Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Breaking down barriers against antimicrobials: elucidating a cross-kingdom novel lipid transport mechanism (LipidBarriers)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Panel description: For all organisms : Molecular biology , biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biophysics , synthetic and chemical biology, drug design, innovative methods and modelling
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1472710.0
EU funding (EUR): 1472710.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Antimicrobial resistance is on target to become the leading cause of death by 2050. A major determinant of resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is the tripartite cell envelope, which forms a physical barrier to drugs. Understanding how this structure is made, therefore, is of critical importance. Despite this, how the lipids that make the cell envelope are delivered remains poorly understood. Recently, a family of proteins has emerged that likely holds the key to understanding these lipid transport mechanisms. The DedA family of membrane proteins is conserved across all domains of life and early evidence suggests they are central to lipid transport, antimicrobial sensitivity, and virulence in bacteria. We hypothesise that DedA proteins have fundamental lipid transport roles essential for biogenesis of the cell envelope, making them ideal targets for new approaches to combat antimicrobial resistance. However, the true functions of DedA proteins in Gram-negative bacteria remain unknown, and not a single DedA protein across life has been mechanistically characterised. Our goal is to reveal the first structure of a DedA family protein, using emerging methods including the use of nanobodies with cryo electron microscopy, potentially unveiling an entirely novel cross-kingdom transport mechanism. We will functionally characterise DedA proteins to identify their substrates using cutting-edge native mass spectrometry methods, and determine the route of lipid transport using a new in vivo cross-linking technique that I developed. Finally, we will study the cell envelope compositions of loss-of-function mutations in DedA proteins, and develop a technique to assess alterations in membrane lipid distribution. This research will generate detailed mechanistic insight into how this elusive protein family functions across life, while characterising how bacteria build their bacterial envelope barrier, which is central to their ability to tolerate and resist antimicrobials.

Keywords: lipid transport,membrane biogenesis,cryo em,biochemistry,antimicrobial resistance,gram negative bacteria
Training of young scientists in the Biological regulation of the chemokine network to improve treatment of ACTIVE inflammation (B-ACTIVE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Doctoral Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Belgium,Sweden,Denmark,Slovenia,Austria,United Kingdom,France
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3171934.29
EU funding (EUR): 2800864.8
Participants: 14
Project status: SIGNED

A number of pharmaceuticals targeting cytokine/chemokine storms in lungs are in development due to an urgent new unmet medical need strengthened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent death of > 6.5 million people shows that treating excessive inflammation is still a major problem. Our incomplete understanding of complex immune reactions and resulting doubts on correct drug target identification prohibit efficient drug development and patient treatment. Proper control of inflammation is crucial during infection, wound healing, auto-inflammation, auto-immunity, transplant rejection, etc. Chemokines and their receptors drive leukocyte migration and activation and inflammation. Although the ligands and receptors were identified in the last 3 decades, increasing fundamental, preclinical and sporadic clinical evidence indicates that posttranslational regulation of chemokine ligands and receptors may impact the inflammatory reaction significantly. In this B-ACTIVE network, fundamental and clinical scientists and companies will study the impact of posttranslational modifications of chemokine ligands and receptors and train 10 early stage researchers (ESRs) to future experts in this domain with a translational and interdisciplinary mindset and a network founded already in graduate education. The ESRs will characterize interactions between ligands, receptors and glycosaminoglycans, study signaling pathways and recognize their importance in inflammatory reactions. ESRs will be trained in the complexity of inflammatory responses from basic science to clinical applications and industrial development. B-ACTIVE will improve our understanding of inflammatory reactions, aid in identifying the right drug targets and participate in pharmaceutical development, for better patient treatment with more new active pharmaceutical ingredients being evaluated clinically. The proposed projects are aligned with this overall objective and research strategies of academic and industrial partners.

Keywords: chemokine,g protein coupled receptors,posttranslational modifications
LIGHT BASED MULTISENSING DEVICE FOR SCREENING OF PATHOGENS AND NUTRIENTS IN BIOREACTORS (LIBRA)

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: Photonics (co-programmed)
Countries involved: Greece,Netherlands,France,Switzerland,Finland,Italy,Denmark
Call: Advanced multi-sensing systems (Photonics Partnership) (RIA) (HORIZON-CL4-2022-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2026-06-30
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4430525.0
EU funding (EUR): 4430525.0
Participants: 20
Project status: SIGNED

The bioreactor industry is currently flourishing with a global market valued estimated at 2.3 B€ in 2020 and predicted to exceed 6.6 B€ euro by 2030, growing at a rate of 10.7% CAGR. Despite this impressive growth, there are challenges which can significantly impede the further advancement of bioreactors: Bioproducts can be sustainable and competitive only if reliable and contamination-free production is ensured. Currently, there is no catholic solution to this issue. To this end, LIBRA project introduces a benchtop smart multi-sensing system for the in-line automatable screening of cultivation processes in bioreactors. The LIBRA sensing technology lies in the use of light based integrated on-chip, real time sensors. A novel integration procedure of the photonic platforms together with disposable microfluidic modules and biofunctionalization units will result in a modular system with interchangeable components enabling the screening of nutrients and pathogens in bioreactor samples, according to the end users need. Furthermore, the LIBRA system will be able to be attached and integrated to various bioreactor systems regardless of their form factors, spanning from stirred tank bioreactors to single use bioreactors (SUB). To achieve this, LIBRA will rely on a highly multi-disciplinary consortium comprising expertise and specialization in several fields spanning photonics, surface functionalization, microfluidics, advanced packaging and assembly, artificial intelligence and bioreactor manufacturers. The exploitable results of LIBRA are expected to disrupt the current PIC-based sensing landscape, as estimated by the two business cases stemming from the project: the market revenues one year after the end of this project are expected to be €7.8 million growing to almost €59 million in 2032, and plethora of new IP and new business opportunities for the partners involved in the joint venture of LIBRA.

Keywords: photonics based modules,fast multisensing system,microfluidic module,interchangeable modules,pathogens detection,nutrients screening,bioreactor manufacturing
B-field EvoLution and Origin in Vast Extragalactic Domains (BELOVED)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Universe Sciences
Panel description: Astro -physics/ -chemistry/ -biology; solar system; planetary systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy; cosmology; space sciences; astronomical instrumentation and data
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2024-COG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2030-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1856133.0
EU funding (EUR): 1856133.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

“And what about magnetic fields?” This is likely the most frequent question in conferences that address any non-thermal phenomena of our Universe. From Galactic to Extra-galactic scales, the origin and amplification of magnetic fields is yet something we have to assume, based on a paucity of data and limits. Of particular relevance to a vast number of physical processes is how magnetic fields are amplified during the process of structure formation, that culminates in the formation of galaxy clusters. Recent discoveries have probed that magnetic fields permeate our Universe beyond the virial radii of clusters, up to intergalactic filaments. How these magnetic fields originate and how are they amplified are yet unanswered questions. We are entering exciting times for the study of the magnetized Universe, thanks to the development of large radio interferometric arrays, such as LOFAR2.0, MeerKAT, MeerKAT+, and ASKAP, that pave the path towards the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO). In the very next years, deep polarimetric and continuum radio data will blossom, giving us the unprecedented opportunity to discover the process of magnetic field amplification in the large-scale structure. However, it is only with the development of ad-hoc techniques and under a coordinated project which undertakes the many facets of this ambitious goal, that we can exploit this opportunity and unravel the origin and evolution of magnetic fields in clusters. BELOVED takes advantage of up-coming data, coupled with innovative strategies and the PI profile to unravel the processes of magnetic field amplification in galaxy clusters. This project will address fundamental questions not restricted to the physics of galaxy clusters but having impact on several inter-connected physical disciplines, such as astro-particle physics, plasma physics, and cosmology.

Keywords: magnetic field,radioastronomy,observations,intracluster medium,galaxy clusters
IntelligenT twinning of WIreless Networks for 6G (TWIN6G)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Italy,France,Singapore,United Kingdom,Germany,Spain,United States
Call: MSCA Staff Exchanges 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-SE-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 760971.43
EU funding (EUR): 690000.0
Participants: 15
Project status: SIGNED

New emerging applications demand performance requirements that exceed the capabilities of 5G networks, requiring a rapid evolution towards 6G networks. 6G is expected to offer data rates of the order of Tbps, time responses of the order of sub-milliseconds, and localization accuracies of the order of sub-centimeter, while meeting united nations’ sustainable development goals. This calls for the deployment of paradigm shifting technologies and design methods, and the use of new frequency bands, including the deployment of reconfigurable metamaterial transceivers, the integration of communication and sensing functionalities, and the migration towards the sub-terahertz spectrum. This will make 6G an extremely complex system to model and optimize. Digital twins (DTs) and machine learning (ML) are two vital technologies to tackle the modeling and optimization complexity of 6G. A DT is a virtual replica of the 6G physical network. DTs are essential to model complex systems in real time, providing valuable insights into their behavior and performance, as well as for generating enormous amounts of training data. ML provides advanced analytics and decision-making capabilities, enabling 6G communication systems to self-optimize, self-configure, and self-heal. The integration of DTs and ML offers a powerful approach for modeling, simulating, and optimizing 6G communication networks. It is expected to lead to the creation of a highly intelligent and dynamic network environment, where physical and virtual objects interact seamlessly, and where decisions are made and executed in real time. TWIN6G is the first-of-its-kind staff exchange research and transfer-of-knowledge program whose aim is to build the world’s first open-access and open-source digital twin emulator to design 6G networks, integrating accurate physical models for emerging technologies and physics-based ML designs for dynamic and real-time network optimization.

Keywords: 6g networks,digital twin,metamaterials,ai,ray tracing,algorithmic design,optimization,electromagnetics
Nanoplastic Transport in Groundwater environments (NaplaGro)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Sweden,Canada
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2025-05-31
Duration (months): 26.0
Total project cost (EUR): 222727.68
EU funding (EUR): 222727.68
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Groundwater is the largest drinking water resource on earth and 75% of EU residents depend on groundwater as water supply . Plastic contamination of drinking water supply wells has recently been documented. Plastic particles are a vector for pollutants ; interfere with biogeochemical cycles and nutrient transport , while particular nanoplastic (NP) is shown to cause adverse effects on human health. Hence, drinking water contamination by NP is a serious threat to human health. To protect the Earth´s largest freshwater reservoir and guarantee a sustainable use of water resources within Europe for future generations, we need to understand NP behavior in groundwater aquifers. In this MSC-action, I will study the transport behavior of NP particles in complex mineral and biogeochemical groundwater settings from lab- to field scale in order to embrace the natural complexity of aquifers. The following MSCA objectives address four major knowledge gaps of NP transport in groundwater systems: i) How does NP shape affect transport in groundwater? ii) Can flow rates modify NP transport in complex mineral and biogeochemical porous media settings? iii) Are fungal communities able to retain NP under realistic aquifer conditions? iv) Can findings from laboratory studies be up-scaled to field scale studies? I will answer these objectives by conducting laboratory experiments combining nanotechnological methods with novel microfluidic chips as well as field scale experiments using a tracer injection method. With these approaches, we generate tracer breakthrough curves inferring sediment specific retention rates, while they also enable us to gain better mechanistic understanding of NP transpor in porous media. This MSCA will be a stepping-stone in understanding NP transport in groundwater environments more systematically. Such knowledge will inform the development of new environmental models to enhance the predictive capability of NP pollution in drinking water reservoirs.

Keywords: groundwater,nanoplastic,aquifer vulnerability,porous media nanoplastic interaction,
A novel non-invasive therapy based on injectable viscous gel for restoring the natural biomechanics of the spine and relieving patients from pain (VitaDisc)

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: Netherlands
Call: EIC Accelerator Open (HORIZON-EIC-2022-ACCELERATOR-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2025-09-30
Duration (months): 28.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5222790.5
EU funding (EUR): 2499999.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Over 400 million people globally suffer from back pain. Disc degeneration disease is the prevalent cause of back pain and it is responsible for high social and economic costs. Current treatments are only symptomatic (physiotherapy, pain management or surgery), but they do not regenerate the disc and its function. At NC Biomatrix, we have developed VitaDisc, the first non-invasive early restorative treatment for disc degeneration that has the power to revolutionise the orthopaedics market. It is an acellular porcine-derived injectable biomatrix that restores disc height, provides optimal support to regenerate the disc, and aids in restoring healthy spinal biomechanics. Its mode of action is fully mechanical, and it can be easily administered in an outpatient setting, giving it a unique market advantage. Our biomatrix platform technology is readily scalable and provides a pipeline of further products for unmet needs in orthopaedic treatments, such as early-stage knee joint arthritis.

Keywords: health related biotechnology,spine biomechanics,injectable biomatrix
Cryptography from Unstructured Hardness (KolmoCrypt)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Computer Science and Informatics
Panel description: Informatics and information systems, computer science, scientific computing, intelligent systems
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2023-ADG, 2023)
Start date: 2025-03-01
End date: 2030-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2496250.0
EU funding (EUR): 2496250.0
Participants: 3
Project status: SIGNED

Cryptography—and its basic tasks such as encryption, authentication and key exchange—is essential for ensuring privacy and security on the Internet. The question of whether “unbreakable” encryption methods exist has fascinated mathematicians and cryptographers for thousands of years, and is closely related to the famous NP vs. P problem. This question is still wide open and consequently, Internet security today relies on cryptographic constructions based on the *conjectured* hardness of some computational problems (such as e.g., the factoring problem, the discrete logarithms problem or various noisy linear algebra problems). However, these conjectured hard problems all contain significant (e.g., algebraic) *structure*, that may make them vulnerable to attacks. Furthermore, for tasks such as key exchange and public-key encryption, only a *handful* of candidate hard problems are known on which these tasks can be based. As a result, some unexpected algorithmic developments for structured problems could upend the whole infrastructure we rely on for communicating and transacting on the Internet. In this project, we propose to develop an alternative approach: a foundation for provably-secure Cryptography from *unstructured hardness* assumptions. Towards resolving this long-standing challenge, we will leverage our recently-discovered connection between Cryptography and the seemingly unrelated area of Kolmogorov Complexity. Specifically, we will develop new hardness assumptions rooted in Kolmogorov Complexity on which the cryptographic tasks (e.g., private-key encryption, key-exchange, public-key encryption) can be based. Critically, these assumptions will lack algebraic and other computational structure that may make them vulnerable to attacks. Overall, KolmoCrypt will provide a new theoretical foundation for the hardness assumptions on which Cryptography is based, and ultimately, a more secure foundation for the Internet (and beyond).

Keywords: cryptography,foundations of cryptography,computational hardness,kolmogorov complexity,provable security,computational hardness assumptions,one way functions
Demonstration of a digitized energy system integration across sectors enhancing flexibility and resilience towards efficient, sustainable, cost-optimised, affordable, secure and stable energy supply (ELEXIA)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Energy
Destination: Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Norway,Greece,Denmark,Portugal,Poland,United Kingdom,Finland,Spain
Call: Energy Sector Integration: Integrating and combining energy systems to a cost-optimised and flexible energy system of systems (HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-02, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2026-09-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 11001822.25
EU funding (EUR): 9552297.63
Participants: 24
Project status: SIGNED

ELEXIA will develop/upgrade validated tools for planning and managing integrated energy systems in different conditions and will integrate and combine energy systems across vectors and sectors towards a cost-optimised as well as flexible and resilient energy system of systems. A Digital Services Platform will host the energy management and planning services and will foster flexibility and sector coupling. A System Planning Toolbox will be developed and deployed to support effective sector coupling at local sites considering different scenarios, operational details, possibly conflicting interests of multiple local actors, and security of supply. An Energy Management Systems will be built and deployed for flexible, cost-optimised, and resilient operation of sector coupled local sites including forecasting, digital twins, optimization, control, monitoring, assessing operating conditions, predicting anomalous operation, and preventing occurrence of breakdowns. ELEXIA will demonstrate the use of planning and operational tools in a one-stop-shop, modular and open, digital platform at TRL7–8. It will demonstrate the benefits of sector integration at local / national level in three different geographical, climate and economic conditions in Europe: in an industrial port environment in Portugal, in an urban-city hub environment in Denmark, and in an industrial-urban-residential environment in Norway. ELEXIA will assess environmental, economic and social sustainability, will deliver a methodology for CAPEX / OPEX and value creation, and will focus on policy and governance. It will put focus on stakeholder engagement and societal acceptance and will ensure effort towards future exploitation and replication. ELEXIA will establish and demonstrate realistic and concrete pathways to ultimately achieve independence of fossil fuels by harnessing the latent flexibility of the energy system through integration, data-intelligence, and planning, working towards the 2050 European goals.

Keywords: energy sector integration,flexibility,management and planning tools,renewable energy,social science,transformation,digitalization,security of supply,sustainability,efficiency,optimization