosuppression (EicoMet)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2024-02-01
End date: 2025-07-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The field of cancer immunotherapy has witnessed exciting therapeutic advances in the last decade, but still a large fraction of patients is not responsive and several cancer types are refractory to this therapy. The presence of a strongly immunosuppressive environment is a likely explanation for the suboptimal efficacy of immunotherapy. One of the most abundant and immune suppressive population in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is represented by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Therefore, several strategies that sculpt the TAM phenotype away from their immunosuppressive state are expected to become the next generation immunotherapies. Supported by the ERC consolidator grant ImmunoFit, we recently unveiled that the metabolic editing of the TME via the pharmacological and genetic inhibition of HPGDS in macrophages (an enzyme involved in the production of prostaglandin D2 from arachidonic acid), represents a novel therapeutic strategy to sculpt TAMs away from their immunosuppressive state, increase infiltration and fitness of CD8+ T cells and NK cells, and promote tumor vessel normalization. This change in the TME upon HPGDS inhibition overcomes resistance to current immunotherapeutic regimens in melanoma and other cancer indications. This proposal aims to de-risk HPGDS targeting by delivering a lead compound with proven efficacy in several preclinical models. The deliverables of this project will open-up a window of opportunities in immune-oncology and lead to novel combination therapies by increasing the potency of the current therapeutic approaches.
Entanglement of an array of massive, magnetically levitated superconducting microparticles on a chip (SuperQLev)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Panel description: Particle, nuclear, plasma, atomic, molecular, gas, and optical physics
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2022-COG, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Quantum states of massive objects have fascinated us since the inception of quantum mechanics. Nowadays molecules of thousands of atoms and nanomechanical resonators weighing picogram can be brought into quantum states. This capability enables tests of the validity of quantum mechanics and provides new avenues for quantum technologies. Entangled states are particularly relevant in this context as they unlock multipartite quantum correlations that, amongst others, enable precise measurements beyond the standard quantum limit and novel tests for the interplay between quantum mechanics and gravity. However, no experiment to date demonstrated entanglement between a scalable number of massive particles, which would access a novel parameter regime in terms of mass, quantum correlation, and particle number. SuperQLev will fill this gap and demonstrate entanglement of the center-of-mass motion of an array of magnetically levitated superconducting microparticles on chip. This achievement will break new ground by exploring multipartite quantum states of massive objects ranging over six orders of magnitude in mass, from pico- to microgram. SuperQLev will make this possible by merging two technologies into a unique experimental platform. The first technology is magnetic levitation of superconducting microparticles, which offers the capability of levitating massive particles at ultralow mechanical dissipation. My group has made pioneering contributions by realizing chip-based magnetic levitation of superconducting microparticles. The second technology is superconducting quantum circuits that offer a versatile toolbox for quantum control. SuperQLev will merge these two platforms to reach quantum control over the motion of levitated superconducting particles via inductive coupling to superconducting circuits. This hitherto unexplored hybrid quantum platform allows SuperQLev to conduct ground-breaking proof-of-principle experiments in quantum sensing and fundamental physics.

Keywords: superconducting levitation,magnetomechanics,superconducting quantum circuits,macroscopic quantum physics,quantum sensing
Materials irradiation: from basics to applications (MAMBA)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Staff Exchanges
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Spain,Mexico,South Africa,Cuba,United Kingdom,France,Italy,Czechia,Argentina
Call: MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-11-01
End date: 2027-10-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1637600.0
EU funding (EUR): 1637600.0
Participants: 14
Project status: SIGNED

Quite frequently matter is subject to irradiation. One can think of electronic devices in space, radiotherapies, materials processing by sputtering, nanoparticle modification, materials in the civil nuclear industry, radiation detectors, and many others. There is a common denominator to these scenarios, and is that radiation brings matter out of equilibrium, sometimes quite dramatically as in laser ablation, leading to a variety of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena at all scales, starting at the attosecond and nanometer with electronic excitation, and going up to meters and days or even years at the engineering or biological scale, where macroscopic phenomena like failure, fracture, explosion, or death can occur as a consequence of irradiation. Sometimes the goal is to avoid or mitigate damage, and other times is to harness the effects of radiation to alter the properties of materials. In all these scenarios it is crucial to understand the fundamental mechanisms of material response to intense and fast energy deposition. The research aim of MAMBA is to advance our understanding of material response to irradiation and to apply it to tailor and control the properties of materials exposed, purposedly or involuntarily, to intense radiation environments. We have selected five case studies lying at the frontier of knowledge, and spanning applications in diverse, although connected, fields: space electronics, photovoltaic cells for space applications, radiation-resistant nanostructures for nuclear fusion applications, radiation detectors for clinical studies, proton radiotherapy, and radiolytic hydrogen generation in nuclear decommissioning. These topics will be addressed through a combination of experimental and modelling techniques that, to a large degree, are common to these areas. This commonality allows for cross-pollination between themes and for implementing a rich training program that includes Schools, workshops and many PM of secondments.

Keywords: ion irradiation,high entropy alloys,electronic excitations,radiation detectors
SYNBEE: EXPANDING SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS (SYNBEE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: European innovation ecosystems
Theme: Elevating the scalability potential of European business
Destination: Elevating the scalability potential of European business
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Finland,Netherlands,France,Latvia,Ireland,Germany,United Kingdom,United States
Call: Expanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (HORIZON-EIE-2022-SCALEUP-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-15
End date: 2025-01-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1207281.57
EU funding (EUR): 998371.0
Participants: 16
Project status: CLOSED

Synthetic biology is a disruptive technology that enables completely new processes and products for industry, medical applications and food production, it makes the processes and products cheaper and more sustainable. SynBio will renew and challenge many major industries. The estimated overall market to be affected by SynBio exceeds $13 trillion. The global SynBio market is expected to grow from $5.3 billion in 2019 to $18.9 billion by 2024 with a CAGR of 28.8%. Leading European research organizations have a proven scientific record of excellence in the field. However, European science remains largely under-exploited commercially. One impact factor is difficulty to quickly consolidate transdisciplinary teams. Indeed, there is a need for clearer vision on the necessary current and future skills, required by the industry. SynBio is a relatively young discipline, made up of multiple sub-divisions, thus searching for a right profile (KOL, researcher, intern) is time-consuming for industrial companies, and can be even longer for startups. While the boom of accelerators and incubators and entrepreneurial training have driven start-up creation, the lack of specific thematic approaches can hinder the creation and/or maturation of SynBio start-ups. The SYNBEE project will address these challenges by: (i) SWOT analysis, matrix of best practices, mapping of academic profiles and industry in SynBio. (ii) General and SynBio-specific entrepreneurial training in close interaction with the industry. (iii) Networking, matchmaking between candidates and hosting and mentoring industrial partners, hackathons, pitch contests. (iv) Creation of a path from talented student to startup creation and investor workshops. (v) Policy making and mentoring between ecosystems. (vi) Specific focus will be brought to women in SynBio. SYNBEE will be implemented by key SynBio academia, industry, accelerators, investors from 25 EU countries, including 7 emerging and 6 moderate ecosystems.

Keywords: synthetic biology,scale up,internationalization,mobility,employability,self employment