Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
A Plan towards an eDNA reference library and data repository for Aquatic Organisms, navigating Europe towards the next generation biodiversity monitoring (eDNAqua-plan)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Mission
Theme: Ocean, seas and waters
Destination: Ocean, seas and waters
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: France,Greece,Finland,Spain,Belgium,Norway,Portugal,Netherlands,Poland,Germany
Call: Towards a European e-DNA library of marine and freshwater species (HORIZON-MISS-2022-OCEAN-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1978282.5
EU funding (EUR): 1978282.0
Participants: 18
Project status: SIGNED

The EU Mission to restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030 relies on robust, reliable and ideally real-time biodiversity data. The analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) extracted from water or sediment, represents a major source of innovation in aquatic ecosystem monitoring with great potential to support the EU Mission. The central limitation for the routine implementation of eDNA-based methods are incomplete, disconnected and non-standardized reference libraries for taxonomic assignment as well as a lack of harmonised metadata. To support the coordination of the EU Mission Ocean strategy, eDNAqua-Plan will 1) collect information on existing projects, initiatives and infrastructures for aquatic monitoring in the EU and associated countries, 2) provide an overview of all national and international activities of standardization and interoperationalisation of methods and data workflows and 3) assess the relevance and feasibility of the creation of a digital ecosystem of eDNA repositories and an integrated and dynamic reference library of marine and freshwater species that is open-access and based on FAIR principles to support future aquatic biodiversity monitoring programmes and mapping initiatives. The interdisciplinary eDNAqua-Plan consortium comprises 18 partner institutions from 11 countries, and one international (UN) institute, with complementary expertise in marine and freshwater monitoring, eDNA analysis as well as data science. The consortium cooperates with the large EU research projects and infrastructure such as EMODnet, BIOSCAN-Europe, the Ocean and Water knowledge system, LifeWatch, and international systems (ELIXIR/EBI and OBIS) etc. to maximise synergies and interoperability internationally. Possible implementation will be demonstrated by use cases from national and transnational water monitoring programs. Based on this, eDNAqua-Plan will deliver a roadmap for harmonized aquatic monitoring using eDNA tools in Europe and beyond.
Nanoscale organization and dynamics of ER-mitochondria contact sites upon induction of synaptic plasticity (SynERMCSs)

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: Sweden
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-12
End date: 2025-01-11
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 206887.68
EU funding (EUR): 206887.68
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can rapidly reorganize its functional domains and inter-organelle communication sites in response to cellular demands. ER-mitochondria communication is essential for normal cell physiology, as it conveys lipid exchange, mitochondrial calcium uptake, among other vital processes for mitochondrial function. In neurons, activity-mediated dynamics of ER and mitochondria are required for synaptic responsiveness to induction of synaptic plasticity and stimulating neuronal activity increases the number of ER-mitochondria contact sites (ERMCSs). Whilst system modelling predicts that ERMCSs control the postsynaptic energy landscape, the actual contribution of synaptic and perisynaptic inter-organelle dynamics to synaptic plasticity is still quite unknown. The small and compact structure of dendrites constrains the visualization of local ER-mitochondria contact site dynamics, being the application of nanoscopy techniques fundamental to follow these processes upon induction of synaptic plasticity. The use of cutting-edge super-resolution microscopy in this project will provide unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution to the study of activity-mediated ER and mitochondria dynamics and inter-organelle contacts heterogeneity in live neurons. Likewise, it will clarify the contribution of ERMCSs to sustain normal dendritic physiology as well as the intricate system triggering and upholding synaptic plasticity. Dysfunction of the ERMCSs has been reported in various neurodegenerative disorders due to mutation in proteins promoting and supporting ER-mitochondria communication. Neurodegenerative disorders are responsible for a great burden in disease, as dementias alone affect over 7 million people in Europe and this figure is expected to increase dramatically with aging of the population.

Keywords: endoplasmic reticulum,mitochondria,inter organelle communication,synaptic plasticity,super resolution microscopy
Development of superabsorbent biomaterials based on oat protein through electrospinning and 3D printing (superbiOmAT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2025-12-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 181152.96
EU funding (EUR): 181152.96
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Superabsorbent materials (SAMs) can absorb and retain large amounts of water (>10 times their weight). Hence, they have many applications, such as soil conditioners, diapers, menstrual pads, and wound dressings. Thus, in 2021 SAMs global market was valued at $8.6 billion. However, one of the main concerns about their use is that they are often based on acrylic acid and polyacrylamide, which are petroleum-derived, difficult to degrade, and their degradation products could be toxic. The superbiOmAT project will take this challenge by developing SAMs based on oat protein (OP). The specific objectives are to increase water binding capacity of OP through chemical functionalisation, to process OP through electrospinning and 3D printing, and to evaluate the potential of superbiOmAT in different applications. OP is an under-exploited by-product after β-glucan extraction. However, its high lysine content makes it a good target for functionalisation by acylation to enhance its water binding capacity. Electrospinning and 3D-printing could be particularly interesting for developing SAMs, yet not fully explored for protein matrices. The superbiOmAT project will revalorise OP and open a portfolio of new bio-based SAMs. A commercial interest in the results of this project is expected and protection of IPR will be prioritised. Amongst general public and targeted audiences, the project will raise awareness of the pollution created by petroleum-derived SAMs and their potential toxicity. This project is in line with a more sustainable production system and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN Agenda 2030). superbiOmAT will be carried out by Dr. Barbara Tomadoni with the supervision of Prof. Antonio Guerrero at University of Seville, Spain. The researcher will gain maturity and independence through the realisation of this project, following her training and career development plan, thanks to the supervisor’s experience and the host institution’s education and training programmes.

Keywords: 3d printing electrospinning oat protein superabsorbent materials
Plastic-free and 100% recyclable food packaging (REPAQ)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Germany
Call: EIC Accelerator 2024 - Short application (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-01, 2024)
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2.45
EU funding (EUR): 2.45
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Plastic pollution is a problem that the entire world is currently trying to mitigate. One major source of plastic pollution is the plastic packaging materials that end up in landfills contaminating soil and water, clogging drainage, and hampering marine ecosystems. The EU has brought several regulations to deal with the nuisance created by plastic pollution. These regulations have created major economic problems for food manufacturers since they must spend billions on recycling food packaging materials. In 2020, almost 10.2 million tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste were collected and sent to recycling facilities inside and outside Europe. However, multilayered compound plastics contain so many different ingredients like softeners, UV stabilizers, and coatings, that often-successful recycling is not possible. So, even after spending billions, the overall result remains unsatisfactory. Thus, the time is right to adopt plastic-free packaging solutions. Repaq provides this solution for the food industry. At present, Repaq develops high-quality, plastic-free, flexible film packaging for edibles. Repaq packaging is compatible with all existing machines and degrades in nature in 6 months, enabling minimum investment and creating a Circular Economy. Repaq has the potential to emerge as the solution that food manufacturers, bearing the load of regulatory and economic burden, need. With strong technical and commercial in-house expertise, Repaq will become a major player in the €175B sustainable food packaging market in the next 12-15 years.

Keywords: plastic free packaging,recyclable food packaging,high barrier packaging,100 compostable materials,plastic pollution reduction,biodegradable
Activate Repair In StrokE (ARISE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Panel description: Nervous system development, homeostasis and ageing , nervous system  function and dysfunction , systems neuroscience  and modelling , biological basis of cognitive processes and of behaviour, neurological and mental disorders – In humans and all other organisms
Countries involved: Germany
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): 1499979.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499979.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

The brain exhibits remarkable capacities to initiate self-repair mechanisms after brain injury as a prerequisite for the recovery of lost functions. ARISE will unveil fundamental, yet not understood principles how brain repair mechanisms are orchestrated and how they can be further enhanced. Due to technical constraints, it was previously impossible to uncover 1) how individual neurons rewire and reconnect after CNS injury, 2) why some surviving neurons participate in repair processes and others do not, and 3) how neuronal rewiring could be further stimulated to promote the restoration of impaired functions. But now, with technological advances at hand, I am in a unique position to tackle these major questions by examining causal relationships between neuronal rewiring and behavioral outcome. I have recently developed a mouse model for vascular dementia that enables the monitoring of the same neurons in the hippocampus over several weeks under healthy conditions and after induction of multiple microstrokes in relation to the spatial memory of the animal. Using sophisticated closed-loop experiments, combining chronic 2photon imaging in-vivo with optogenetics and machine learning, I will characterize neuronal recoding in relation to the behavioural performance of the animal. I hypothesize that principles of learning are key to understand how surviving cells are recruited to participate in new neuronal ensembles to restore lost memory engrams. Using local light stimulation I will manipulate surviving neurons to unveil their role in rewiring network dynamics and repair processes and to enhance their engagement in restorative operations. With ARISE I will establish a novel experimental pipeline to identify the cellular mechanisms of neuronal repair that are linked to distinct behavioural outcome parameters. This approach will also allow me to train generalized linear models (GLMs) to assess the efficiency and predict the outcome of novel restorative therapies in stroke.

Keywords: neuronal repair,stroke,vascular dementia,neuronal circuit rewiring,hippocampal plasticity
Potential nUtrient release from deglaciating Land Surfaces to downstream Ecosystems (PULSE) (PULSE)

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: Norway
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2027-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 210911.04
EU funding (EUR): 210911.04
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Glacier retreat is escalating in response to amplified Arctic warming. This exposes large areas of new glacier forefield to seasonal freeze-thaw, wetting-drying cycles and variable oxygen conditions. These physical changes dramatically alter biogeochemical cycling in previously glaciated sediments, facilitating soil and vegetation development in the 21st century. Arctic streams are well-known suppliers of the key nutrient nitrogen (N) to N-limited fjords and coasts, which host lucrative fisheries. However, the influence of glacial retreat and associated soil development on N release to streams, thus fjords and coasts, is a complete unknown. The PULSE project aims to quantify the impact of Arctic glacier forefield exposure on soil N cycling and export to coastal marine environments, and how they are influenced by time since deglaciation, local geology and freeze-thaw cycling. In PULSE, I will measure N release from a field scale chronosequence in a Sub-Arctic glaciated catchment and quantify the forefield soil N contribution to river N runoff. I further use a “space for time” approach to simulate future climate conditions for High Arctic forefield sediments, thus predicting future High Arctic forefield N release. This highly interdisciplinary project combines my background in soil biogeochemistry with glacier hydrochemistry at the Arctic University of Tromsø (UiT). UiT is the ideal host for me to gain new analytical chemistry and modelling skills in order to establish how future glacier retreat will shift sources of riverine N transport to downstream fjords and coasts. A secondment to the Norwegian Polar Institute will additionally expand my scientific expertise and network to include marine monitoring stakeholders directly using my results. PULSE will, therefore, provide a high-impact, first quantification of future potential proglacial soil N leaching across Sub-Arctic to High Arctic climates, which will inform future ecosystem management policies in the Arctic.

Keywords: glacier forefield,nutrient dynamics,river n runoff
Marine Reciprocating Superconducting Generator (RSG) (MARES)

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: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Spain,Italy,Switzerland,France,Netherlands
Call: Next generation of renewable energy technologies (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-01, 2024)
Start date: 2024-10-01
End date: 2028-09-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2995997.51
EU funding (EUR): 2995997.5
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

MArine REciprocating Superconducting Generator (RSG). MARES aims at developing a next generation of ultrahigh force Superconducting Direct Drive PTOs for wave energy conversion. The maximum power that can be extracted from a planar wave is proportional to the wave period and to the square of the wave amplitude but, to extract this power, the hydrodynamic parameters of the Wave Energy Converter must be modified and this means having the availability of producing high reactive forces. The proposed Reciprocating Superconducting Generator (RSG) is simpler than other existing superconducting generators due to the fact that its alternating movement allows the direct integration into wave energy converters where the primary energy source is also moving in a reciprocating way. This RSG consists of a Circular Switched Reluctance Machine housed inside a flexible moving cryostat with bellows, avoiding the need of any feedthrough for any moving part. The machine is cooled down using a Cryogenic Supply System (CSS) which recirculates helium gas through the coils and the radiation screen and current leads at two different temperatures. The project proposes to build a full system prototype to be tested at the laboratory scale and to analyse its implementation into two existing WEC systems developed by two technologists participating in the project. A set of the prototype generator coils will be made from MgB2 superconducting technology, while the other one will use REBCO tapes. The achieved results for different temperatures will be compared. In both cases the proposed technology will profit from the latest advances in superconductivity and very specifically in recent developments in superconducting magnet technology provided by six of the participants, including the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), a world leader in such activities, in a perfect example of bringing the forefront technologies to social applications.

Keywords: superconductivity,mgb2,hts magnets,power take off,switched reluctance linear generator,wave energy
Sweet Origins of Life: Peering into the Past with Today’s Biochemistry (Sweet_Evo)

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: Israel
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2024-10-01
End date: 2029-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1639528.0
EU funding (EUR): 1639528.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Approximately four billion years ago, chemical and geological processes on the ancient Earth caused a continuous increase in the complexity of organic molecules, ultimately leading to RNA, DNA, proteins, polysaccharides, membrane-forming amphipaths, to metabolism and the roots of biology. But how did it all begin? How did chemistry become biology? There are many indications to the starting point, i.e., the huge set of small molecules that existed on early Earth, as well as the end point of chemical evolution - which is the beginning of biology and the first living organisms. In order to unravel the gap of what happened in between, it is crucial to analyze plausible routes to the origin of life. While much effort to date in the context of formation of primordial polymers has focused on the generation of nucleic acids, and to a lesser extent the formation of peptides, the role of sugars in the chemical origins of life has never been investigated - outside the roles of sugars as structural elements of nucleic acids and in metabolism. Sugars are ubiquitous biomolecules, providing an energy source, taking part in biosynthesis, providing structural support, and even acting as catalysts. Sugars are often found in conjugation with other biomolecules (e.g., glycolipids). I hypothesize that the tightly intertwined biological dependencies of sugars and other biopolymers, and their mutualistic relationships, reflect a long co-evolutionary process. The main goal of this proposal is to bridge the gap from early prebiotic chemistry to today’s complex biochemistry by studying mutually catalytic networks involving sugars. Following our preliminary findings which successfully demonstrated the formation of oligomers composed of sugars and amino acids, my team will generate and characterize a multitude of heterogenous glycan-containing conjugates - and study their emergent assembly and function. This study will furnish a deep understanding of how and why life’s biochemistry emerged.

Keywords: origins of life,chemical evolution,prebiotic chemistry,peptide evolution,protopeptides,glycobiology,self assembly,peptide glycan interactions,co evolution
Illuminating the role of selfish genetic elements in somatic tissue homeostasis and aging (gutTEimpact)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Cell Biology, Development, Stem Cells and R egeneration
Panel description: For all organisms : Structure and function of the cell, cell -cell communication, embryogenesis, tissue differentiation, organogenesis, growth, development, evolution of development, organoids, stem cells, regeneration, therapeutic approaches
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2028-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1498420.0
EU funding (EUR): 1498420.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Life-long tissue homeostasis requires sustained function of differentiated cell types as well as progenitor cells, which ensure tissue self-renewal. Little is known about the role that non-genic repetitive DNA sequences play in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in divers somatic tissues in vivo. Transposable elements (TEs) are omnipresent, highly repetitive DNA sequences that mobilize and propagate within host genomes. Though previously thought to be fully repressed in the soma, TEs can be actively transcribed and, at least to some extent, mobile in certain somatic tissues. Indeed, somatic TE activity was proposed to contribute to normal development, aging, and pathologic conditions, such as cancer or neurodegeneration, underscoring the potential bearing that these selfish genetic elements could have in the soma. Nevertheless, the dynamics of activity and tissue-specific regulation of TE sequences are poorly understood, as is the impact of TE activity on different somatic cell-types and tissues. We have recently uncovered that prevalent, tissue-specific TE mobility occurs in the Drosophila intestine and can lead to gene inactivation and tumor formation. Here, using this powerful and genetically amenable in vivo model system, I aim to combine genomic techniques with developmental and cell biology approaches to address the intriguing interplay between TEs and somatic tissue function in vivo. I will ask: 1- How TE activity differs between diverse cell types and how it changes in a tissue under normal or pathological conditions, as well as during aging? 2- What processes control TE activity in somatic cells in vivo?; and 3- What are the direct consequences of TE transcriptional activity and mobility on somatic cell function, and the long-term impacts at a tissue and organism level? Ultimately the proposed research program will shed new lights on the importance of mobile DNA sequences in the maintenance of lifelong tissue homeostasis in vivo.

Keywords: transposable elements,drosophila,intestinal tissue,adult stem cells,aging