Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
The Neural Determinants of Perceptual Decision Making in the Human Brain (Human Decisions)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — 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
Countries involved: Ireland
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2014-STG, 2014)
Start date: 2015-05-01
End date: 2020-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1382642.5
EU funding (EUR): 1382642.5
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

How do we make reliable decisions given sensory information that is often weak or ambiguous? Current theories center on a brain mechanism whereby sensory evidence is integrated over time into a “decision variable” which triggers the appropriate action upon reaching a criterion. Neural signals fitting this role have been identified in monkey electrophysiology but efforts to study the neural dynamics underpinning human decision making have been hampered by technical challenges associated with non-invasive recording. This proposal builds on a recent paradigm breakthrough made by the applicant that enables parallel tracking of discrete neural signals that can be unambiguously linked to the three key information processing stages necessary for simple perceptual decisions: sensory encoding, decision formation and motor preparation. Chief among these is a freely-evolving decision variable signal which builds at an evidence-dependent rate up to an action-triggering threshold and precisely determines the timing and accuracy of perceptual reports at the single-trial level. This provides an unprecedented neurophysiological window onto the distinct parameters of the human decision process such that the underlying mechanisms of several major behavioral phenomena can finally be investigated. This proposal seeks to develop a systems-level understanding of perceptual decision making in the human brain by tackling three core questions: 1) what are the neural adaptations that allow us to deal with speed pressure and variations in the reliability of the physically presented evidence? 2) What neural mechanism determines our subjective confidence in a decision? and 3) How does aging impact on the distinct neural components underpinning perceptual decision making? Each of the experiments described in this proposal will definitively test key predictions from prominent theoretical models using a combination of temporally precise neurophysiological measurement and psychophysical modelling.

Keywords: perceptual decision making,sequential sampling,electroencephalogram,transcranial direct current stimulation,meta cognition,speed accuracy trade off,age related cognitive decline
Analog quantum simulators for many-body dynamics (AQuS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Emerging themes and communities
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Austria,Germany,Germany,Italy,Germany,France
Call: Quantum simulation (H2020-FETPROACT-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000500.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000500.0
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

Quantum simulators promise to provide unprecedented insights into physical phenomena not accessible with classical computers and have the potential to enable radically new technologies. In this proposal, we argue that analog dynamical quantum simulators are currently realisable and constitute a most promising class of architectures to fulfil the ultimate promise to devise quantum machines outperforming classical computers. The approach taken is two-pronged: On the one hand, we devise versatile and practical platforms for dynamical simulators – making use of systems of ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices and the continuum, as well as cavity polaritons. We suggest a concerted and interdisciplinary research programme of certifying quantum devices and assess them in their computational capabilities, addressing largely unexplored key questions on the power of quantum simulators. On the other, we make use of those devices to probe important questions in fundamental and applied physics, ranging from technology-relevant problems, concerning transport processes or glassy dynamics, via long-standing challenges in the physics of non-equilibrium and thermalisation phenomena, through puzzles in notions of quantum turbulence, to questions in the study of quantum gravity.

Keywords: quantum simulation,quantum many body physics,far from equilibrium dynamics,ultracold atomic gases,cavity polaritons,quantum information,quantum entanglement,dynamical field theory
An in vitro 3D microfluidic human NeuroVascular Unit model for identifying the cell-type-specific responses to diverse inflammatory stimuli in the brain capillaries (NVU-Chip)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Spreading excellence and widening participation
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Other Widening
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call: Widening Fellowships (H2020-WF-03-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2021-06-01
End date: 2023-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 157355.52
EU funding (EUR): 157355.52
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Neurological disorders affect many people's life, contributing to significant mortality and morbidity in the modern world, with 16.5% of global deaths and are the leading cause of disability, affecting 276 million people's daily lives. Many of these diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis, are related with the impaired blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Unfortunately, neither animal models of the neurovascular unit (NVU) nor in vitro cultures of primary or immortalized human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) alone effectively mimic the barrier, and transporter functions of the BBB observed in humans. Thus, there is a great need for human NVU models to recapitulate in vivo human physiology in health and disease conditions and understand the cellular mechanisms and changes in disease conditions. This project aims to develop a 3D NVU model to identify the cell-type-specific responses to diverse inflammatory stimuli in the NVU. The NVU-Chip project will the first model providing such a complex cellular environment in a unique microfluidic device to fully recapitulating human NVU in vitro utilizing relevant mechanobiological forces. Additionally, The NVU-Chip will improve the state-of-the-art by incorporating cyclic mechanical strain in a BBB model for the first time. This project will combine and amend the state-of-the-art stem cell technologies to differentiate all brain cells, and advanced microfabrication approaches to design and fabricate the microfluidic chips using the most appropriate materials ECM coatings for co-culturing all cell types in the same device. The human-based NVU-Chip model will also give a new approach for studying cellular responses to diverse inflammatory stimuli, identifying key inflammatory factors of CNS related diseases. Outcomes of the NVU-Chip project will enhance the existing knowledge and technologies, yielding high-impact journal publications, as well as potential commercial product in the long term.

Keywords: organ on a chip,neurovascular unit,microfluidic device design,mechanobiology,inflammation,immune response,cellular interaction,induced pluripotent stem cells,brain diseases
Neutrino physics at ESS using coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. (vPESS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Global Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Spain,United States
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2022-03-01
End date: 2024-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 163099.2
EU funding (EUR): 163099.2
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) is a recently demonstrated novel process of neutrino interaction. It provides numerous avenues to advance our sensitivity to new nuclear and particle physics beyond the Standard Model while simultaneously allowing a dramatic miniaturization of otherwise massive neutrino detectors, opening up the possibility of technological applications. Both the supervisor and the partner organization host, along a number of collaborators, recently proposed to use the neutrino flux from the upcoming European Spallation Source (ESS) for a definitive exploration of all phenomenological opportunities provided by CEνNS. The proposal includes a variety of detection techniques to evaluate such a process including the use high-pressure gaseous xenon (HPGXe) chambers and cryogenic undoped CsI scintillator crystals. For reasons of nuclear structure, CsI and Xe detectors are identical in their response to CEνNS. However, the technologies and their expected systematics are fully different. Simultaneous use at the ESS will therefore provide robust confirmation for any possible signatures of new physics. During the outgoing phase (OP) the researcher will take part in the development and characterization of a 31.5 Kg cryogenic undoped CsI array which will be later deployed in ESS. While HPGXe detectors are a mature technology, their response to nuclear recoils in the energy range of CEνNS is unknown. Characterizing the response in such range is one of the main goals of this proposal and the methodology to do so will be developed during the OP. In the incoming phase, the researcher will implement the techniques developed during the OP in a small HPGXe chamber currently being built in DIPC. The studies will be repeated in a larger demonstrator in which he'll take a leading role in the design and deployment. Finally, the researcher will evaluate, through simulation and on-site measurements, the neutron background for CEνNS searches at ESS.

Keywords: neutrino ce ns spallation nucleus scattering coherent scintillators time projection chambers
Towards a paleotsunami chronology in the southern Aegean and Levantine seas, Eastern Mediterranean (EASTMED-PALEOTSUNAMI)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2016-06-20
End date: 2018-06-19
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 157845.6
EU funding (EUR): 157845.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In 2004 and 2011, the World witnessed the devastating consequences of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Tohoku (Japan) tsunamis. We realized once again how seriously tsunamis can threaten our lives and infrastructures, and how vital tsunami hazard assessment studies are to reveal especially the recurrence of tsunamis by means of paleotsunami investigations. In the Aegean and the Levantine seas (Eastern Mediterranean), although the historical records report 17 damaging tsunamis during the last 2500 years, the geological records of the paleotsunamis revealed so far in the region are far from providing information useful for reliable tsunami hazard assessments. The proposed research action aims to take a significant step forward towards constructing paleotsunami chronologies in the eastern Mediterranean by investigating the sedimentary sequences of six lagoonal sites located along the south-western and southern coasts of Turkey. The methods for the proposed research comprise piston coring the sequences, high-resolution micro-XRF core scanning, u-channel X-ray radiography, grain-size distribution analysis, and AMS 14C dating. In addition to revealing paleotsunami records in the region, the proposed research will bring new insights on detection of tsunami deposit in sedimentary sequences. Among the methods to be applied, high-resolution micro-XRF core scanning have been utilised in only a few studies before, while u-channel X-ray radiography has never been used in any paleotsunami investigation. Hence, the proposed research will mediate a significant transfer of the knowledge gained in paleolimnology/paleoclimatology/paleoceanography disciplines to paleotsunami research. Another important part of the project will be the organization of stakeholders’ meetings in the important cities of the study area in order to inform people about the scope and the results of the research and to increase the public awareness about tsunamis.

Keywords: paleotsunami,eastern mediterranean,turkey
Novel Products for Construction and Automotive Industries Based on Bio Materials and Natural Fibres (ReInvent)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Bio-based Industries
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: BBI (Art-187)
Countries involved: Spain,Spain,Italy,Germany,Germany,Italy,Germany,Spain,Italy,Italy,Israel,Latvia,Denmark,Portugal,United Kingdom
Call: Advanced bio-based fibres and materials for large-volume applications (H2020-BBI-JTI-2017, 2017)
Start date: 2018-06-01
End date: 2022-05-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9490964.47
EU funding (EUR): 6525275.0
Participants: 20
Project status: CLOSED

In view of moving towards a post-petroleum society, the communication of the European Commission on 13 February 2012 entitled "Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe", and in particular its Action Plan, aims to integrate better biomass producing and processing sectors in order to reconcile food security, natural resource scarcity and environmental objectives with the use of biomass for industrial and energy purposes. Among others, construction and automotive industries have high potential for effective implementation of the strategy of European Bioeconomy in terms of more efficient use of biomass and industrial by products for development of bio-based value added products. Reinvent project will answer these needs by developing and combining bio based materials and fibres for replacing the petroleum based polyurethane (PUR) insulation products used in buildings and soft foams for vehicles interior products. Polyols, natural cellulose fibres and nanocrystals, and biomass derived nanoparticles (NPs) will be derived by advanced technologies from sustainable wood-based and agro-based sources to develop and validate: i) Novel bio based rigid moulded and spraying insulation foam systems for the construction industry, e.g. composite bridge decks, spraying building insulations and insulating sandwich structures, and ii) Novel bio based soft and semi-rigid foams for the automotive industry, e.g. sub-layers for car ceilings, dashboards and seat covers. These customer products will be validated for their enhanced properties, sustainability and low cost, and compared to currently available petroleum- and bio-based counterparts used in the construction and automotive industries, respectively. To enhance the sustainability of these products and materials, new energy and cost-efficient recycling technologies for the bio-based products will be developed.

Keywords: bio materials,natural fibres,foams
LYMPHIT: an innovative easy-to-use and cost-efficient diagnostic microneedle patch for the early detection of Lymphedema (Lymphit)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2018)
Start date: 2018-12-01
End date: 2019-03-31
Duration (months): 4.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Lymphedema is a chronic condition, outlined by a progressive accumulation of fluids in a limb, leading to great physical and psychological debilitation of the affected patient and often occurring secondary to oncologic treatments. There is not early diagnosis for lymphedema. Current diagnostic methods are highly inadequate and detect the disease only at an advanced stage, leading to serious complications, greatly decreasing quality-of-life of the patients while increasing healthcare costs. In response to this challenge, Dicronis has developed a diagnostic tool (LYMPHIT) based on a painless and minimally-invasive delivery of ICG, an FDA approved fluorescent agent, with an extremely high safety profile, integrated into polymeric dissolving microneedles patches which allows determining the status of the lymphatic system by optically measurement of the fluorescence decay. LYMPHIT enables patients and clinicians the earliest possible detection of lymphedema, by quantitatively tracking the function of the lymphatic system in a painless, easy-to-use and highly-scalable manner. LYMPHIT will be disrupting in the market by empowering medical practitioners to timely and selectively prescribe conservative treatments, which can contain or avoid a worsening of the swelling in the affected limb. Therefore, LYMPHIT will reduce lymphedema treatments costs up to 50% and reduce 10-fold the social costs associated to productivity loss, both of them associated with late stage lymphedema. Upon completion of the project, LYMPHIT will boost the growth of our company generating additional 64 FTEs, revenues of €398M and a ROI of 10.25 by the fifth year after Phase 2 execution. With the help of the SME instrument, Dicronis aims to complete the product optimization and clinical validation so that it can be commercialized across European markets first, and global markets later on, improving the quality of care of healthcare systems worldwide as well as the lymphedema patient´s quality of life.

Keywords: lymphedema,microneedles patches,wearable device
Erythrocytes properties and viability in dependence of flow and extra-cellular environment (EVIDENCE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Innovative Training Networks (ITN)-European Training Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Germany,Spain,Germany,Switzerland,France,France,France,Netherlands,Netherlands,United Kingdom
Call: Innovative Training Networks (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2020-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3993480.36
EU funding (EUR): 3993480.36
Participants: 13
Project status: SIGNED

After exiting the bone marrow, reticulocytes mature to form red blood cells (RBCs) which are highly adapted cells Red blood cells (RBCs) travel through our circulation during their entire lifetime of in average 120 days. This means they are in constant move and adapt to their surrounding by shape changes, e.g., when in high speed flow or with even more severe volume adaptations, when they squeeze through small capillaries or the slits of the spleen having less than half their own size. While on the move, RBCs have to deal with continuous changes in oxygen tension and pH, have to scavenge reactive oxygen species, and need to balance their responses towards the chemical and mechanical challenges. In contrast, most of the knowledge we gained about RBCs as well as diagnostic methods rely on RBCs in relative stasis, such as flux measurements, conventional patch-clamp, calorimetric assays, density centrifugation, atomic force microscopy, just to name a few. In the most extreme conditions the cells of investigation are even dead like in blood smears, electron microscopy or cyto-spins. Even if cells are on the move like in flow cytometers, they may rest in a drop of liquid. Furthermore, when taken from the circulation, the flow of the RBCs is suddenly terminated and (together with the application of anticoagulants) they experience a completely different environment that is likely to impair their properties. The objective of EVIDENCE is the exploration of the properties and behaviour of RBCs under flow conditions and in vivo to understand pathophysiology and to design novel diagnostic devices. Theoretical models will help to understand these RBC properties and will enable the transfer of the gained knowledge into diagnostic devises in general and into the development of a spleen-on-the-chip in particular. Furthermore we aim to understand the effect of the flow in bioreactors, allowing the efficient production of RBCs in vitro with the goal to produce RBC for transfusion.

Keywords: red blood cells
advanced technologieS for drug dIscovery and precisioN mEdicine: in vitRo modellinG human physiology and diseAse (SINERGIA)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Innovative Training Networks (ITN)-European Training Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Germany,Italy,Italy,Switzerland,Switzerland,Czechia,Netherlands,Netherlands
Call: Innovative Training Networks (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2019-11-01
End date: 2024-02-29
Duration (months): 52.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3951996.12
EU funding (EUR): 3951996.12
Participants: 10
Project status: SIGNED

A key step in the drug development process is to predict information on safety, efficacy and mechanisms of action of a candidate molecule as early as possible in the pipeline (drug screening). To accomplish this aim, physiological and pathological pre-clinical models that closely approximate the human body are required. The limited capabilities of most of the existing pre-clinical screening tools, unable to meet the physiological relevance required to screen out failing drug candidates, reflect in the current weak performances of drug discovery: high attrition rates indeed affect the process of taking drugs from lab to market. Despite emerging new technologies exist with potential for advancing the field of in vitro modelling, their successfully implementation in the drug discovery pipeline to make it more efficient is still challenging. This is also imputable to a lack of structured dialogue between academic technology providers, market-oriented and regulatory-aware CROs, Biotechs and Pharma companies, which finally affects the research, training and development pipeline. SINERGIA aims at integrating a training network where academic and non-academic actors contribute to unravel the potential of the synergistic and rational use of four key bioengineering technologies. In particular, SINERGIA features academic leading experts of i) organs-on-chip and microfabrication technologies; ii) bioreactor and tissue engineering; iii) 3D Bioprinting; iv) induced-pluripotent human stem cells. These techniques are deployed to CROs and Biotech Consortium members that will ensure rational development, exploitation, validation and compliancy with regulatory and industrial aspects. Ultimately, this concerted action will lead to advanced models of human physiology and diseases to be introduced in preclinical stages of an innovative and improved drug discovery pipeline.

Keywords: in vitro models,microfluidics,bioprinting,drug screening,precision medicine,drug benefit,drug safety