Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
INtegrated and Circular Technologies for Sustainable city region FOOD systems in Africa (INCiTiS-FOOD)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Nigeria,Sierra Leone,Gabon,Italy,Cameroon,Kenya,Ghana,Lithuania,Netherlands,Israel,Switzerland,Serbia
Call: African food cities (HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6196897.0
EU funding (EUR): 5999980.5
Participants: 25
Project status: SIGNED

Current African city region food systems fail to deliver food and nutrition security (FNS), health, and environmental sustainability. INCiTiS-FOOD develops scientifically underpinned circular agri-food technologies and practices, suitable for African cities. The context specific socio-technological use cases of INCiTiS-FOOD address the prevalent deficiency of animal sourced foods, vegetables and fruits. Hydroponics, aquaponics, and insect farming hold great promise because they require limited land, water, energy, wealth and reduce waste. Hydroponics and aquaponics infer soilless, circular vegetable and fish farming enterprises. Using an interdisciplinary approach, inclusive and scalable business models are developed for these enterprises, contributing to thriving and collaborative communities. This circular food system thinking improves FNS, delivers safe, affordable, nutritious, and healthy food, reduces waste and the environmental footprint in African cities. INCiTiS-FOOD follows a multi-actor approach for co-design and co-creation of circular agri-food innovations and business models, involving 8 city Living Labs in 6 countries from 3 African regions (East: Kenya; West: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone; Central: Cameroon, Gabon). The project aims for its innovations and businesses to attain a technological, societal, and business readiness level of TRL-7, SRL-7, and BRL-5, respectively. INCiTiS-FOOD agri-food innovations and business models will be widely adopted because their research and innovation maturity are proven by a large-scale demonstration as part of the Cascade Fund (1,000,000€). International ecosystem building is promoted by the digital INCiTiS-FOOD Platform on SmartAgriHubs.eu to support African innovation actors. In strengthening resilience, inclusiveness, and FNS, INCiTiS-FOOD guides policy transformation by adhering to the EU Taxonomy Regulation and Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. The consortium is constituted with the EU-Africa dialogue in mind.

Keywords: food and nutrition security circular peri urban food systems hydroponics aquaponics insect farming multi actor living labs dihs cascade fund vulnerable groups africa sustainability mufpp
Computer aided de novo design of nanobodies (Nanodesign)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Spain
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2024-11-01
End date: 2026-04-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Antibodies have become major players in the pharmaceutical industry and were valued at 0.16 US billion in 2023. Traditionally, antibodies are obtained after immunisation of different animals and then produced in relevant cells for use in research, diagnostics and therapy. In recent years, there is a growing public opinion in Europe to ban the use of animals for biomedical research, and therefore there is an increasing pressure to move from animal produced antibodies to design and produce them in vitro. Antibody engineering has another important advantage, which is the possibility of targeting a precise epitope and not rely on serendipity as when injecting an animal with an antigen. In recent years, there have been significant advances in protein design based on the use of artificial intelligence and precise force fields. Despite this, the majority of the companies that work on antibody design combine rational engineering with massive proprietary screening methods, and so far, there are no reported cases of fully de novo design of an antibody with nM affinity against a defined epitope. Using an interleukin receptor as a case study, we have shown that we can indeed fully design de novo a nanobody that recognizes the target with nM affinity, using our proprietary protein design software FoldX and ModelX. Experts consulted to date indicate that the results obtained so far are “truly impressive”, prompting us to continue validating and optimising our process. Our proposal has two main objectives: First, to fully automate our pipeline that involves epitope selection, antibody framework selection and docking, backbone move and side chain search. Second, demonstrate that our optimised pipeline can design fully de novo nanobodies against a defined target in a fast and cost-effective way. Success in both objectives will open the way to fully de novo antibodies with desired properties, and position ourselves in the search for funding and spin-off incorporation.
STRENGTHENING THE RESEARCH CAPACITIES FOR EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN ROMANIA (SCEWERO)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Improved access to Excellence
Destination: Improved access to Excellence
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Romania,Italy,Belgium
Call: Twinning Green Deal (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-02, 2023)
Start date: 2024-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1516222.5
EU funding (EUR): 1494802.5
Participants: 5
Project status: SIGNED

The SCEWERO project will be developed by a consortium of 5 organizations from 4 countries: Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB), a research institution located in Romania as a widening country and acting as coordinator, three top-class leading partners, Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo Sui Cambiamenti Climatici (IT), Universiteit Antwerpen (BE), and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen (DE), and a private partner (SME), Indeco Soft (RO) aiming to improve the excellence capacity in research, to raise the scientific reputation, research profile and attractiveness through networking, and strengthening research management capacity and administrative skills of the UBB team. The SCEWERO project will be implemented in 9 work packages: one is dedicated to Ethics issues, two are dedicated to project management, and two to dissemination, exploitation, and communication. Two dedicated WPs focus on comprehensive training for UBB researchers provided by the top-class partners on the topics of i. extreme temperature and precipitation events, compound events, and artificial intelligence use for better analyzing and forecasting them (WP4) and ii. science communication on weather extremes and artificial intelligence (WP5). WP6 is dedicated to consolidating research management capacity and administrative skills and providing instruction for a dedicated working group to be created in the UBB. WP7 covers a small research project with the UBB team that holds the potential to make a significant impact. It will put into practice the knowledge transferred through instructions provided in WPs 4 and 5 by the high-performing partners. Aligned with the Early Warnings for All Initiative and the EU mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and the European Green Deal objectives, the research component aims to establish a new methodology and provide relevant results obtained through a complex approach to contribute to the enhancement of the early warning systems on heat event Romania. The methodology could be then replicated in other European countries, paving the way for a more resilient future.

Keywords: weather extremes,compound events,heat impact,science communication,early warning
SUN-PERFORM: Synthetic biology United with Nanotechnology – A Biohybrid Approach to Improve Light-harvesting and CO2 Fixation for High Performance Sustainable Solar Fuel Production (SUN-PERFORM)

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: Netherlands,Germany,Italy
Call: Improvement of light harvesting and carbon fixation with synthetic biology and/or bio-inspired//biomimetic pathways for renewable direct solar fuels production (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-01, 2024)
Start date: 2024-11-01
End date: 2028-10-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4022148.75
EU funding (EUR): 4022148.75
Participants: 7
Project status: SIGNED

The advancement of direct solar fuel technologies is key to provide a sustainable, secure energy supply for the EU and other global regions, and for the challenging-to-electrify aviation and maritime sectors. State-of-the-art technologies for solar fuel production (including natural photosynthesis) suffer from low solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency, low production rates and prohibitively high costs. Within the framework of SUN-PERFORM, we will address these critical limitations through an innovative biohybrid approach based on innovations in nanotechnology and synthetic biology. SUN-PERFORM aims to: 1) to develop artificial nanocrystal light-harvesting systems, to efficiently harvest a larger part of the solar light spectrum, 2) to generate advanced microalgal solar cell factories, by introducing synthetic pathways for a more efficient, rapid conversion of light energy and CO2 into lipid fuel precursors. Microalgal lipids are promising hydrocarbons for fuels, being already approved production pathways for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. However, current lipid production is still too inefficient and slow, hindering the cost-effective generation of renewable fuels. Through the implementation and integration of groundbreaking innovations at a pilot scale, SUN-PERFORM aims to achieve a remarkable four-fold increase in the existing solar-to-fuel efficiency. This will be demonstrated across two case studies reflecting the different solar irradiances received in Europe and Africa. In addition to technical advancements, SUN-PERFORM will comprehensively evaluate the sustainability, techno-economic and social aspects of this novel route, to guide its development as a truly sustainable, secure and affordable production platform. Diverse stakeholders, including industry and several partners in Africa, will be involved in SUN-PERFORM to support the global development and the European leadership and export position for solar fuel technology.

Keywords: microalgae co2 fixation pathways nanocristals metabolic engineering
ADVANCED CHARACTERIZATION OF TECHNICAL COMPONENTS FOR NEW POWER-TO-X TECHNOLOGIES (ACTNXT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Research infrastructures
Theme: Research infrastructures
Destination: Technology and infrastructures
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Denmark,France,United Kingdom,Switzerland,Italy,Netherlands,Germany,Czechia,Austria
Call: R&D for the next generation of scientific instrumentation, tools, methods, solutions for RI upgrade (HORIZON-INFRA-2024-TECH-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-03-01
End date: 2029-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9229258.5
EU funding (EUR): 9229258.5
Participants: 16
Project status: SIGNED

To reach its climate neutrality goals Europe needs to rely heavily on Power-to-X (PtX) technology to replace the many applications of fossil fuels that are not easily electrified. Many PtX technologies are however still immature or not ready for deployments yet, highlighting the need for a sustained R&D effort in the field. Neutron- and synchrotron sources can play a crucial role in this effort however lack of key instrumentation is limiting the current possibilities. ACTNXT will upgrade the instrumentation at current neutron- and synchrotron sources to enable it to provide crucial knowledge within PtX areas such as efficiency, safety, price, raw material consumption, and durability. This will be done by developing instrumentation for: 1. Operando measurements of processes and flow inside PtX components 2. Materials behaviour under hydrogen exposure 3. Reliable and high throughput investigation novel materials 4. Operando measurements hazardous chemical reactions The new instrumentation will be designed for broad adaptation as upgrades for many existing research instruments across Europe. Prototypes of all 4 instrumentation types will be constructed at leading research infrastructures and their capabilities tested and demonstrated. This is supplemented by a common knowledge platform addressing common challenges such safety and planning of complicated experiments. During the project the consortium will have a very strong dialogue with the user communities to ensure that the developed instrumentation matches its needs and that it is ready to take full advantage of the instrumentation also after the end of the project. In doing so ACTNXT aims to give the European green industry a huge boost and ensure that it captures a major part of an emerging trillion Euro PtX market.

Keywords: hydrogen,power to x,instrumentation,neutron and synchrotron sources,sustainability,
Neuromodulatory Control of Intrinsic Multiscale Brain Network Dynamics (NEMOCON)

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: Italy,United States
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2028-06-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 288859.2
EU funding (EUR): 288859.2
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Spontaneous brain activity as assessed with resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) is increasingly used as an index of interregional brain communication and functional connectivity in health and disease. However, the physiological underpinnings of brain-wide rsfMRI coupling, and the neural effectors of its dynamic reconfiguration, remain undetermined. Recent investigations, including my own work, have crucially shown that rsfMRI large-scale activity in the mammalian brain is critically shaped by a limited set of recurrent wave-like spatiotemporal patterns. Further investigations by us and others point at a putative link between global patterns of brain activity and fluctuations in internal states linked to arousal. These observations suggest that the dynamics and specific spatial topography of rsfMRI network dynamics could be critically shaped by the intrinsic activity of ascending neuromodulatory systems like Acetylcholine (ACh) or Noradrenaline (NA). This project aims to formally test this hypothesis via a first-of-its-kind multiscale, multimodal investigation of whole-brain rsfMRI activity and intrinsic neurotransmitter function as assessed with mesoscopic imaging of genetically-encoded ACh and NA fluorescent sensors in the awake mouse brain. To causally link these two phenomena, I will systematically modulate general arousal levels, and probe neurotransmitter specificity via pharmacological and chemogenetic manipulations. Importantly, dual-color mesoscale calcium and ACh or NE imaging will be coupled to rsfMRI mapping to disentangle the tripartite relationship between local and global neuromodulatory tone, neural activity, and network dynamics. These studies will shed light on the neural drivers and functional significance of rsfMRI signal, with important implications for the use of this method to map functional connectivity in health and disease.

Keywords: neuromodulation brain connectivity network dynamics resting state fmri wide field mesoscopic imaging chemogenetics arousal
MACARONIGHT 2022 - 2023: The Researchers' Night of the Macaronesia (MACARONIGHT IV)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: European Researchers' Night
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Spain,Portugal
Call: European Researchers' Night 2022-2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-CITIZENS-01, 2022)
Start date: 2022-04-01
End date: 2024-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 322315.71
EU funding (EUR): 294030.0
Participants: 5
Project status: CLOSED

Macaronesia is a biogeographical region of five archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean of which four are inhabited: Azores (Portugal), Canarias (Spain), Madeira (Portugal) and Cape Verde (Cabo Verde). These islands share common geographical traits and similar challenges with regards to climate change, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. The Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores are part of the European Union (EU Outermost Regions). The overall objective of this project is to organise a shared Researchers' Night for the Macaronesia Region for the fifth and sixth consecutive year connecting the population of these remote islands under the umbrella of the universal language of science. For these two new editions, MACARONIGHT IV aims at further widening public awareness towards science, research and innovation, especially in areas where the Region faces global challenges, such as those identified in the Horizon Europe Missions. The aim is to reach out to the population in general yet keeping specific focus on teenagers and young parents with kids in particular. The project will deploy an enhanced social-media strategy that aims to engage with citizens of different ages in their own words through their daily used channels. Activities will cover 16 islands with the "main" activities organised at 4 locations: Tenerife (La Laguna), Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Madeira (Funchal), Azores (Ponta Delgada). The programmes will be organised as "hybrid" online/physical events that will attract 20 thousand participants in 2022 and 25 thousand participants in 2023.

Keywords: macaronesia,researchers,outermost regions,science communication,education,horizon europe missions,oceans,green deal,energy,climate change,biodiversity
Accelerating Systemic Climate Adaptation Across Europe through Integrated Ecosystems of Resilience Solutions (SystR)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Mission
Theme: Adaptation to climate change
Destination: Adaptation to climate change
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Greece,Netherlands,Austria,France,Spain,Germany,Belgium,Italy,Slovakia
Call: Systemic and cross-sectoral solutions for climate resilience, tailored to the local needs of regions and local authorities (HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-06-01
End date: 2029-05-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9351931.25
EU funding (EUR): 8988911.75
Participants: 28
Project status: SIGNED

SystR will propose a groundbreaking approach to feed the science-policy nexus with innovative solutions to address systemic risks (interconnection between multiple sectors and stakeholders and resulting cascading climate impacts). This approach will accelerate transformative adaptation and avoid maladaptation by breaking silos, harmonising multiple scales of governance and tailoring solutions to local needs and strengths with Smart Specialisation Strategies. SystR will deliver a set of innovative results that will collectively strengthen the systemic resilience of the 6 multi-scale regions and communities involved and have a long lasting impact: 1. An Adaptation Support tool targeting the process of systemic adaptation based on the P2R project Regional Resilience Journey 2. A Community Empowerment framework for actively mobilising a diversity of actors across the value chain into the development and testing of transformative solutions, fit to address local climate and aggravating systemic vulnerabilities and risks 3. Novel systemic Governance schemes to improve cooperation at multiple scales 4. Coherent Financial roadmaps to determine how to finance identified resilience solutions and strategies 5. Design, with the support of the digital Visualisation tools, and implement Integrated Ecosystem of Resilience Solutions, integrating the cross sectorial enabling and systemic physical solutions including NBS 6. Accelerate the uptake of its results for critical mass creation, through the Upscaling toolbox and the One Stop Shop, the SystR’s results aggregator. Overall, while pursuing close collaboration with the Climate Adaptation Mission, SystR will demonstrate systemic resilience in three contexts most representative of Europe: coastal in Guadeloupe-France, rural in Bystrica-Slovakia and urban in Rome-Italy, which will be twinned with replication sites of similar challenges, Galicia, Strasbourg and Egaleo, respectively.

Keywords: interconnexions,co benefits,cross sectoral,multiple scales