Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Signaling initiation and specificity in BAK1-dependent receptor kinase-mediated innate immunity in Arabidopsis (PHOSPHINNATE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Immunity and infection
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2017-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499420.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499420.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Surface-localized pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) detect microbes by recognizing conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) EFR and FLS2 recognize the bacterial PAMPs EF-Tu and flagellin, respectively. Although the overall importance of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) for plant defense is established, the mechanisms linking PRR activation at the plasma membrane to intracellular signaling remain largely unknown. Our long-term objective is to understand how plants perceive and signal in response to microbes to mount efficient disease resistance. The overall aim of this proposal is to decipher signaling initiation and specificity during RK-mediated innate immunity in plants. The central hypotheses of the research are that (i) the ligand-binding LRR-RKs FLS2 and EFR form dynamic complexes with multiple regulatory proteins upon PAMP binding, which are essential to signaling initiation, (ii) phosphorylation events between the ligand-binding PRRs and the regulatory LRR-RK BAK1 are key for signaling initiation and specificity, and (iii) new sensitized forward genetic screens can identify novel important immune regulators. The rationale behind this research is based on exciting new data showing that (i) the properties of the non-RD kinases FLS2 and EFR are distinct from the paradigmatic RD kinase BRI1, (ii) the function of BAK1 in immunity, growth and cell death control can be uncoupled mechanistically in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, and (iii) a suppressor screen identified several modifiers of bak1-5 (mob) mutants. To achieve our goal, we will pursue the following specific objectives: 1. Decipher the composition, stoichiometry, cellular localization and dynamics of the FLS2/EFR-BAK1 complexes. 2. Identify the “phosphocode” underlying signaling initiation and specificity in BAK1 signaling pathways. 3. Characterize MOB proteins as novel immune signaling components.

Keywords: receptor kinases
Interaction and actuation of lipid membranes with magnetic nanoparticles (INTERACT-MEMNP)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Applied life sciences and biotechnology
Countries involved: Austria
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1483486.52
EU funding (EUR): 1483486.52
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Cell membranes contain a large part of the delicate machinery of life and comprise the barriers controlling access to and from the interior of the cell. With the increasing use of nanoparticles (NPs) in medical imaging, drug delivery, cosmetics and materials the need is great and increasing to understand how NPs physically interact with cell membranes. On the one hand it is important to understand mechanisms to control risks of novel nanomaterials and to design therapeutic agents which can enter cells specifically and non-destructively. On the other hand, the structure and function of biological membranes inspire development of biomimetic smart materials for biotechnological applications which exploit or are modeled on biological membranes, but given enhanced functionality and external control of properties through incorporation of functional NPs. The aim of the proposed work is to develop understanding of the biophysical interaction of functional NPs with lipid membranes, in particular NP incorporation into and penetration through lipid membranes. Further, the aim is, based on that knowledge, to understand and control the self-assembly of superparamagnetic NPs into synthetic and cell lipid membranes to actuate them and control their physical properties in pursuit of novel biomimetic smart materials and cell analytical methods. The required level of control for this research has until recently been beyond the reach of existing NP systems (lack of synthetic control, stability and characterization) and methodology (lipid membrane models and high resolution techniques for their investigation). However, it can now be achieved using the Fe3O4 NP platform and surface-based and vesicular membrane model systems of tuned composition that I have developed. Using the same platform, breakthrough magneto-responsive biomimetic smart materials with application in drug delivery and cell manipulation with novel mechanisms of actuation will be self-assembled and investigated.

Keywords: lipid membrane,superparamagnetic nanoparticle,drug delivery,smart material,magnetic actuation,nanoparticle assembly
Commercialization of distributed & cloud solutions for biomolecular simulation and free energy calculation (BINARYBIO)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Countries involved: Sweden
Call:  (ERC-2011-PoC, 2011)
Start date: 2012-08-01
End date: 2013-07-31
Duration (months): 12.0
Total project cost (EUR): 137132.4
EU funding (EUR): 122600.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Computational chemistry is playing an increasingly important role for research in the pharmaceutical industry, oils & plastic, and materials development. Simulation and high-throughput screening can be orders of magnitude cheaper than experiments in the early stages of drug design. The ERC project preceding this application has developed several new techniques that make it orders-of-magnitude more efficient to calculate free energies from simulations rather than approximate docking screening. We have already had great academic success, but the requirement of large computer clusters or access to the Folding@Home network makes it difficult to implement in industry. To address this, we have developed a new framework for peer-to-peer distributed computing combined with Markov state models (called “Copernicus”) to be presented at Supercomputing’11. Copernicus completely removes the need to deal with single simulations, and allows users to specify workflows - directly on their laptop - in terms of free energy calculations or sampling of complex processes such as protein folding. Workflows are transparently uploaded to a server and split into distributed calculation workunits (e.g. in a company), computer clusters, but also cloud computing to deal with peaks in usage. The results are again transparently moved to the user’s machine. This provides a clear competitive advantage in terms of efficiency, and it removes all investment and support costs related to high-performance computing. This is of course not limited to molecular simulation, and in addition to the pharmaceutical track we want to investigate usage in the financial industry. We have just submitted a patent application for the dynamic data flow network that makes the peer-to-peer usage possible, but we would need a programmer to turn the research-level code into a working proof-of-concept for high-throughput screening applications in the pharmaceutical industry and another person to work on business development.

Keywords: 209825
Automated Glycosaminoglycan Synthesis to Access Defined Oligosaccharides for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications (GAGAUTOSYN)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Countries involved: Germany
Call:  (ERC-2011-PoC, 2011)
Start date: 2012-05-01
End date: 2013-08-31
Duration (months): 16.0
Total project cost (EUR): 148535.0
EU funding (EUR): 148535.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are biomolecules that have been used clinically for many years. Best known is heparin that has served as an anticoagulant in the clinic for more than 60 years. Defined GAG oligosaccharides are key to establish defined structure-activity relationships for specific interactions with proteins as a first step to modulate processes underlying viral entry, angiogenesis and diseases of the central nervous system. Work funded by an ongoing ERC Advanced Grant has resulted in a synthesis process that can be executed on a fully automated GAG synthesizer. Using this process, defined GAG oligosaccharides representing heparin and chondroitin sulfate, can now be prepared in days rather than months or years. The overall goal of the proof-of-concept project is to establish a differentiated business model for a company that will focus on that will oversee the creation of an automated GAG synthesizer, the building blocks needed to feed the instrument and the production processes of defined GAG oligosaccharides or a combination of these three areas. As a result, it will help to define the market potential for the use of complex glycans on microarrays and as tools for next generation diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The specific activities include: 1) Development of a specification for the automated GAG synthesizer as a commercial instrument; 2) Plan the production of monosaccharide building blocks and establish a cost structure; 3) Plan the production of defined GAG oligosaccharides and establish a cost structure; 4) Analysis of the IP space and development of an IP strategy; 5) Establish a basis for commercial discussion with potential customers; 6) Prepare a business plan for discussions with investors; 7) Incorporate a company to commercialize one or all aspects of automated GAG oligosaccharide synthesis.

Keywords: 227975
Bottom-up fabrication of nano carbon-inorganic hybrid materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production (CARINHYPH)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Spain,Germany,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Germany,Italy,Switzerland,Spain
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SMALL-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3879770.08
EU funding (EUR): 2885910.0
Participants: 9
Project status: CLOSED

CARINHYPH projects deals with the hierarchical assembly of functional nanomaterials into novel nanocarbon-inorganic hybrid structures for energy generation by photocatalyic hydrogen production, with Carbon NanoTubes (CNTs) and graphene the choice of nanocarbons. The scientific activities include the development of new functionalisation strategies targeted at improving charge transfer in hybrids and therefore their photocatalytic activity, and in transferring these synergistic effects by assembling the hybrid units into macroscopic structures. Three different types of hybrid architectures will be explored: Hybrid 1 – consisting of inorganic gyroids impregnated with the nanocarbon; Hybrid 2 – consisting of nanocarbon membranes coated with the inorganic compound by atomic layer deposition; Hybrid 3 - electrospun hybrid fibres. CARINHYPH specifically aims to tailor interfacial charge and energy transfer processes by means of chemical functionalisation and evaluate them with photochemical and transient spectroscopy, as well as explore the effect of the nanocarbon as a substrate and heat sink, which stabilises smaller semiconductor particles and reduces agglomeration that will result in larger accessible surface areas. Two industrial partners in the consortium, a nanocarbon supplier and a potential end user, guarantee that both ends of the production line are taken into account for the development of new technologies and the production of a roadmap for industrial deployment. This roadmap will also measure sustainability of processes and materials developed in this project in terms of environmental and economical impact as compared to state-of-the-art techniques for the production of hydrogen by the use of adequate Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches.

Keywords: hybrids,cnt,graphene,inorganic,hierarchical assembly,photocatalysis,hydrogen,interface
Synergic combination of high performance flame retardant based on nano-layered hybrid particles as real alternative to halogen based flame retardant additives (PHOENIX)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Materials
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Spain,Spain,Germany,France,Switzerland,Türkiye,France,Germany,Germany,Germany,Bulgaria,Israel,Spain,Romania
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SME-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2016-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6981368.8
EU funding (EUR): 5099936.0
Participants: 15
Project status: CLOSED

Electrical and electronic (EE) applications – including housings, wire and cable, and internals such as connectors– are the largest market for flame retardants (FR) in plastics globally. The need for flame retardancy is increasing due to electronics miniaturization and higher temperatures in both processing and use. PHOENIX project is an ambitious multidisciplinary innovative threefold approach to develop: (i) A new concept of FR nanostructured materials, based on new non-halogenated flame-retardants applying nanotechnology to replace hazardous chemicals to produce sustainable FR additives based on nanolayered structures and modified lignins, produced with innovative and green chemical routes, for thermoplastic and thermoset applications. (ii) Innovative processing routes, providing solutions to the demands of the EU Industry regarding FR, finding a true cost-effective and sustainable alternative to existing non-environmentally friendly HFR, which allows simultaneously a significant improvement of mechanical properties and processability, highly limited with the existing non-halogenated FR available in the market for compounding, extrusion and injection moulding processes. New compounding techniques such as Nanodirekt process, and high innovative systems, such as ultrasounds mixing systems coupled to extrusion and injection equipments, will assure high nanoparticles dispersion in the polymer nanocomposites and in the final pieces, thus achieving optimal properties. (iii) Simulation and modelling of compounding processes for the preparation of optimal nanocomposites, avoiding aggregates and achieving the best dispersion of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. The achievement of these results will represent a significant advantage to the participating SMEs and in turn to the End-Users demanding high-performance environmentally friendly FR materials to manufacture high-performance parts.

Keywords: flame retardant,nanoparticles,thermoplastics,compounding,electrical electronic appliances
Molecular determinants of aphid host range (APHIDHOST)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Applied life sciences and biotechnology
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111109, 2012)
Start date: 2013-02-01
End date: 2018-10-31
Duration (months): 69.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1463840.0
EU funding (EUR): 1463840.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Many aphid species are restricted to one or few host plants, while some aphids, many of which are of agricultural importance, can infest a wide range of plant species. An important observation is that aphids spend a considerable time on nonhost species, where they probe the leaf tissue and secrete saliva, but for unknown reasons are unable to ingest phloem sap. This suggest that aphids, like plant pathogens, interact with nonhost plants at the molecular level, but potentially are not successful in suppressing plant defenses and/or releasing nutrients. To date, however, the plant cellular changes and the involvement of immune response, such as ETI and PTI, in aphid-host and -nonhost interactions remain elusive. The aim of the proposed project is to gain insight into the level of cellular host reprogramming that takes place during aphid-host interactions, the cellular processes involved in aphid nonhost resistance, and the role of aphid effectors in determining host range. We will compare interactions of two economically important aphid species, Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) and Rhopalosiphum padi (bird cherry oat aphid), with host and nonhost plants. We will investigate local changes in plant cellular processes during aphid-host and -nonhost interactions using microscopy and biochemistry approaches. We will apply a comparative transcriptomics approach and functional assays to identify aphid effectors as potential determinants of host range. Herein we will specifically looks for aphids-species specific effectors and those that are expressed in specific host interactions. To gain insight into molecular mechanisms of effector activities we will identify host targets and investigate the contribution of effector-target interactions to host range. The expected outcomes of the project will, in the long term, contribute to the development of novel strategies to control infestations by aphids and potentially other pests and pathogens, thereby improving food security.

Keywords: aphid resistance,effector,host target,virulence,nonhost resistance,host range,pamp-triggered immunity,molecular plant-insect interactions
Total Operation management for Safety Critical Activities (TOSCA)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: New production
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Italy,France,Ireland,Belgium,Greece,Slovenia,Italy,Greece,Italy,Ireland,Luxembourg
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SMALL-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-02-01
End date: 2016-01-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4207824.81
EU funding (EUR): 3150000.0
Participants: 15
Project status: CLOSED

Over the recent past the accumulation of major mishaps, crises and accidents have made it clear that organisations must still improve their capabilities to address safety “not a stand-alone activity that is separate from the main activities and processes of the organization” but as an integrated part of critical project management. Further it is critical also to understand how weaknesses not only in the technical but also in the organisational interfaces can contribute to significant losses and major industrial accidents. TOSCA (Total Operation Management for Safety Critical Activities) is concerned with the integration of industrial operations into a total performance management system so that concerns about safety, quality and productivity are addressed in an integrated way during life-cycle of a project or a product. The industrial domain of application regards process control industries (e.g., chemical industries, power generation, offshore oil & gas platforms, etc.) that may vary in size, regulatory and cultural aspects. TOSCA will examine vulnerabilities of the technical, human and organisational systems that may have an impact in safety, quality and productivity. Safety critical activities can be seen as ‘projects’ or ‘safety cases’ that must be examined from the perspectives of many stakeholders (e.g., different departments, subcontractors, regulatory authorities, etc) and decision-making at different organizational levels (e.g., top managers, supervisors and operators). A participative approach is required that should collect knowledge from the sharp-end operators and integrate it with formal descriptions of how the system works and how responses should be coordinated across the whole organisation. Furthermore, TOSCA should enhance the management of changes and provide a facility for testing out the effectiveness of the possible action plan devised.

Keywords: health,safety,environment,quality,human-organisational-factors,production,resilience,performance,safety-management-system,critical-activities,decision-making,management-of-changes
On-the-fly alterable thin-film solar modules for design driven applications (SOLAR DESIGN)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies - NMP
Destination: Integration
Action type: Collaborative project
Countries involved: Austria,Spain,Austria,Spain,Germany,Italy,France,Austria,Denmark,Spain
Call:  (FP7-NMP-2012-SME-6, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2015-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3712054.93
EU funding (EUR): 2716423.0
Participants: 12
Project status: CLOSED

The demand for aesthetically integrated photovoltaic materials is increasing steadily in many industries. A growing number of designers, architects and industrial manufacturers across the world share a common interest in using Photovoltaics (PV) as a decentralized and sustainable source of energy in their product designs. Developing markets such as sustainable housing, temporary building structures, outdoor activities, electro-mobility and mobile computing will drive the demand for decentralized, attractive energy solutions. For solar powered products are customisable shapes, sizes, colours, transparencies or specific electrical properties required, which have a decisive influence on the acceptance on the market. Therefore a new breed of solar technologies is necessary. To achieve this goal new flexible production processes and materials need to be developed. A novel manufacturing process will enable the adjustment of all properties of a thin-film module on-the-fly and facilitate the production of customized photovoltaic modules with the desired voltage, size and shape. Combined with the material characteristics given by the underlying thin-film solar cell technology a new-breed of design-led, sustainable and decentralised energy solutions can be realized. Furthermore the designer or architect who wants to incorporate solar electricity into his work needs a service environment to be assisted in the creative process. Tools should support the designer in conceiving, planning and producing the solar design products. This project will address the above mentioned challenges by exploring and developing new materials, manufacturing and business processes in PV powered product design and architecture.

Keywords: photovoltaics,sustainable design,building integrated photovoltaics,thin-film solar cells,solarpowered products