Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
I(eye)-SCREEN: A real-world AI-based infrastructure for screening and prediction of progression in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) providing accessible shared care (I-SCREEN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Austria,France,United Kingdom,Slovenia,Spain,Croatia,Germany,Switzerland
Call: EIC Pathfinder Open (HORIZON-EIC-2023-PATHFINDEROPEN-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3454613.75
EU funding (EUR): 3454613.75
Participants: 12
Project status: SIGNED

The aim of I(eye)-Screen is to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic decision support system for screening and monitoring of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at an early stage before vision loss occurs. Late AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness >50 years with 110 mio individuals at risk. The multidisciplinary consortium brings together a network of clinical retina experts, computer scientists working at the cutting edge of AI development, an infrastructure of community-based opticians/optometrists and an SME experienced in digital platform performance to develop innovative and trustworthy AI tools for broad, real-time AMD screening and monitoring via a cloud-based infrastructure with unlimited access. To achieve the ambitious goal of finding “the needle in the haystack” in early AMD, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a high-resolution, effortless imaging modality is used providing a detailed characterization of the retina in extensive volumetric scans. Breakthrough AI approaches for medical imaging will be developed to enable data-efficient and robust learning from sparse longitudinal OCT data to systematically analyse dense data volumes and identify (sub)clinical markers of disease activity. Clinical sites throughout Europe will collect a longitudinal cohort serving for calibrating and fine-tuning algorithms using the high-end OCT device available at eye clinics. Innovative AI technology will then be created to transfer the detection and monitoring tools to low-cost devices used in next door opticians’/optometrists’ offices. The timing of the project perfectly fits the recent regulatory approval of the first therapy to halt progression of the major atrophic type of AMD. The resulting AI-based “shared care” strategy offers unrestricted accessibility to vision-maintaining care with greatest health equity and provides a role model for screening for systemic, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease reflecting retinal biomarkers.

Keywords: ophthalmology,deep learning,medical imaging,retina,optical coherence tomography,age related macular degeneration
Bauhaus Bites: Positive Food Environments Fortified with Nature-Based Solutions and New European Bauhaus (Bauhaus Bites)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Norway,United Kingdom,Portugal,Croatia,Denmark,Sweden,Slovenia,Belgium,Italy,Bosnia and Herzegovina
Call: Unlock the potential of the New European Bauhaus in urban food system transformation (HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-01, 2024)
Start date: 2024-11-01
End date: 2027-10-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3063385.0
EU funding (EUR): 3000460.0
Participants: 15
Project status: SIGNED

The project will deliver urban food system transformation via Bauhaus Bites (BB) Food Environments, co-created and demonstrated in 7 cities at different levels of societal readiness, their transferability discussed with sister projects and European/global networks, and the results summarised in a Playbook for broad adoption. Bauhaus Bites Food Environments are urban and peri-urban ecosystems that commit to implementing sustainable healthy diets, amplified by the New European Bauhaus, and fortified with Nature-Based Solutions, ensuring that the transformed food environments of tomorrow are sustainable, inclusive and beautiful. By merging the key perspectives of European and global strategies such as the Farm to Fork and FOOD 2030 strategies, the Planetary Health Diet and the Planetary Health Diets with the New European Bauhaus values and principles, Bauhaus Bites offers a unique approach not yet seen in food system transformation projects, that will reimagine these food environments together with local, culturally diverse communities, customised to meet their needs, and anchored in social meeting spaces that carry meaning for them. The project will co-create BB Food environments in 3 Trailblazers (Birmingham, Fundão, Zagreb) and 4 Twins (Murska Sobota, Ostend, Palermo, Sarajevo) with different geographies, sizes, demographic challenges and societal readiness, boost mutual learning through a Community of Practice, document their added value with science-based indicators to inform high-level policy-making, test them for transferability with European/global networks, and summarise the learnings, guidelines, methods and examples in a Playbook. The BB approach will be based on inclusive participation and co-creation, including city and regional authorities, community- and business-driven initiatives, and inhabitants and end users of the food environments.

Keywords: urban food system transformation new european bauhaus neb sustainable living spaces nature based solutions community of practice local and seasonal food cultural diversity science based kpis
Next Generation Modelling of Terrestrial Carbon Cycle by assimilation of in-situ campaigns and Earth Observations (NextGenCarbon)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Climate
Destination: Climate sciences and responses for the transformation towards climate neutrality
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Sweden,France,Netherlands,Italy,Germany,United Kingdom,Austria,Belgium,Switzerland,Finland,Norway
Call: Quantification of the role of key terrestrial ecosystems in the carbon cycle and related climate effects (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D1-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 9999846.25
EU funding (EUR): 9999846.25
Participants: 22
Project status: SIGNED

The ability to evaluate EU's climate and sustainability targets is currently limited by challenges in monitoring ecosystem greenhouse gas (GHG) exchanges and other services in an accurate and timely manner. Important knowledge gaps concerning processes and drivers of GHG exchanges persist, that further hamper our predictive capabilities. The absence of coherent approaches to collect, interpret and integrate data on terrestrial GHG stocks and processes into predictive models limits the EU’s ability to monitor ecosystem services and thus to reach its climate ambitions, including the Paris Agreement of Climate Convention and European Green Deal. NextGenCarbon aims to develop a novel framework for advancing our understanding of the European GHG budget. To reach this goal, we will: 1) improve and enrich existing measurements on ecosystems; 2) assimilate these data into state-of-the-art modelling frameworks; 3) create seamless scenario prediction systems; and 4) provide guidance to policymakers on the magnitude, evolution of and future risks to GHG fluxes. Our exceptional multidisciplinary consortium links leading experts developing the next generation of ground and EO-driven observations, with several groups at the cutting edge of carbon cycle and land surface modelling, plus teams pushing the boundaries of data assimilation, complex system modelling, forest management and disturbance monitoring, land-use and GHG inventories, and communications. It also involves active engagement with diverse stakeholders, including landowners and managers, GHG exchange modelling community, international community related to environmental monitoring, climate policy support and GHG inventory experts, and policymakers. In doing so, NextGenCarbon will pave the way for high-accuracy and seamless estimates of national to continental and global GHG budgets from the recent past into the coming decades, making a vital contribution to EU's climate mitigation strategies.

Keywords: ecosystem structure,nghgi,earth observation,land management,vegetation demography,data assimilation
Do mountain plant responses to climate change depend on microbial mutualists? (MutualistChange)

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: France
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-02-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 211754.88
EU funding (EUR): 211754.88
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Plant interactions with microbial mutualists are critical for plant growth, with mutualists enhancing plant access to essential nutrients and ameliorating the effects of stressful environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures and drought. As a result, microbial mutualists may play an important role in mediating plant responses to changing climates. The goal of this project is to elucidate how interactions with microbial mutualists shape plant distributions and communities in response to climate change in mountain grassland habitats. My project builds on recent advances in monitoring techniques like eDNA metabarcoding to characterize microbial communities at large scales, allowing for detection of patterns in the relationships between environmental drivers, plant community composition, and microbial mutualist communities. The novelty of this project lies in the combination of this type of data with an experiment manipulating microbial mutualists, which is essential for identifying the causes underlying observed patterns. Specifically, I aim to (1) determine variation in plant species responsiveness to mutualists with and without drought stress, (2) examine whether mutualist-responsiveness predicts plant distribution responses to drier, warmer climates, and (3) model both direct effects of climate on plant community structure and indirect effects via microbial mutualist communities that are affected by climate and interact with plant communities. In addition to advancing our understanding of how microbial mutualists shape plant communities, this project will facilitate knowledge transfer between me and my host institution. I will receive training in research areas such as advanced statistical modelling and eDNA metabarcoding techniques and analyses, while sharing my expertise in the ecology of plant-microbial mutualist interactions.

Keywords: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,rhizobia,microbial mutualists,climate change,grasslands,alpine habitat
Inadequate migration of Leishmania-infected macrophages – the driver of parasite dissemination? (LeishMOM)

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: Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 189687.36
EU funding (EUR): 189687.36
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Leishmania parasites, a threat to 350 million people worldwide, are transmitted by sand flies and reside predominantly intracellularly in macrophages. Leishmania species can remain local (cutaneous leishmaniasis) or spread throughout the tissue and body (mucocutaneous/visceral leishmaniasis). This is the difference between a mild illness or a deadly disease, and the fundamental mechanisms behind these different clinical manifestations are largely unknown. As Leishmania parasites seem immobile following their delivery into the skin and are rapidly phagocytosed, it has been hypothesised that dissemination is driven by host cell migration in a species-dependent manner. Specifically, previous studies showed that Leishmania species causing visceral infections typically enhance macrophage motility, while species linked to cutaneous lesions slow down infected macrophages. However, few studies have directly compared migration of parasitised macrophages across multiple Leishmania species and it remains unclear which host migration pathways Leishmania manipulates. We want to test the hypothesis that different Leishmania species alter integrin-dependent and –independent macrophage migration modes in distinct ways, to control dissemination through the dermis and across endothelial barriers. Using human skin equivalents, cell deformability assays, and two- and three-dimensional migration assays, we will measure changes in migration dynamics of Leishmania-infected macrophages. Additionally, we will perform drug inhibitor and CRISPR screens, targeting macrophage genes, to identify host pathways essential for migration of parasitised macrophages. To dissect species-related differences, this study will use species causing visceral, mucocutaneous, and cutaneous leishmaniasis. The results will give insights into Leishmania dissemination mechanisms, thereby facilitating future designs of new therapeutics aimed at controlling inadequate migration of infected macrophages.

Keywords: macrophage migration leishmania dissemination host parasite interaction crispr screening tissue model
Phase Contrast STEM for Cryo-EM (CryoSTEM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences
Panel description: Analytical chemistry, chemical theory, physical chemistry/chemical physics
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2021-ADG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-06-01
End date: 2027-05-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499987.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499987.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Cryo-electron microscopy has revolutionized the field of structural biology, primarily for macromolecular structure but also for cells and tissue sections—achieving resolutions at the limit of physical optics. While wide-field transmission EM (TEM) with phase contrast by defocus is the most commonly used modality in biology, the alternative, scanning transmission EM (STEM), has emerged as the mode of choice for atomic resolution in materials science. Seeking to endow biology with the benefits of STEM, our lab established STEM for cryo-tomography of biological cells and demonstrated its advantages for thick specimens and compositional contrast. We now seek to extend cryo-STEM to high-resolution, with an emphasis on tomography, by means of coherent detection (Obj1). This will be achieved by the method of integrated differential phase contrast (iDPC) using a segmented detector, from which we obtain simultaneously phase and depth contrast in a single scan. The major expected benefits are: 1) minimization of image aberration, especially defocus with its associated complications for image interpretation, 2) reduction of beam-induced radiation damage by means of flexible scan and sampling patterns, and 3) improved reconstruction for tomography based on tailored data acquisition. We will validate the new methods for single particle analysis on standard macromolecular substrates and compare them to current state-of-the-art methods. Further, we will apply the new developments in 3D imaging to explore novel large-scale structures in chromatin we observed recently by whole-cell cryo-STEM tomography using current, low-resolution methods (Obj2). Labelling with halogenated nucleotides will reveal sites of active transcription or DNA synthesis. The proposed approaches’ expected broad applicability and STEM’s unrealized potential for hardware simplicity should together ensure the wide adoption of cryo-STEM methods in biology, accelerated by our dissemination efforts (Obj3).

Keywords: electron microscopy,tomography,scanning transmission em,cryo em,chromatin
Exchange-coupled nanowire-nanoplatelet composites for high-performance sustainable magnets (MAGWIRE)

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,Sweden
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 181152.96
EU funding (EUR): 181152.96
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

In the MAGWIRE project, we will explore the fundamental mechanisms, optimize the performance and upscale the synthetic protocol for the next generation of sustainable high-performance nanocomposite permanent magnets. The project will combine and exploit the key individual expertises of Dr. Matilde Saura Muzquiz (experienced researcher) in the synthesis and structural/magnetic characterization of nanostructured ferrite magnets, and of Prof. Lucas Perez (project supervisor) in the field of nanomagnetism and nanowires synthesis/characterization. The research will build on considerable recent improvements in the performance of strontium hexaferrite magnets achieved through crystal engineering (Ca and Al-doping) and bottom-up nanostructuring (size and morphology control), as well as on promising preliminary results for hexaferrite-nanowire magnetic composites. In MAGWIRE we will develop a novel high-performance exchange-spring nanocomposite magnetic material based on a synergistic nanoscale combination of high-coercivity platelet-shaped Sr1-xCaxFe12-yAlyO19 nanoparticles and high-magnetization FexCo1-x nanowires. The anisotropic shape (plates and wires) of the constituent nanoscale components will drive an inherent self-induced alignment, which will further improve performance. In addition, we will establish scalable synthesis routes based on a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms in play, that will be elucidated by in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering investigations of the nanoplatelet and nanowire formation.

Keywords: nanoplatelets,nanowires,magnetism,ferrites,in situ x ray scattering
European Viral Outbreak Response Alliance (EVORA)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Research infrastructures
Theme: Research infrastructures
Destination: Development and infrastructures
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: France,Germany,Belgium,Sweden,Portugal,Hungary,Italy,Spain,Austria,Netherlands,Slovenia
Call: Consolidation of the RI landscape – development of complementarities, synergies and/or integration between a set of pan- European research infrastructures (HORIZON-INFRA-2023-DEV-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2026-12-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4887932.36
EU funding (EUR): 4887932.36
Participants: 21
Project status: SIGNED

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for EU preparedness towards the growing number of virus outbreaks. Research infrastructures are strategic tools for providing resources and access to technologies for research, promoting innovation and supporting public health actions, but their impact is limited when they operate individually. The European Viral Outbreak Research Alliance (EVORA) project brings together three RIs (EVA, ERINHA-ESFRI and ELIXIR-ESFRI) with unique and complementary expertise in bio-banking, high containment facilities and data management solutions, respectively, under a single concerted interoperable framework with a common and long-term perspective. EVORA aims to strengthen EU capacity for concerted preparedness and response to viral diseases, unify RI operations to achieve optimal RI responsiveness, sustainability and worldwide competitiveness and address specific regulatory, ethical, and security challenges related to emerging pathogens. EVORA will create synergies between the RIs through common governance and concerted decision-making mechanisms. The interoperability of EVORA services will be integrated, through unified operational procedures and quality standards, in order to support user needs and EU Health-Tech in either “inter-crisis” or “viral emergence response” conditions. Finally, the project will address the complex regulatory aspects of preclinical research involving high-risk pathogens, to ensure the operability of the structure. By paving the way for a sustainable alliance of state-of-the-art RIs for preparedness and response to viral emergence, EVORA will strengthen the cohesiveness of the RI landscape in the field, contribute to the competitiveness of the European Research Area (ERA), and ultimately improve the EU's resilience to emerging communicable diseases.

Keywords: research infrastructure,interoperability,synergy,preparedness and response,virus outbreak,high risk pathogens,data management,regulatory compliance,quality management,esfri,business strategy
Resilient Edge Systems for Critical infrastructure and Urban Environments (RESCUE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Civil Security for Society
Theme: Civil Security for Society
Destination: Resilient Infrastructure
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Sweden,Germany,Netherlands,Spain,Switzerland
Call: Advanced real-time data analysis used for infrastructure resilience (HORIZON-CL3-2024-INFRA-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6596669.2
EU funding (EUR): 4992143.44
Participants: 13
Project status: SIGNED

The RESCUE project aims to strengthen the resilience, security, and adaptability of critical infrastructure systems through advanced edge computing, AI-driven anomaly detection, and robust communication networks. In an era of increasing cyber threats, environmental challenges, and resource uncertainties, maintaining stable and secure critical infrastructure is vital for societal well-being and economic continuity. RESCUE focuses on real-time data processing at the edge, resilient communication channels, and advanced cybersecurity to enable continuous operation and rapid response to risks. The project will deliver cutting-edge solutions to enhance the reliability of power distribution, urban infrastructure, and communication networks by implementing flexible, autonomous systems that maintain functionality even in the face of unexpected disruptions. By integrating diverse sensor data, strengthening multi-channel connectivity, and employing AI for predictive insights, RESCUE ensures that infrastructure systems can detect, classify, and respond to threats autonomously. The project combines technical innovations with a strong emphasis on data privacy and security, aligning with EU regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act and the AI Act. Through rigorous testing and demonstrative use cases across Europe, RESCUE’s solutions will set new standards for critical infrastructure resilience, paving the way for safer and more dependable smart city and energy systems.