Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Computational scanning for responding clonotypes in immune repertoires (RESPOND)

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: France
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2026-06-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Personalized medicine promises to exploit the diversity of human immune repertoires to design targeted T cell and B cell--based vaccines and therapeutics. However, even for mass vaccine design, identifying responding clonotypes to new viruses is costly, labor intensive and time consuming. RESPOND turns existing algorithmic solutions for identifying responding immune clonotypes into a user-friendly platform to aid drug and therapeutics discovery. RESPOND combines different algorithmic solutions and finds the best computational approach to fit the user’s needs. It is based on four methods developed during the ERC CoG STRUGGLE project: ALICE, NoiSET, fSTAR and HLA-Guessr. They are based on different properties of responding clonotypes, from sequence similarity to abundance and publicness. The idea of RESPOND is to integrate these features in a user-friendly tool that exploits the strengths of all methods to find the best answer to the practitioner’s query. RESPOND will return lists of candidates for responding clonotypes and a statistical analysis of their occurrence in databsses. Collaborating with big pharma, start-ups, medical researchers and practitioners, RESPOND will develop computational solutions to reduce the costs of biotechnological discovery and significantly decrease the time to test new vaccines and treatments. Based on consulting and feedback we will aim to give the user what they need in an appealing interface. The tool will be of use for everyone involved in exploiting immune repertoires for treatment and prophylactics, from personalized medicine, mass vaccine design to agriculture. RESPOND will pursue commercialization and market solutions both within academia, the biotechnology and medical sectors.
COmputational DEsign for 4D BIOfabrication: harnessing programmable materials for dynamic pre-clinical cancer models (CoDe4Bio)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Products and Processes Engineering
Panel description: Product and process design, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical, vehicle engineering, energy processes and relevant computational methods
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2021-STG, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1495100.0
EU funding (EUR): 1495100.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Cancer is a global health burden. In-vitro pre-clinical models play a key role in fighting this burden by encompassing all the activities prior to clinical trials, from tumor microenvironment reconstruction to drug candidate selection. However, the frequent failure of promising pre-clinical drug candidates highlights two major drawbacks of these models: (i) the difficult reproduction of the dynamic cancer structure related to numerous physical cues; (ii) their experimental nature that suffers from high costs, long times, and limited understanding. Consequently, the relationship between dynamic physical cues, cell behavior, and drug efficacy is still unknown. CoDe4Bio tackles such a huge knowledge deficiency. We propose a radical methodology shift to a computational approach to harness programmable materials, able to change properties on demand, and realize dynamic 4D biofabricated models whose stimuli-triggered evolution over time (4th dimension) induces targeted physical cues on cancer cells. We will leverage my extensive experience with smart materials and structures to address the challenges of this multidisciplinary project. Specifically, we will develop a computational design framework for 4D biofabrication that combines new data-, geometry-, and model-based methods with additive manufacturing and in-vitro observations. This framework will allow us to develop customized stimuli-responsive materials and engineer a new generation of 4D constructs with programmable mechano-structural properties and acting as mechanical regulators. We will assess the constructs in-vitro on chronic lymphocytic leukemia to achieve a deep understanding on how complex physical cues within lymph nodes and bone marrow affect this incurable cancer in relation to chemoimmuno and targeted therapies. CoDe4Bio will push the frontiers of solid and computational mechanics to unveil unconventional routes for pre-clinical drug screening and lay the foundation for effective dynamic cancer models.

Keywords: computational mechanics solid and structural mechanics 4d biofabrication stimuli responsive materials pre clinical models of leukemia
Exploring Transglutaminase 2 as a potential therapeutic target for diabetes-induced sexual dysfunction (DISD-TG2)

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: Denmark
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2027-06-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 263393.28
EU funding (EUR): 263393.28
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Diabetes impairs blood supply and disrupts the integrity of the nervous system in genital organs, leading to sexual dysfunction (SD) and genital tissue fibrosis in both sexes. SD is strongly correlated with depression, reduced social well-being, and a diminished quality of life. Current therapeutic options for SD are inadequate, have important side effects, and no effective treatments exist for vaginal/penile fibrosis, underscoring an urgent need for advanced mechanistic studies to identify new therapeutic targets and develop effective and safe treatments. Transglutaminase-2 (TG2) is a multifunctional enzyme that operates in two conformations: in its open conformation, it exerts transamidase activity, which has a pro-fibrotic effect; in its closed conformation, it regulates vascular tone. It has been reported that TG2 is involved in vascular dysfunction and fibrosis, and pharmacological inhibition of TG2 improves endothelial function and shows great promise for treating fibrotic diseases. However, its role in the pathophysiology of diabetes-induced SD (DISD) remains unexplored. We hypothesize that TG2 may play a crucial role in DISD and erectile tissue fibrosis. Promoting the closed conformation of TG2 with an allosteric reversible inhibitor could improve sexual function by enhancing vascular function and preventing fibrosis. We will test this hypothesis by investigating: i) TG2 expression/activity in primary fibroblasts isolated from healthy rat erectile tissues and the involvement of TG2 in the fibrotic process; ii) the acute effect of TG2 inhibition on sexual function in healthy rats; and iii) the role of TG2 and the therapeutic effect of allosteric TG2 inhibitors in the rat model of DISD and vaginal/penile fibrosis. Furthermore, our project will address a significant gap in the current literature by investigating female SD, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding and management of the impact of diabetes on women’s sexual health.

Keywords: pharmacology,diabetes,sexual dysfunction,fibrosis,reproductive system
5G NTN SATELLITE DIRECT TO MOBILE IN-ORBIT DEMONSTRATION (5NETSAT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Luxembourg
Call: EIC Accelerator Open 2024 (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-02, 2024)
Start date: 2025-07-01
End date: 2027-02-28
Duration (months): 20.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3571427.14
EU funding (EUR): 2499999.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

OQ Technology proposes a European 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite direct-to-mobile communication service based on the 3GPP standards. Through this grant, OQ Technology intends to demonstrate the proposed solution through an In-Orbit Demonstration satellite mission providing SMS and emergency services for direct-to-mobile based on the 5G 3GPP standards. This shall allow OQ Technology to be the first European player to make a huge social impact in connecting the unconnected globally and saving millions of lives by enabling satellite-based SMS and emergency services on the smartphones, for the public. OQ Technology has a proven expertise in space and telecommunications, demonstrated through its track record of eight successful missions in the past three years. OQ Technology will leverage and improve its existing intellectual properties of its 5G protocol stack implementations for NTN to enable the proposed services; with its divergent multi-cultural team of 30 members coming from 14 different ethnicities and nationalities.

Keywords: 5g ntn,3gpp,direct to mobile,sms,sos,newspace,satellite,satcom,nr,5g,ntn,mno,sno
Synchronizing Perceptual and Lexical Abilities in Second Language Acquisition (SPeLL2)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Attracting and mobilising the best talents
Destination: Attracting and mobilising the best talents
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: Portugal
Call: ERA Fellowships (HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-TALENTS-02, 2024)
Start date: 2025-06-01
End date: 2027-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191343.12
EU funding (EUR): 191343.12
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The proposed research project aims to investigate the divergence between perceptual and lexical abilities in adults’ non-native speech learning. Previous research has shown that good perceptual abilities of non-native sounds do not necessarily facilitate word learning and spoken word recognition among L2 learners at different proficiency levels (e.g., Llompart, 2021; Pelzl et al., 2019; Sebastián‐Gallés & Díaz, 2012). Even for advanced L2 learners who can perceive and identify the L2 sounds at high accuracy, processing of the non-native sounds in lexical tasks can still be challenging. This suggests that lexical representations may not be phonetically detailed until later in L2 learning, eventually leading to pronunciation difficulties and less intelligible communication. In this project, we will explore various training methods such as meaning-focused vs form-focused training, that can potentially bridge the gap between perceptual and lexical abilities in L2 speech learning. Additionally, we will examine how individual differences (ID) in cognitive abilities, such as auditory processing and working memory, interact with the various training methods and influence L2 speech learning outcomes. Understanding this interaction is crucial because learners with different cognitive profiles may respond differently to training methods, which can help identify personalized learning strategies. We will focus on two typologically distinct languages, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese, which allow us to investigate both phonemic (segmental) and tonal (suprasegmental) properties in perceptual abilities and word learning. Our findings will significantly contribute to discussions on how to effectively develop linguistic representations across the lifespan and will have practical implications for tailoring L2 teaching and learning based on learners’ cognitive abilities.

Keywords: second language acquisition,l2 speech learning,lexical development,individual differences,mandarin,portuguese
Paragon Novel Vaccine (PNV) an effective protection against all serotypes of five deadly bacteria to eradicate Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) (PARAGON NOVEL VACCINE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Portugal
Call: EIC Accelerator Open (HORIZON-EIC-2022-ACCELERATOR-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2026-11-30
Duration (months): 47.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7400192.5
EU funding (EUR): 2499999.99
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Immunethep has developed, patented (WO/2015/189422), and successfully undergone preclinical trials for a new breakthrough vaccine (PNV-Paragon Novel Vaccine). It protects against bacterial infections caused by 5 different bacteria: S. aureus, S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, E. coli and GBS. Our innovation relies on the discovery of a virulence and immunosuppressive mechanism common to these pathogens. The bacteria excrete a highly immunosuppressive protein designated as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which disables the host immune response to infection. PNV works by blocking bacterial GAPDH, while not reacting to human GAPDH, allowing the host immune system to fight infection and eliminate the bacteria. Preclinical trials demonstrated high levels of efficacy against any of the 5 bacteria with an excellent safety profile. PNV is the world’s first vaccine not only to prevent multiple bacterial infections but for all invasive serotypes, including multi-resistant strains.

Keywords: multivalent vaccine for five bacteria 1st worldwide,preventive immunotherapy for infectious diseases,antimicrobial resistance amr,effective against all serotypes full coverage,gapdh immunosuppressive protein
SUSTAINABLE UPCYCLING OF AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS INTO ENHANCED PROTEINS FOR OPTIMAL NUTRITION OF ANIMALS (PROTEINBOOST)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Poland
Call: EIC Accelerator Open 2025 (HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02, 2025)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3570626.39
EU funding (EUR): 2499438.47
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Increasing local protein production in the EU is essential to reduce dependence on imported protein sources, improve food security, and support the EU’s sustainability goals under the Green Deal. At Proteine Resources, we developed an efficient method to handle yet unprocessed agricultural byproducts, formally considered waste (a stable side-stream available 365/7) into valuable insect-based products. When properly catered for, the deliberately selected insect species feed on a side-stream, retaining their exceptional nutritional value and delivering protein exceeding 80% of the defatted content. Our solution can be used 1:1 to replace beef in pet food products while being cheaper in production and more sustainable. The high-quality outputs can be used in feeding pets, positively impacting their health and welfare. Also, we tested frass (insect excrement) to be used as fertilizer by side-stream suppliers, demonstrating true circularity. We introduced innovations in insect feed composition and rearing process control with advanced multispectral analysis to autonomize and optimise production resulting in patentable know-how. Our prototype low-capacity working station and results of laboratory tests garnered interest from side-stream suppliers and potential buyers of insect-based products. We intend to enhance our technological solution by refining enabling technologies and developing a first-in-the-world pilot autonomous insect farm module with unparalleled efficiency and sustainability of the production process. The decentralized approach will boost our insect-based production capabilities, positioning us to tap into the €1.29B global market. We are confident that our solution will enhance the EU's strategic autonomy, boost sustainability, and cut CO2 emissions, making a substantial impact. Aiming to acquire grant and equity funding, we seek a lead investor to join an already formed group of entities interested in investing over EUR 2.7M upon derisking the project.

Keywords: insect protein,multispectral imaging,food security,agricultural byproducts,bio waste processing,autonomous farming,circular value chains,sustainable agriculture,computer vision
SHARE IT SOLUTIONS (SIS)

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: Ireland
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS1 (ERC-2022-POC1, 2022)
Start date: 2022-08-01
End date: 2024-01-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Building directly on the findings of a key output from the ERC project SHARECITY - the SHARE IT platform - SIS will upgrade the user experience of the platform and widen its user base to include food retailers and local governments, by designing, testing and validating the following solutions: - A consultancy service for FSIs that do not have capacity or capability to use SHARE IT autonomously. Based on findings from earlier trials and testing, this service would include one-to-one tutorials, group workshops, step-by-step reporting masterclasses, troubleshooting supports and other tailored responses. - A consultancy service for local governments that makes individual and aggregate impact of FSIs accessible to them. This will include a mapping service to identify and quantify food sharing activity within a jurisdiction, a method for aggregating impacts relating to the SDGs, and formulae for predicting the aggregate sustainability impact of expanding FSIs, filling the data gap faced by policy makers today. - A consultancy service for food retailers that details the impacts of the food donations they make to FSIs, including bespoke consultancy reports on the community impacts of food donation at store level and extrapolations of these impacts at national and international scales. The PoC will also identify a sustainable funding model to support the roll out of SIS.
Simulating African Agro-Pastoralist Routes and Interactions (SAFARI) (SAFARI)

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: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-01-20
End date: 2028-01-19
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 260347.92
EU funding (EUR): 260347.92
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Simulating African Agro-Pastoralist Routes and Interactions (SAFARI, the Swahili word for journey) uses computational modelling, satellite remote sensing, statistical analyses and targeted archaeological field surveys to investigate overland pastoralist mobility corridors in a broad region across eastern Africa. Through a state-of-the art interdisciplinary methodology, it evaluates relationships between pastoralist mobility corridors, the emergence of coastal Swahili urbanism, and the expansion of caravan trading during the Middle-Late Iron Age (MIA-LIA, eighth-nineteenth centuries CE). Results from this study will inform an understanding of the emergence of early globalization in this part of the world. Though pastoralist presence has been hypothesized at early coastal Swahili urban centres, it remains unclear to what extent MIA-LIA pastoralist mobility between inland regions and the coast impacted spatiotemporal developments in Swahili urbanism and the emergence of caravan trade routes. Pastoralist interaction routes would have been conditioned by the ecological considerations of cattle herders, who relied on access to water and grasslands. Comparing modelled mobility pathways to spatial databases of coastal and inland settlement and maps of caravan routes in the nineteenth century, SAFARI will explore whether pastoralist mobility was a significant factor in shaping early connections between eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean. Satellite remote sensing and targeted field surveys will be used to test and refine models, and narrow down the affordances and limitations structuring the spatial organization of mobility corridors. Training and analysis will occur at the McDonald Institute for Archaeology at Cambridge University, primarily within the Computational and Digital Archaeology Lab.

Keywords: cost surfaces,remote sensing,modelling,eastern africa,pastoralism,swahili
Integrated analysis of air pollution, human health and income inequality for alternative climate change scenarios. (GRAPHICS)

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: Spain
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2025-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 181152.96
EU funding (EUR): 181152.96
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Air pollution is the fourth global risk for human health, causing up to 6-8 million deaths annually worldwide. The main anthropogenic driver of air pollution is fossil fuel combustion, which is also the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the implementation of alternative long-term mitigation strategies, aligned with the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal, or the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals will have direct implications for human health attributable to air pollution. While different studies have estimated health impacts attributable to long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, these have focused on the region level, and do not incorporate population heterogeneity considerations (e.g. income groups). Furthermore, household air pollution is normally ignored in global scenario analysis. In this framework, the aim of the GRAPHICS project is to include population heterogeneity in the analysis of health impacts attributable to ambient and household air pollution. First, GRAPHICS will explore which is the current and future contribution of different population groups to air pollution for alternative scenarios at regional level. Then, the project will estimate the health impacts attributable to air pollution for the different groups in a business as usual scenario, and how they benefit from the implementation of alternative scenarios, co-designed with multilevel stakeholders, that represent different socioeconomic narratives, policies to reduce income inequality, air pollution control policies, or deep decarbonization strategies. For that purpose, GRAPHICS will apply a unique, open-source, integrated methodology that subsequently links an enhanced integrated assessment model with air quality tools developed during the project. GRAPHICS will make me grow professionally and achieve the next step in my research career, and it will open avenues for future research that will also benefit the hosting and collaborating institutions.

Keywords: health co benefits deep decarbonization social inequality integrated assessment modelling