Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Probabilistically Checkable Proofs, Agreement Tests, and High Dimensional Expanders (PCPHDX)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator 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 Consolidator Grant (ERC-2017-COG, 2017)
Start date: 2018-02-01
End date: 2024-12-31
Duration (months): 83.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1512035.0
EU funding (EUR): 1512035.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

PCPs capture a striking local to global phenomenon in which a global object such as an NP witness can be checked using local constraints, and its correctness is guaranteed even if only a fraction of the constraints are satisfied. PCPs are tightly related to hardness of approximation. The relation is essentially due to the fact that exact optimization problems can be reduced to their approximation counterparts through this local to global connection. We view this local to global connection is a type of high dimensional expansion, akin to relatively new notions of high dimensional expansion (such as coboundary and cosystolic expansion) that have been introduced in the literature recently. We propose to study PCPs and high dimensional expansion together. We describe a concrete notion of “agreement expansion” and propose a systematic study of this question. We show how progress on agreement expansion questions is directly related to some of the most important open questions in PCPs such as the unique games conjecture, and the problem of constructing linear size PCPs. We also propose to study the phenomenon of high dimensional expansion more broadly and to investigate its relation and applicability to questions in computational complexity that go beyond PCPs, in particular for hardness amplification and for derandomizing direct product constructions.

Keywords: probabilistically checkable proofs pcps,hardness of approximation,computational complexity,error correcting codes,high dimensional expanders,local testability
Plasticity of the Pluripotency Network (PLASTINET)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Panel description: 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: United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2018-ADG, 2018)
Start date: 2020-01-01
End date: 2025-12-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499970.0
EU funding (EUR): 2331765.8
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

A few days after fertilisation mammalian embryos form a blastocyst comprised of three tissues; trophoblast and hypoblast are the forebears of extraembryonic structures, while naive epiblast cell are the pluripotent source of the embryo proper. Classical mouse embryological studies indicate that lineage potencies are determined concomitant with segregation of the three founder tissues. Textbook definitions of pluripotency thus exclude extraembryonic potential. Consistent with this paradigm, mouse embryonic stem cells are generally ineffective in producing trophoblast or hypoblast derivatives. However, we have discovered that human naïve pluripotent cells have high intrinsic competence for trophoblast formation. Furthermore, unlike in mouse, extraembryonic transcription factors are present in human epiblast in vivo. These findings challenge the dogma of early lineage restriction but may be compatible with the ancestral origin of pluripotency. We hypothesise that extraembryonic plasticity underlaid by entwined regulatory networks is the evolutionary template of pluripotency. Consequently, signal modulation to suppress extraembryonic specification may be crucial for capture of stem cells representative of naïve epiblast in most mammals. We will examine human and non-human primates, farm animals in which embryos undergo extended development before implantation, and a marsupial in which pluripotent cells are generated from the trophoblast. In a cross-disciplinary approach we will employ transcriptomics, embryo and stem cell experimentation, and formal computational modelling to uncover the core biological program moulded by evolution into different forms. We aim to establish hitherto elusive chimaera-competent embryonic stem cells from species of importance for research, biomedical applications and livestock improvement. We will obtain fresh insight into the molecular logic governing early development, lineage plasticity, pluripotent identity, and stem cell self-renewal.

Keywords: logical modelling,mammalian embryo,lineage specification and commitment,pluripotency,self renewal
Evidence-based ICT tools for weight loss maintenance (NoHoW)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Active ageing and self-management of health
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Ireland,Finland,United Kingdom,Denmark,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Portugal,Portugal,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom,Denmark
Call: Self management of health and disease: citizen engagement and mHealth (H2020-PHC-2014-single-stage, 2014)
Start date: 2015-03-01
End date: 2020-02-29
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4949337.01
EU funding (EUR): 4949337.0
Participants: 15
Project status: CLOSED

Most adults who try to lose weight fail to maintain it. Obesity is a key economic and healthcare challenge for Europe. Effective interventions and commercial programmes for weight loss are widely available, but most people re-gain their lost weight. Currently few comprehensive solutions exist to help Europeans manage weight loss maintenance (WLM). Current research suggests the most promising evidence-based behaviour change techniques for WLM are self-monitoring, goal setting, action control, building self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Recent research also suggests that stress management and emotion regulation skills are key enablers of relapse prevention and weight-regain. Information technology offers attractive tools for teaching and supporting these techniques, some of which are currently delivered through resource-intensive face-to-face therapies. ICT-delivery includes networked-wireless tracking technologies, weighing-scales and activity sensors, online tools and smart-phone apps, multi-media resources and internet-based support. A broad choice of tools is most likely to be acceptable to users, who can pick and choose their own preferred technologies. The NoHoW project tests whether ICT-based delivery of the most promising evidence-based behavior change techniques is effective for WLM. We will carry out a large-scale international 3-centre trial of information technology tools that implement the most up-to-date behavioural science research. This trial will establish the effectiveness of these ICT tools in supporting WLM, linked to studies of European consumer needs and behaviour. Impact: The project will directly feed results into development of new products and services from the UK’s largest commercial weight-loss provider, Slimming World providing immediate benefit to 500,000+ consumers. Commercialisation of project results will provide much needed WLM services that promote health education and long-term weight management programmes.

Keywords: weight loss maintenance,behavioural science,commercialisation,emotion and stress
SensoGenic: empower food allergy sufferers and their families with the freedom to enjoy eating safely everywhere & anytime (SensoGenic)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Israel
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2019)
Start date: 2019-03-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

SensoGenic Ltd. is a science and technology company based in Israel, that is developing food allergens biosensor which is a portable, handheld, a digital diagnostic analyser for consumers. https://www.sensogenic.com Today, there isn't any consumer solution in the market that address food allergens detection. The solution for food manufactures is very long and expensive laboratory tests. SensoGenic will focus on consumer product that detects milk and eggs simultaneously in relevant food and concentrations. After successfully validating the POC of SensoGenic, based on company own research and experiments as well as supportive academic articles, the team can confirm the capability of its breakthrough IP as unique approach for allergens proteins detection. By pursuing the present feasibility study, the management team aims to improve its understanding of international market conditions and the associated risks that need to be considered as the company develops a deeper business plan for rolling out, and scaling up SensoGenic as a marketable innovative solution. SME Instrument Phase-1 and Phase-2 will be extremely beneficial in helping the company to accelerate development and market penetration of the solution in target segments, boosting the company’s growth to 100 employees and €26,000,000 revenues by 2025.

Keywords: biosensor,food allergy,allergen
Flexible Fossil Power Plants for the Future Energy Market through new and advanced Turbine Technologies (FLEXTURBINE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure, clean and efficient energy
Theme: Low-cost, low-carbon energy supply
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Germany,Germany,Germany,Italy,Italy,Italy,Germany,Germany,Italy,Serbia,Sweden,Sweden,Switzerland,France,Czechia,Czechia,United Kingdom
Call: Highly flexible and efficient fossil fuel power plants (H2020-LCE-2015-1-two-stage, 2015)
Start date: 2016-01-01
End date: 2019-03-31
Duration (months): 39.0
Total project cost (EUR): 10653882.5
EU funding (EUR): 6477595.5
Participants: 27
Project status: CLOSED

The share of renewable energy is growing rapidly driven by the objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of electric power which can be supplied to the grid depends on the time of the day and weather conditions. A conventional fleet of thermal power plants is required to compensate for these fluctuations before large scale energy storage technologies will be mature and economically viable. All power market projections expect this to be the case for the next 50 years at least. For a strong expansion of renewables, this fleet has to operate flexibly at competitive cost. Current power plants cannot fill this role immediately without impeding their efficiency and engine lifetime through increased wear and damage induced by the higher number of (shorter) operating/loading cycles. New technologies need to be introduced to balance demand peaks with renewable output fluctuations at minimal fuel consumption and emissions without negative effects on cycling operation. The FLEXTURBINE partners have developed a medium to long term technology roadmap addressing future and existing power plants. The FLEXTURBINE project presented hereafter is the first step in such technology roadmap and consists of: (1) new solutions for extended operating ranges to predict and control flutter, (2) improved sealing and bearing designs to increase turbine lifetime and efficiency by reducing degradation/damages, and (3) an improved lifecycle management through better control and prediction of critical parts to improve competitive costs by more flexible service intervals and planned downtime, and by reducing unplanned outages. In all areas, individual technologies will be developed from TRL 3 to TRL 4-6. FLEXTURBINE brings together the main European turbine manufacturers, renowned research institutes and universities. It involves plant and transmission system operators to include user feedback and to prepare the take-up of the FLEXTURBINE technologies in power plants world-wide.

Keywords: fossil power plants,enabling flexible operation,turbine technologies,lifecycle management,aero elastic response,turbine blades,flutter,sealing,bearing,component life time
Understanding the fate of Arctic atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition – A Hg stable isotope investigation of redox processes and Hg re-emissions (MEROXRE)

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: France
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-04-01
End date: 2017-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173076.0
EU funding (EUR): 173076.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Mercury (Hg) is a pollutant of global concern for human and ecosystem health. This is particularly true in the Arctic where indigenous populations are excessively exposed to dietary Hg from fish and marine mammal consumption. The deposition of Hg from the atmosphere to Earth surfaces and its re-emission via biogeochemical reduction processes determine Hg concentrations in Earth surface reservoirs, such as soils, snow, and runoff into Arctic lakes and surface Ocean. In order to predict the impact of anthropogenic Hg emissions on net atmospheric Hg deposition and ultimately Hg concentrations in biota, it is important to understand these deposition and re-emission processes. The reduction of deposited Hg2+ to volatile gaseous Hg0 and the oxidation of gaseous Hg0 to reactive Hg2+, which is rapidly deposited from the atmosphere, control the global fate of Hg. Major knowledge gaps concerning the mechanisms of these redox processes exist. Different photochemical and non-photochemical Hg2+ reduction mechanisms were found to fractionate Hg stable isotopes in distinct, identifiable ways. Also, different atmospheric Hg0 and Hg2+ pools have been shown to have distinguishable Hg isotope signatures. Hg isotopes can thus provide new insights in the sources of Hg and redox transformation processes at the Earth-atmosphere interface, which are inaccessible by means of concentration and flux measurements alone. In the MEROXRE project proposed here we will combine the latest innovations in gaseous Hg measurements in porous media (soils, snow) with state-of-the-art Hg isotope techniques to investigate: (i) Hg isotope fractionation of Hg2+ reduction and gaseous Hg0 oxidation in interstitial snow air and soil pores. (ii) Hg isotope fractionation factors associated with net gaseous Hg0 re-emission fluxes from soil and snow (iii) the importance of gaseous Hg0 oxidation and Hg2+ reduction and re-emission for the global Hg cycle by incorporating the results in a global Hg isotope model.

Keywords: mercury,stable isotopes,arctic,deposition,emission
Mechanistic Microscale Approach to the Microbial Degradation of Oil-Droplets in Subsea Crude Oil Releases (OILY MICROCOSM)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Greece,United States
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-11-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 27.0
Total project cost (EUR): 176408.1
EU funding (EUR): 176408.1
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

In oligotrophic marine ecosystems, the natural or accidental release of crude oil marks the beginning of a season of feast for indigenous microbial consortia that have developed appropriate adaptive machinery to access and assimilate hydrocarbons. Biodegradation and bioemulsification are among the key processes by which marine microbes strongly affect the transport and fate of crude oil in the sea. Unraveling of the coupled physical and biochemical interactions between microbes and oil droplets will be a major enabler for achieving a new level of prediction of crude oil dispersion as well as for developing more efficient bioremediation techniques to combat oil spills in marine environments. The proposed research project aims at an improved understanding of the fundamental microscale mechanisms that underpin oil biodegradation with a highly innovative focus at both the single-droplet and droplet-population levels. In particular, at the single-droplet level, our focus is on the droplet-microbe interactions and the dynamics of biofilm formation over the oily substrate. Ultimately, the developing interfaces between biofilms, oil and water will be tracked and quantitatively visualized. At the droplet-population level, our focus is on the evolution of the droplet size distribution (DSD) and its impact on the average biodegradation rates for a cloud of oil microdroplets (10-60 um). The research methodology is based on a creative combination of state-of-the-art microfluidics, biochemical analyses and computational modeling. All in all, this project is expected to provide a unique and original approach to a fundamental problem in microbial ecology that has wide societal and economical repercussions. Importantly, a profound impetus will be given to the Researcher’s career via strengthening his publication record and his professional network of contacts.

Keywords: biodegradation,biofilms,crude oil,microfluidics,computational modeling
Firms and Their Networks (FIRMNET)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Individuals, Markets and Organisations
Panel description: Economics, finance and management
Countries involved: Sweden,France,France
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2016-ADG, 2016)
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2024-02-29
Duration (months): 78.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1753287.89
EU funding (EUR): 1410330.0
Participants: 3
Project status: SIGNED

There is mounting evidence that firms are becoming more fragmented; production is less often made “in-house”. Firms buy inputs from abroad. Tasks are often split in parts. Some are offshored, others are subcontracted. Hence, firms buy services from other, local or international, firms. But they also supply inputs to other firms. Technical change, the internet, and globalization, all facilitate this transformation. In order to better understand how firms thrive in the new global environment, the proposed research aims to construct a networks view of the firm. Fragmentation offers new opportunities: firms may specialize in what they make best, hence creating a business network of customers and suppliers. Networks are also useful to secure provision of fragmented tasks. The firms’ suppliers of goods and services – accountants, logisticians, consultants… -- may well be related to the firm through its workers’ social networks: family ties, boardroom relations… These social networks should be useful when times are tough -- board members could help find financing in banks where their schoolmates have a job – or when times are unusually good -- employees could help in spotting the right hires among their former co-workers. The proposed research will focus on how firms social and business networks help firms to be resilient in the face of shocks. Resilience will be measured using the firms’ and workers’ outcomes – value-added, wages, employment, or occupations. The research will have a theoretical component using general equilibrium models with heterogeneous firms, an empirical component with unique data sources from at least two countries (France, Sweden), and an “econometric theory” component which will seek to develop techniques for the study of many-to-one matches in the presence of networks. The research will speak to the labor economics community but also to the international trade community, the management community, as well as the econometrics community.

Keywords: social networks,business networks,firms and workers
Cosmological joint-probe analyses: constraining the effect of baryon physics on the matter distribution (Joint-probe analyses)

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: Physics
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2017, 2017)
Start date: 2018-04-02
End date: 2020-04-01
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Among the most pressing questions in physics are the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The former is the driving force behind the current accelerated expansion of the Universe while the latter accounts for the vast majority of matter and is responsible for the growth of the large-scale structure in the Universe. No satisfactory explanation has been put forward for either of these two mysterious substances, however. Future cosmological surveys, such as Euclid, will elucidate the nature of dark matter and dark energy by measuring the distribution of matter and the growth of structure in the Universe to unprecedented accuracy. These high-precision measurements put stringent requirements on the accuracy of the modelling and statistical tools. At small scales, the uncertainty in the modelling of baryonic processes is already restricting the potential of current cosmological surveys and, if not addressed promptly, will preclude future surveys from reaching their mission science goals. During the proposed action, the Fellow will address these challenges by constraining the effect of baryon physics on the matter distribution by performing a joint-probe analysis of the three cross-correlations between weak gravitational lensing from galaxies, lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect. Analysing the joint-probe measurements poses unique challenges on the estimation of the data covariance. To overcome this obstacle, the Fellow will develop novel data covariance estimators based on recent statistical advances in resampling techniques of dependent data. These covariance estimation techniques will be applicable beyond the scope of this project and impact cosmology and astronomy in general by providing crucial new tools to estimate and validate the data covariances of large-scale surveys.

Keywords: cross correlations,joint probe analyses,gravitational lensing,baryon physics,agn feedback,spatial statistics,resampling,covariance estimation