Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Tracking the dispersal of Homo sapiens into the Levant and across wider Eurasia (Disperse)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Study of the Human Past
Panel description: Archaeology and history
Countries involved: Austria
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2023-ADG, 2023)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2944654.0
EU funding (EUR): 2944654.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The diaspora of modern humans from Africa into Eurasia and beyond is one of the seminal chapters in the history of our species. Modern humans emerged in Africa by 250-300,000 years ago. Their several subsequent dispersals outwards must have followed one of two routes, the most likely being across the Sinai Peninsula and Levantine corridor. Here, they would have encountered resident Neanderthals and beyond, into Eurasia, the Denisovans. A major dispersal of modern humans by ~50,000 years ago, hypothesised to be linked with the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, is paralleled by further development of aspects of behavioural modernity; the increased presence of symbolic objects, art, new types of technology and the ability to adapt and survive in novel and challenging environments. The Lebanese site of Ksar Akil is the ‘type site’ for the Palaeolithic in the key Levant region. First excavated in the 1930s/40s, and again in the 1970s, it contains a deep ~23m sequence. Sadly, despite its importance, its potential has never been realised, but is clear that it can contribute greatly to our understanding of human presence, climate and environmental changes over the last ~90,000 years. This project plans to reveal this by applying the latest sediment DNA approaches to determine the presence of different hominins through the archaeological sequence, dating the site reliably for the first time, analysing its stone tool remains and generating a paleoenvironmental and climatic history. In parallel we will collate new and unpublished data from a range of similar Palaeolithic sites from across Eurasia, to test hypotheses concerning the movement of early human groups into and out of the region. The project will contribute a strong legacy value, for local Lebanese archaeology and students, as well as internationally in building a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the late period of human evolution.

Keywords: chronology,ancient dna,palaeolithic,neanderthals,hominins,archaeological science
Bioacoustic AI for wildlife protection (BioacAI)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Doctoral Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Netherlands,Czechia,Belgium,France,Germany,Italy,United Kingdom,Finland
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2027-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2507116.11
EU funding (EUR): 2389528.8
Participants: 20
Project status: SIGNED

The biodiversity crisis is coming into sharp focus. The BioacAI network will establish a vital modern evidence source for wildlife protection, by bringing the promise of AI-powered acoustic monitoring to fruition. Biodiversity loss is ranked as one of the top 5 global risks, both in impact and likelihood (World Economic Forum 2020, 2021, 2022). Continental-scale assessments warn of population declines in major taxa such as birds and insects. Yet data for monitoring biodiversity change remain incomplete - spatially, temporally and taxonomically. To stabilise biodiversity trends and assess ecosystem restoration interventions, it is crucial to monitor the world's wildlife better, faster, and to provide rapid intelligence that can enable us to manage these risks. Sound recording is a cheap, rapid and powerful way to monitor many key animal species, and modern machine learning can radically improve its scale and precision. However, there are two barriers: AI-enhanced tools for bioacoustic monitoring are at a low readiness level, with few end-to-end solutions available; and there is a big skills gap - no current training programme produces experts with skills spanning acoustics, artificial intelligence (AI) and zoology/ecology. The BioacAI doctoral network is designed to address exactly these issues. Our research programme develops new AI methods directly within the context of acoustic wildlife monitoring, using devices from leading European bioacoustics companies, in active wildlife monitoring deployments.Our training programme provides "full stack" bioacoustic AI skills and targeted research experience, to build the next generation of professionals - the people who innovate with technology to monitor and understand animals at unprecedented global scale and detail.

Keywords: ai,bioacoustics,ecoacoustics,acoustics,vocal behaviour,passive acoustic monitoring
Cracking the Post-Translational Modification Crosstalk Code in S. cerevisiae (PTMtalk)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Integrative B iology : from Genes and Genomes to S ystems
Panel description: For all organis ms: Genetics, epigenetics, genomics  and other ‘omics studies , bioinformatics, systems biology , genetic diseases , gene editing, innovative methods and modelling,  ‘omics for personalised  medicine
Countries involved: Spain
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): 1489798.0
EU funding (EUR): 1489798.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate all aspects of protein functionality. Dysregulation of PTMs or the enzymes that regulate them is frequently associated with disease. Far from working in isolation, PTMs crosstalk with each other creating decision-making circuits that regulate the cellular adaptation to fluctuating environments. PTM crosstalk is a regulatory layer of the proteome across the tree of life. However, to what extent and how PTM crosstalk regulates biological processes is a long-standing question in biology that is experimentally challenging to tackle. The challenges lie in the natural complexity and infinite combinatorial possibilities of PTMs, and the lack of unbiased systematic methods to study their function. We will use a combination of state-of-the-art CRISPR-based editing methods to construct 30.000 PTM-mutants in all the proteins involved in the signalling-to-chromatin pathways, and a scalable systems biology approach based on reverse genetics and chemical genomics to profile these mutants under 150 stress conditions. Mutants with similar phenotypic profiles are functionally associated, allowing us to infer functional relationships for PTMs, regulators and conditions. These functional associations will provide conditional regulatory PTM crosstalk events at an unprecedented scale. We will further mechanistically dissect the function of selected PTM crosstalk events by interrogating protein activity, cellular localization and interactions. Moreover, we will dissect their directionality and modularity. We expect these findings to be transferable to other eukaryotes due to the high degree of conservation in these core biological processes. Overall, this project will revolutionise the PTM field providing ground-breaking insights into the functional understanding of PTM crosstalk and their regulation in S. cerevisiae and unlocking the door for cracking the PTM code within and across biological processes.

Keywords: ptm crosstalk,yeast,phenotypic screens
Probing Dark Matter and Lorentz Invariance Violation through Synergistic Gamma-Ray Observations (GammaRays4LIV-DM)

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: Physics
Countries involved: Italy
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 193643.28
EU funding (EUR): 193643.28
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The proposed research project aims to explore two fundamental questions in modern physics: the nature of Dark Matter (DM) and Lorentz Invariance Violation (LIV). DM remains one of the biggest mysteries in science, and Axion-like Particles (ALPs) are a promising candidate for this elusive matter. LIV, on the other hand, challenges one of the foundational principles of physics and could provide insights into quantum gravity. This project leverages the synergy between current and next-generation gamma-ray observatories, including MAGIC and the LST-1 telescope of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), to explore these questions. It will use data from these observatories to conduct a search for ALPs, focusing on the gamma-ray emissions of blazars, which are ideal sources for such studies. This project will extend the exploration of the ALP parameter space, targeting regions that were previously unexplored. In addition, the low-energy sensitivity of LST-1 will enable unprecedented tests of LIV, using gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) to look for deviations in the speed of light at high energies. A key innovation in this project is the application of advanced statistical tools, particularly the Simulation-Based Inference (SBI) method, which will allow for more accurate and robust analysis of the data. Even if no signals are detected, the exclusion of key theoretical parameter values for ALPs and LIV will provide crucial insights, helping to refine or exclude existing models. This project also has broader implications beyond astrophysics. The methodologies developed, such as the application of machine learning techniques, have applications in other scientific fields, including climate modeling, and finance. Finally, the project offers valuable career development opportunities. Working closely with international collaborations such as MAGIC and CTAO will strengthen the researcher’s academic profile and open doors for future funding opportunities.

Keywords: gamma ray astronomy,high energy astrophysics,dark matter,axion like particles,lorentz invariance violation,simulation based inference
Organizing “Skills development for smart specialization” conference under the Hungarian Presidency (HUPRES-SMART)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Theme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Destination: Other Culture, creativity and inclusive society destinations
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Hungary
Call: Presidency event (HU) - Conference ‘Skills development for smart specialisation’ (HORIZON-CL2-2024-SKILLS-IBA, 2024)
Start date: 2024-08-01
End date: 2025-01-31
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 298250.0
EU funding (EUR): 298250.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

In today's dynamic industrial landscape, the agility of workers to embrace change stands as a critical factor. The competitive edge of industries heavily relies on the adeptness, innovation, and adaptability of their workforce. Identified skill gaps and mismatches between labor demand and supply pose direct hindrances to the creation of employment opportunities. It is imperative that skill development aligns with the evolving socio-economic dynamics. Education and training must be tailored to equip individuals with the requisite skills to navigate and excel in the field of green-digital technologies. The Hungarian presidency conference will address different aspects of skills development and the smart specialization concept through various program formats and networking activities, involving EU-level and national policymakers, researchers and training experts. The conference will contribute to developing the conceptual framework of skills development for smart specialisation, address differences between member states and provide evidence for better integration of skills development into S3 strategies.

Keywords: presidency,conference,skills,smart specialization
Andalusian Public Procurement of Innovation in Health Programme (Andalusia-PPI)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EU prize
Destination: European Innovation Procurement Awards
Action type: Recognition Prize
Countries involved: Spain
Call: EUIPA cat 1 (HORIZON-EIC-2023-EUIPA-PRIZES-03, 2023)
Total project cost (EUR): 0.0
EU funding (EUR): 0.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Over the last few years, Public Procurement of Innovation has been receiving greater attention and interest from Public context Administrations and Industry, as it strengthens our capacity to face the challenges of a social, economic and environmental in continuous change, as it is settled in the new European Innovation Agenda. For the Regional Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs of Andalusia (Spain), procurement of innovation has become a strategic action with the aim of seeking innovative solutions of value in the provision of health care to citizens, promoting, in turn, economic growth and business development in Andalusia. The launching of the Andalusian Public Procurement for Innovation in Health Programme (hereinafter the Programme) is a direct consequence of that and it is a prove of the high commitment of the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs to the Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) culture. This program is born with the conviction of being more than a mere project and aims to generate a disruptive change in the management of the Andalusian Public Health System, the attention to citizens and the relationship with the industry. The Programme involves a midterm regional strategy and a concrete set of actions and activities to foster the establishment of PPI as the right instrument to modernise and transform public health services into innovative services, also aligned to European Digital and Green policies.

Keywords: ppi,public procurement of innovation,innovation procurement,health,healthcare,programme,technical office,andalusia,spain,demand,needs,innovation,disruptive,strategy
Nucleic Acid detection with Short Prokaryotic Argonautes (NASPA) (NASPA)

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: Netherlands
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2025-04-01
End date: 2026-09-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted the need for versatile diagnostics tools. Detecting presence of specific nucleic acid sequences is a powerful method for pathogen diagnostics, phenotyping, and determination of single nucleotide polymorphisms or other mutations underlying genetic diseases. PCR-based methods, the gold standard in nucleic acid detection, require specialized equipment and trained personnel, limiting its applicability at point-of-care or in-field locations. Alternative isothermal amplification/CRISPR-Cas-based detection methods suffer from technical limitations and a crowded patent landscape. Nucleic Acid detection with Short Prokaryotic Argonautes (NASPA) is a versatile, sensitive, and specific one-pot nucleic acid detection method that can be used for point-of-care or in-field diagnostics. NASPA builds on our research in which we characterized short prokaryotic Argonaute (pAgo) systems. In NASPA, short pAgos are programmed with synthetic 15-21 nt guide RNAs to detect complementary DNA sequences. Upon detection of the DNA, breakdown of reporter ε-NAD+ is triggered, resulting in a traceable fluorescent signal. As there are no sequence requirements for the guide RNA, and guide RNAs can readily be synthesized, NASPA facilitates detection of virtually any sequence of choice. We have proof of concept for NASPA-based diagnostics in a laboratory setting (technology readiness level (TRL) 3), and intellectual property has been protected through patent applications. The proposed ERC PoC project has two main objectives 1) enhance NASPA and enable detection of RNA and DNA sequences of economic and/or medical relevance in point-of-care and in-field settings, reaching TLR 5, and 2) build a network of stakeholders including academic and commercial partners to expedite the development of NASPA-based applications and establish a valorisation strategy. Achieving these objectives will pave the way for further development and valorisation of NASPA-based diagnostics.
Unraveling the interplay between food intake with endocrine factors in brown adipose tissue activation (FoodBAT) (FoodBAT)

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: Finland
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2025-05-31
Duration (months): 25.0
Total project cost (EUR): 215534.4
EU funding (EUR): 215534.4
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The last five decades have been characterized by an increase in obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. Recent predictions indicate that more than 1 billion people will be obese by 2030 worldwide. Contrary to white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy as heat and has been considered an important target for treating obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. Nevertheless, little is known about the interaction between diet, of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, with BAT function. To develop new weight-loss strategies, it is essential to understand how food intake modulates BAT function by interacting with endocrine factors and how this interaction affects diet-induced thermogenesis in lean individuals and those with obesity. Recent data indicate that DIT is associated with BAT function and that gut hormones play an important part in the activation of BAT during the postprandial phase. Yet, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. Moreover, it is unclear whether DIT and cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT) share similar metabolic pathways and how the manipulation of food intake can affect BAT and, thus, energy expenditure. The main aims of FoodBAT are to investigate how the acute intake of a mixed meal modulates gut hormones to stimulate diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) and BAT oxidative metabolism and to understand how this interplay differs between lean and obese individuals. Also, we will investigate how a cold acclimation protocol affects this interaction to modulate DIT in individuals with obesity. Finally, FoodBAT will unravel the connections and differences between DIT and CIT by comparing the gene expression and mitochondrial respiration of brown adipocytes stimulated with either nutrient overload, isoproterenol, or a combination of both. These findings will be pivotal for the development of new pharmacological and non-pharmacological (lifestyle-related) strategies to combat obesity.

Keywords: brown adipose tissue,diet induced thermogenesis,diet,gut hormones
Strengthening democratic governance for climate transitions (RETOOL)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Theme: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Destination: Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Ireland,Belgium,Italy,Austria,Finland,Greece,United Kingdom,Estonia
Call: The climate imperative and its impact on democratic governance (HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-02-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2606193.75
EU funding (EUR): 2606193.75
Participants: 10
Project status: SIGNED

The overall goal of the RETOOL project is to advance our understanding of how to address the twin challenges of responding to the climate imperative while strengthening and reinvigorating democratic governance. The project has four overarching objectives: (i) To deepen our understanding of the relationship between democratic governance and the climate imperative by developing a novel analytical framework and creating new empirical underpinnings, including important new open-access datasets; (ii) To understand how a variety of democratic institutions across Europe are responding to the climate challenge, including learning lessons from history and studying new and innovative democratic practices; (iii) To contribute to reinvigorating democratic governance in Europe by developing and synthesising new knowledge and insights on climate democracy, and presenting them in a range of high-impact formats; and (iv) To serve as a bridge between academic research on climate democracy innovations and policymakers and practitioners, as well as civil society and the wider public. RETOOL brings together an international and interdisciplinary consortium, with partners from Western Europe (Ireland, UK, Belgium, Austria), Northern Europe (Finland), Eastern Europe (Estonia), and Southern Europe (Italy, Greece), combining expertise in political science, political sociology, deliberative democracy, environmental law, European studies, and public administration. The consortium includes a democracy practitioner foundation, and all partners are closely associated with practitioner and civil society networks and involved in hands-on activities. RETOOL will be undertaken by a mature, settled consortium that has significant experience of working together, with six of our nine partners core members of the EU-funded Jean Monnet Network GreenDeal-NET.