Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Causal Roles of Intrinsic Coupling Modes: an Integrated Multiscale Framework for Cognitive Network Dynamics (cICMs)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Panel description: Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2022-ADG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-07-01
End date: 2028-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499250.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499250.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Functional coupling is a hallmark of brain networks, and there is a wealth of studies that have observed a relation between functional connectivity and cognition or sensorimotor processing. However, the vast majority of studies on this topic are correlative in nature, and causal evidence for the role of functional coupling is almost completely lacking. This project aims to fill this gap. Most of the coupling is intrinsically generated and occurs at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We will focus on two different types of such intrinsic coupling modes (ICMs): phase ICMs, arising from phase coupling of oscillatory signals, and envelope ICMs, resulting from coupled fluctuations of signal envelopes. The central hypothesis of this project is that both types of ICMs have causal relevance for cognitive processing and behavior. We will systematically manipulate, analyze and model the different types of ICMs to establish an integrated view on their functions and interrelations which currently is still lacking. Specifically, we aim to obtain the missing causal evidence on functional roles of ICMs, to unravel how phase and envelope ICMs differ in their relation to cognition and behavior, to reveal differences in the underlying mechanisms, and to unravel potential interactions between both types of ICMs. We will apply a translational approach which combines MEG recordings and tACS in humans with invasive electrophysiology and optogenetics in ferrets. We will use targeted multi-site interventions to dissect ICMs, independently manipulate phase and envelope coupling, and test the impact on cognitive processing and behavior. The experiments will be complemented by information-theoretic analyses and computational modeling of ICMs. This cutting-edge research program will yield an integrated multiscale framework for ICMs that is likely to have far-reaching implications for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognition and the complexity of the human mind.

Keywords: cognition,attention,bistable perception,multisensory processing,sensorimotor integration,coupling,functional connectivity,effective connectivity,network dynamics,brain stimulation,meg,tacs,optogenetics,modeling,information theory
Metal-Organic Framework Field-Effect Transistor Arrays for Chemical Sensing (MOFFET)

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 GRANTS1 (ERC-2022-POC1, 2022)
Start date: 2022-04-01
End date: 2023-09-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at low concentrations is an important but challenging task with a range of applications, including checking food freshness, monitoring indoor air quality, and diagnosing lung conditions through breath analysis. In all of these areas, high-performance yet compact VOC sensors are needed. While compact VOC sensors exist, they suffer from limited lifetimes and low selectivities, and often produce questionable data. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with pores of molecular dimensions are excellent materials to adsorb VOC analytes from air, even at very low concentrations. The MOFFET project targets the integration of MOFs with transistor technology to realize a novel type of VOC sensor. In addition, the modular nature of MOFs and microfabrication will be combined to realize an ‘electronic nose’ demonstrator for the selective detection in mixtures of VOCs. If successful, the project will contribute to novel, non-invasive medical diagnostics, checking food freshness, and monitoring air quality.
Social media for democracy – understanding the causal mechanisms of digital citizenship (SoMe4Dem)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Theme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Destination: Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Italy,Netherlands,Belgium,France,United Kingdom,Slovenia
Call: Politics and the impact of online social networks and new media (HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-03-01
End date: 2026-02-28
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3376955.34
EU funding (EUR): 3376955.09
Participants: 10
Project status: SIGNED

Social media for democracy – understanding the causal mechanisms of digital citizenship (SoMe4Dem) Current diagnoses that democracy is in crisis at the beginning of the 21st century share a common argumentative reference point: the (implicit) reference to the dysfunctional constitution of the political public sphere which is currently undergoing structural change. The rise of social media platforms is considered as one of its main constituents. While social media make the public arena more open and thus more responsive, these platforms also lead to new mechanisms of fragmentation and exclusion, an erosion of norms in public debate and a loss of trust in traditional institutions. The project will reconsider the diagnoses of this crisis by (1) providing better empirical evidence for the impact of social media on society with respect to political debates, (2) understanding the main causal mechanisms of this impact and (3) developing tools that improve the capacity of social media to contribute to the functioning of the public arena in a liberal democracy, i.e., deliberation, legitimation and the self-perception of the democratic subject.

Keywords: digital citizenship,polarization,trust,participation,causal mechanisms
What to expect of ExPEC: is the success of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli linked to specific genomic and cellular properties? (EXCELLGEN)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191078.0
EU funding (EUR): 191078.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) are one of the greatest challenges for the healthcare system, with a frightening prognosis for the future. Despite being heavily studied in recent years, no unifying principle explaining their success has been identified. Only limited attention has been paid to the additional genomic properties of ExPEC strains that are not virulence factors or antimicrobial resistance genes. I aim to demonstrate that these additional genomic features lead to alterations in cellular features (related to physiology, growth ability and metabolism) that contribute to ExPEC (pathogenic) success. To do so, I will first setup a database of ExPEC specific regions and use this to perform an unbiased large-scale screen comparing them to publicly available E. coli genomes. This analysis will yield specific genomic regions that can be confidently assigned to ExPEC or ExPEC subgroups. To further demonstrate the biological significance of these regions, high-throughput single-cell phenomics will be employed to quantitatively examine specific strains of interest across different growth conditions and identify the genes or groups of genes present in the ExPEC specific regions associated with specific phenotypic alterations. Finally, the identified genomic regions will be further characterized using a deep mutational scanning approach to uncover the exact molecular mechanisms that underlie phenotypic alterations of pathogenic strains in comparison to their non-pathogenic counterparts. I expect this project to bring much-needed insights into ExPEC physiology, linking it with its specific genomic background. Such fundamental knowledge will contribute to managing ExPEC more effectively in the future.

Keywords: extraintestinal pathogenic e coli,high throughput single cell phenomics,metabolism expec physiology
OCEAN: Phase 3 registrational study evaluating CM24, a first in class αCEACAM1 antibody, in combination with αPD1 antibody and chemotherapy for improving treatment of pancreatic cancer. (OCEAN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Israel
Call: EIC Accelerator 2024 - Short application (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-01, 2024)
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

PROBLEM Pancreatic cancer, and in particular Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), is one of the deadliest types of cancer with an average five-year survival rate of 9%. For most patients, due to non-specific symptoms, diagnosis is made at a later stage when surgical resection is not an option and treatment with standard-of-care chemotherapy only provides modest improvements, while newer treatments are limited in their effectiveness. SOLUTION Purple Biotech is developing CM24, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds CEACAM1, a human glycoprotein that blocks CEACAM1-CEACAM1 interactions which drive immune evasion and metastatic activity in pancreatic cancer. Thanks to its mode-of-action, CM24 may provide unique ability to reduce both tumour size and metastatic activity when combined with the anti-PD1 mAb, nivolumab, and standard of care chemotherapy. MARKET & COMMERCIAL STRATEGY Every year, 500k new patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer worldwide, and the global Pancreatic Cancer Treatment market is expected to grow to $7 Bn in 2030 with a CAGR of 13.8%. Following CM24’s successful Clinical Phase 1/2 study, we intend to conduct a Phase 2B registration trial to validate its efficacy. Subsequently, CM24 will be licensed to a large pharmaceutical company for commercial exploitation with an expected deal value of $2Bn, including upfront payment (~$650k), milestone payments and royalties over sales. TEAM Purple Biotech employs a multi-disciplinary team that warrants several decades of expertise in R&D, drug development, drug commercialisation and executive positions in biotechnological companies. In addition, our team members, has a combined long track-record in large M&A, IPO, and licensing transactions. The leadership team is complemented by an experienced research scientists and operational team, a scientific advisory board and a board of directors who all have relevant experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

Keywords: pancreatic cancer,immuno oncology,immune checkpoint inhibitor,metastasis,tumour microenvironment
Outlining the Role of IgA in Memory Instruction (ORIgAMI)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Immunity, Infection and I mmunotherapy
Panel description: The immune system , related disorders  and their mechanisms , biology of infectious agents and infection, biological basis of prevention and treatment of infectious diseases , innovative imm unological tools and approaches , including  therapies
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2049049.0
EU funding (EUR): 2049049.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Several times in human history, we faced sudden outbreaks of respiratory viruses that rapidly spread over the world before we could design broadly protective vaccines. Such was the case of the H1N1 influenza virus that killed 50 million people during the 1918 Spanish flu and SARS-CoV-2 that led to at least 5 million deaths during the current COVID-19 pandemics. Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 elicit robust humoral immune responses, including production of virus-specific antibodies of the IgM, IgG, and IgA types. In particular, IgA plays a crucial role in protecting lung mucosal surfaces by neutralizing respiratory viruses and impeding their attachment to epithelial cells. Despite its protective role, current vaccines against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 fail to produce significant levels of IgA in the respiratory tract. Then, a deeper understanding of the biology of IgA+ cells during respiratory infection is of utmost interest. ORIgAMI is based on recent unexpected findings from my team showing that germinal center B cells expressing IgA are mostly recruited towards the long-lived plasma cell compartment rather than to the memory B cell one upon influenza infection. In this frame, we will determine if the IgA BCR biases cell fate by: 1-Imprinting germinal center B cells with specific transcriptional/epigenetic programs. 2-Favoring antigen extraction and recruitment of T cell help within germinal centers. 3-Enhancing downstream B cell signalling pathways. To to this end, we will use influenza H1N1 virus as respiratory infection model combined with a series of complementary innovative tools and methodologies: de novo-generated transgenic mice, single-cell RNA/ATAC-seq, 3D imaging, DNA-based force sensors, phospho- and imaging- flow cytometry, and mass-spectrometry. A deep understanding of the biology of IgA+ B cells during respiratory viral infection is of fundamental interest and may provide clues towards the design of future vaccination approaches against air-borne pathogens.

Keywords: b cells germinal center iga cell fate decision influenza infection
TRIchome-Mediated Crop Resilience at COTyledon Stage: Exploring the biosynthesis, regulation, and function of Glandular Trichomes in the Production of defensive specialized metabolites (TRICOT)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-03-01
End date: 2027-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 189687.36
EU funding (EUR): 189687.36
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Plants evolved diverse strategies, including the production of specialized metabolites to adapt to changing environments. These specialized metabolites are often linked to glandular trichomes (GTs) density. To study GT’s biology, cultivated tomato and their wild relatives are considered ideal models, varying in GT types (I, IV, VI, VII) and associated metabolites. While type IV GTs, rich in acyl sugars (AS), persist throughout the life cycle of wild tomatoes, in cultivated varieties, they explicitly appear in early stages (especially on hypocotyl and cotyledons). AS provides resistance to various pathogens, including whiteflies, a significant threat to global tomato production. Although the role of type IV GTs and AS in adult plant resilience is understood, their regulation at the juvenile stage remains unknown. This study aims to address these knowledge gaps, employing an integrative OMICS approach in the early developmental stages of cultivated tomato and their wild relatives. While factor like plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) is known to influence the development of type VI GTs and terpenoid metabolism, the JA-mediated regulation of type IV GTs and AS metabolism remains unidentified. The present proposal aims to tackle these crucial knowledge gaps by utilizing combinatorial forward and reverse genetics approaches. Furthermore, this project aims to explore the ecological functions of type IV GTs and AS in shaping the plant microbiome at the cotyledon stage, a yet unknown aspect of plant fate. Through an interdisciplinary approach, including genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and microbiome analysis, the research aims to offer comprehensive insights into plant defense mechanisms and adaptation strategies in early developmental stages. The outcomes of this research will revolutionize our understanding of plant resilience at juvenile stages, thereby contributing to the progress of sustainable agriculture and offering new opportunities for crop improvement.

Keywords: crop resilience,tomato,seedling development,glandular trichome,specialized metabolites,acyl sugars,hormone,jasmonates,transcriptome analysis,metabolomics,gene regulatory network,microbiome
Evolutionary Genomics of Unconventional Sex Chromosomes in Frogs (FrogWY)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting 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: Belgium,United Kingdom
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2021-STG, 2021)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2028-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499950.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499950.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

In sharp contrast to model organisms with degenerated Y/W chromosomes, many reptiles, fish and amphibians have mostly undifferentiated sex chromosomes and exhibit dynamics of birth and death of sex chromosomes. Why and how early-stage sex chromosomes and frequent turnovers are so prevalent across eukaryotes remain mysterious. This also raises pressing questions on alternative mechanisms leading to sex chromosome recombination arrest, their dynamics and stability. Frogs are ideal systems because they have mostly early-stage sex chromosomes and frequent turnovers. In this project, I will use the robber frogs to study unconventional sex chromosome evolution, challenging the paradigm predicted by the canonical model of ?degenerate Y/W?: 1. Does genome-wide reduced recombination always associate with the heterogametic sex? I will study an alternative mechanism driving sex chromosome recombination arrest, sex-specific telomere-restricted recombination, in 12 robber frogs with XY, ZW systems in a phylogenetic framework. 2. Do sex-determination turnovers repeatedly occur in frogs with heteromorphic sex chromosomes? I will identify sex chromosomes for each species and analyse the rate of turnovers in XY and ZW systems in a phylogenetic framework. I anticipate several independent transitions between sex-determination mechanisms, and more transitions within the XY or ZW system. 3. What are the genomic consequences of giant Ys and Ws, how do they form and differ? I will perform chromosome-level genome assembly to identify gene content on the Ys/Ws. I will detect inversions, evolutionary strata, compare transposable elements dynamics and dosage compensation mechanisms between XY and ZW systems. If successful, this project will uncover alternative mechanisms driving sex chromosome recombination arrest, their dynamics and genomic features. It will reveal the mysterious formation of giant Ys/Ws. Together, this will conceptually extend boundaries of the canonical model.

Keywords: sex chromosomes,sexual selection,recombination
Digital Design strategies to certify and mAnufacture Robust cOmposite sTructures (DIDEAROT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Mobility
Destination: Clean and competitive solutions for all transport modes
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Belgium,Spain,Portugal
Call: Next generation digital aircraft transformation in design, manufacturing, integration and maintenance (HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4702366.25
EU funding (EUR): 4702365.0
Participants: 9
Project status: SIGNED

New certified designs for structures are critical for the new upcoming changes in conception of aircraft architectures. A variety of breakthrough designs and new strategies for a better use of material and integration of functions in aircrafts are required. They range from regional electrical mobility solutions to increased aspect ratio wings that will bring higher flexibility in structures. Digital conception and simulation need to play an ever-bigger role to reach a certified design that includes production scenarii before full manufacturing. High-end simulation is a spearhead research activity present in many fundamental and applied research activities. The level of complexity of phenomena being solved through dedicated modeling techniques is constantly evolving and faces many challenges in validation and exploitation. For better use of these methods, the consortium will pursue the objective of scalability and representativity of results in the design process through appropriate Machine Learning surrogates, benefiting from High Performance Computing. The DIDEAROT project aims at bringing a digital centrepiece approach that could integrate the move to more digital designs in the aircraft industry. It will cover the robust optimization of composite structures focused on digital predictions of two key aspects in its lifetime: • Manufacturing: predicting distortions, stress build-up and assembly challenges for ever-more integrated industrial scale composite parts • Dynamic loads and impact: predicting damage and effects from loads occurring at high speed or repeated loads over time that can lead to critical certification conditions. While both aspects have been partially addressed by the research community, the challenge we tackle here is to integrate them together in the testing pyramid (up to an industrial scale) for certification of structures and increase the reliance on digital technologies (data or simulation driven) to ensure optimized design approaches.

Keywords: hybrid models,composites materials,curing,damage,vulnerability,high performance computing,machine learning,digital test pyramid,virtual testing and certification,uncertainty quantification