Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
From GWAS to functional studies: Tackling the complex nature of brain disorders (GWAS2FUNC)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Panel description: Nervous system development, homeostasis and ageing, nervous system function and dysfunction, systems neuroscience and modelling, biological basis of cognitive processes and of behaviour, neurological and mental disorders
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2018-ADG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-09-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2378412.0
EU funding (EUR): 2378412.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unprecedented sample size have recently provided robust insight into the polygenic architecture of many different brain disorders. Despite this exciting potential, GWAS results have rarely translated into mechanistic disease insight. This is because the detected genetic effects are small and numerous, and hardly ever directly actionable for functional follow-up. In addition, the polygenic nature of brain disorders comes with large genetic heterogeneity, where different patients with the same disorder may carry completely different combinations of genetic risk variants, possibly corresponding to different etiological mechanisms, requiring different treatment regimens. To benefit from GWAS, extensive biological interpretation and insight into genetic heterogeneity is needed. In this ERC I will develop much needed tools for (i) extensive biological interpretation at cellular resolution and (ii) assessing genetic heterogeneity, both aimed at formulating hypotheses that take into account the polygenic nature of brain disorders and can be tested in functional experiments. I will apply the developed tools to a wide range of brain-related traits, providing ample starting points for functional follow-up. As a proof-of-concept I will test the viability of two neuroscientific approaches (iPSC and DREADDs) for functional follow-up of GWAS results. First, I will conduct scRNA sequencing and electrophysiological assessments on iPSC derived neurons and astrocytes from genetically selected (schizophrenia) patients and controls. Second, I will use in vivo chemogenetic manipulation to target specific cell types that have been implicated by GWAS (for insomnia). The primary goal of this proposal is to bridge the gap between GWAS and function. The results will facilitate the translation of GWAS findings for brain disorders into functional mechanisms that are biologically important in disease pathogenesis and, ultimately, treatment design.

Keywords: gwas,genome wide association studies,brain disorders,brain related traits,statistical genetics
Natural Enzymes for Ecological Detergents to improve biologically certified Washing products (NEEDbioWash)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Spain,Germany,Germany,Belgium
Call: Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) (H2020-EIC-FTI-2018-2020, 2018)
Start date: 2019-04-01
End date: 2021-09-30
Duration (months): 30.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2045211.25
EU funding (EUR): 1570960.38
Participants: 4
Project status: CLOSED

The project NEEDbioWash aims to develop and demonstrate the production of an organic, GMO-free enzyme product by solid state fermentation (SSF) which can boost the washing performance of eco-certified laundry products significantly. It is well-known that enzymes can considerably increase the washing performance as they can degrade stains, which are not removed by surfactants. However, conventional enzymes are not allowed in eco-certified laundry detergents due to the use of GMOs during the production process. The innovative idea of NEEDbioWash consists in using the solid state fermentation technique to avoid the need of genetical modification to enhance productivity. The market of organic food and non-food merchandise is growing rapidly, both in the European and the global market growth rates of up to 20% are to observe. This is due the raising awareness of the customers to more healthy products, more responsible use of resources, better working conditions, fair traded goods and animal welfare. In organic-labelled products ingredients produced from or by GMO are strictly forbidden, as the influence of GMO on the human health and the environment are not yet satisfyingly investigated. Organic products aim to be produced as natural as possible, including the used raw materials. We are convinced that it is time to provide conscious customers also an environment-friendly laundry detergent product which is entirely natural and has still outstanding washing performance, as people nowadays have – also in the organic community – no time to care about dirty laundry. This is as well the outcome of SME instrument phase 1 project SSFENZYMES (GA: 740224) finished in May 2017 where a huge market potential for NEEDbioWash within Europe as well as world-wide was confirmed.

Keywords: gmo free detergent enzymes,solid state fermentation,granulation,eco certified laundry products
Dental anthropology at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition – insights on lifestyle and funerary behaviour from Neolithic Liguria (Italy) (DENPH)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: France
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-05-01
End date: 2019-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173076.0
EU funding (EUR): 173076.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The purpose of the proposed research is using dental anthropology to contribute to our understanding of lifestyle, societies, and belief systems at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. This is a key moment of our past, during which we shifted from hunting-gathering to the production economy on which we still live. The project will mainly focus a large (150-200 individuals) Neolithic (8-4,000 BP) skeletal assemblage from Liguria (north-western coast of Italy). The research will also involve comparisons with other Neolithic, Mesolithic (10-8,000 BP), and Upper Palaeolithic (30-10,000) sites in Italy and Europe. A number advanced and classic methodologies in dental anthropology will be applied, including microCT analysis and 3D scanning, geometric morphometrics, and non-metric analysis. The resulting data about growth and development, diet, and disease, will be cross-referenced with information from the funerary rite. The research questions bioarchaeological, i.e. inherently multidisciplinary in methods and in the theoretical framework, taking advance of the body of theory of biological anthropology, human ecology, and (social) archaeology. In particular, we will investigate (1) the time of weaning in Neolithic children: was it more or less stressful than in earlier/later times? Were non-weaned children buried in living spaces with no rite? (2) how did dental external and internal structure changed with the Neolithic? Is it microadaptation or due to genetic drift? (3) how did growth and development of the dentition and the skeleton compare to modern times? (4) is the funerary rite influenced by biological parameters such as health, diet, provenience? Was there selection of the buried? Were Neolithic caves real cemeteries? The host organization, UBx, has an excellent and productive team of researchers specialized in dental anthropology, and offers advanced labs and specialized training, which complements the already excellent knowledge and potential of the Applicant.

Keywords: dental anthropology,neolithic transition,bioarchaeology,paleopathology,diet
Supporting the Recognition of the Silver Economy in Europe in the Digital Era (SEED)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Theme: Active ageing and self-management of health
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Spain,Spain,Germany,Belgium,Finland,Slovenia,France,Netherlands,United Kingdom
Call: Coordinated action to support the recognition of Silver Economy opportunities arising from demographic change (H2020-SC1-2016-CNECT, 2016)
Start date: 2016-10-01
End date: 2018-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 997693.75
EU funding (EUR): 997693.75
Participants: 9
Project status: CLOSED

SEED is designed to ensure the successful launching of a highly visible and sustainable European-level award scheme rewarding innovative solutions that demonstrate a significant impact on the quality of life of the ageing population. The new award scheme will rely upon a carefully prepared conceptual and operational approach. A positive narrative will be developed suitable to effectively mobilise a wide range of stake holders across Europe. An appropriate organisational and technical infrastructure will be developed and set up, right from the beginning with a view to enabling a smooth hand-over by the SEED consortium to the party supposed to sustain the award scheme after the ending of the EU-funded project duration. It is envisaged that the award scheme will be maintained under the auspice of the recently launched European Covenant on Demographic Change. Sustainability and long-term visibility will also be ensured by the development of a viable sponsoring concept and business model. With the EU Covenant as a host and through the involvement of a great diversity of key networks and fora, this action will thrive towards a sustainable and multi-stakeholder driven movement at a European scale. The operational outreach into such a wide geographic area will not only be guaranteed by a carefully tailored communication and innovation strategy, but also by the active involvement of key players such as AGE, CORAL, AAL JP, all EIP AHA Action Groups, ECHAlliance, ASHOKA, ERRIN, DigitalEurope, EuroCarers, the Assembly of European Regions and highly committed regional/local governments. Through this unique partnership, the proposed action will have direct outreach to thousands of multiplier entities which together again reach out to millions of individuals across the EU. Towards the end of SEED, a high level award ceremony will be organised awarding winners of the 1st edition of the new award scheme.

Keywords: silver economy,european award scheme,demographic change,ict innovation,population ageing,stakeholder movement,active and healthy ageing
Smart Modulation Methods for Energy Efficient Operation and Health Monitoring of Future Motor Drives (SmaMoMeMoDs)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-08-01
End date: 2019-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of this Fellowship, entitled “Smart Modulation Methods for Energy Efficient Operation and Health Monitoring of Future Motor Drives” (SmaMoMeDs) is to train an outstanding researcher (Dr Lassi Aarniovuori) with a strong academic background through a research project focused on the innovative modulation algorithms for a new technology wide-bandgap gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) based inverter bridges (power switches) that will be used in future motor drives. These new switches allow the use of ultra-high switching frequencies in motor drives, creating opportunities to improve the performance, reliability and energy-efficiency of the motor drives systems. The proposed smart modulation methods are aimed 1) to identify the motor parameters for the control system, 2) to optimize the modulation method according to the operating conditions, 3) to detect any changes in the mechanical or electrical behavior of the motor parameters for health monitoring. The applicant Dr. Aarniovuori will be trained in the field of electrical power engineering, power electronics, motors, and drives. These are the key components in any modern industrial applications and they are a part of people’s everyday live in all welfare societies. The Fellow will get a unique training experience at the host – Aston University its industrial partner Jaguar Landrover (JLR)., its academic partners Newcastle University (UK) and Politecnic Torino (Italy).

Keywords: energy efficiency,variable speed drives,drives,pulse width modulation,new wide band gap devices,modulation,converter,motor,system identification,conditioning monitoring
Initial conditions of exoplanet formation in protoplanetary disks (ICED)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-10-01
End date: 2019-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 177598.8
EU funding (EUR): 177598.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

There is now a substantial population of exoplanets with well-determined masses, radii, and orbital parameters in a range of host stellar systems. JWST will bring an increase in exoplanets with atmospheric spectroscopy measurements, moving the field from pure discovery to population synthesis and characterization. Many of the best-studied planetary systems are massive and located within 1AU of their central stars; it is not clear whether all of these planets migrated from farther out in their natal disks to this location or if they could have formed in situ. Both scenarios should produce distinct compositions resulting from multiple strong, time-dependent chemical gradients in their disks due to thermal sublimation and grain processing effects. These effects likely set the bulk chemical composition of the planet’s core and atmosphere, which are accreted from different material in the disk. By determining the physical conditions within 1AU, I will confirm whether they are sufficient to support in situ planet formation. I will also map the distribution of key planetary building blocks in both the solid phase (dust grains) and gas phase. This will be accomplished by interpreting disks’ flux as a function of wavelength with radiative transfer models including detailed sublimation and condensation physics, and comparing observed spectral features in both the solid and gaseous phases in molecular and atomic form to those predicted by models. This project will provide training through research in numerical methods and exoplanet characterization techniques, which are important in the long term for my career goals to lead a research group in planetary formation. Through development courses, I will improve my marketability for senior research positions and in turn transfer my infrared observing skills and US and European network connections to the host. This project increases the visibility of the host and European exoplanetary astronomy on an international scale.

Keywords: hot jupiter formation,migration,protoplanetary disks,atomic abundances
Governance and value-creation in SMEs in a service-dominant logic (GoSMEs)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Economic Sciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-08-01
End date: 2019-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the European economies in terms of employment, job creation, innovation and ability to add economic value. Because of that, SMEs have received much attention from scholars seeking to understand determinants of their competitiveness as well as from policy-makers at national and European levels aiming to provide support measures to facilitate their growth. It is well understood that SMEs command fewer resources and are more volatile than their large counterparts, and therefore need to pursue different trajectories to compete. What is less well known is whether and how SMEs harness the potential of their boards of directors to improve value-creation thus strengthening their competitiveness. This fellowship aims to advance knowledge by investigating how boards in SMEs contribute to value-creation within a service-dominant logic, taking into account the heterogeneity of SMEs as well as country-specific factors. By bringing together perspectives from multiple disciplines such as strategic management, marketing, organisational behaviour and psychology, and adopting a mixed methods research design that is close to and captures the complexity of the phenomenon, the results from the project will generate novel yet rigorous insights into the strategic dimensions of SME governance. A set of carefully designed user engagement and outreach activities will ensure that this new knowledge is transmitted into practice and available to a wider public audience. With the help of subject-related, methodological, and professional training and secondments, this fellowship provides a unique opportunity for Dr Yar Hamidi to advance his knowledge in a subject area he is passionate about as well as creating a sound platform from which to develop his scholarly career.

Keywords: corporate governance,boards of directors,smes,value creation,service dominant logic
Nativism, Islamophobism and Islamism in the Age of Populism: Culturalisation and Religionisation of what is Social, Economic and Political in Europe (ISLAM-OPHOB-ISM)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Social World and Its Diversity
Panel description: Sociology, social psychology, social anthropology, education sciences, communication studies
Countries involved: Türkiye
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2017-ADG, 2017)
Start date: 2019-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2276125.0
EU funding (EUR): 2276125.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The main research question of the study is: How and why do some European citizens generate a populist and Islamophobist discourse to express their discontent with the current social, economic and political state of their national and European contexts, while some members of migrant-origin communities with Muslim background generate an essentialist and radical form of Islamist discourse within the same societies? The main premise of this study is that various segments of the European public (radicalizing young members of both native populations and migrant-origin populations with Muslim background), who have been alienated and swept away by the flows of globalization such as deindustrialization, mobility, migration, tourism, social-economic inequalities, international trade, and robotic production, are more inclined to respectively adopt two mainstream political discourses: Islamophobism (for native populations) and Islamism (for Muslim-migrant-origin populations). Both discourses have become pivotal along with the rise of the civilizational rhetoric since the early 1990s. On the one hand, the neo-liberal age seems to be leading to the nativisation of radicalism among some groups of host populations while, on the other hand, it is leading to the islamization of radicalism among some segments of deprived migrant-origin populations. The common denominator of these groups is that they are both downwardly mobile and inclined towards radicalization. Hence, this project aims to scrutinize social, economic, political and psychological sources of the processes of radicalization among native European youth and Muslim-origin youth with migration background, who are both inclined to express their discontent through ethnicity, culture, religion, heritage, homogeneity, authenticity, past, gender and patriarchy. The field research will comprise four migrant receiving countries: Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and two migrant sending countries: Turkey and Morocco.

Keywords: radicalization,islamophobia,nativism,populism,migration,youth cultures,deindustrialization,alienation
A Minimalist Peptide Elastomer (MINIRES)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC-Proof of Concept (ERC-2017-PoC, 2017)
Start date: 2018-04-01
End date: 2019-09-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The MINIRES project aims at developing and bringing to the market a revolutionary bioelastomer material based on a novel strategy of structural modification of a “minimalist” peptide sequence derived from Resilin (Res), i.e., a polymeric rubber-like natural protein with outstanding elasticity, critical in the flight and jumping systems of insects. In the course of the ERC funded Starting Grant FOLDHALO (grant agreement no. 307108), I focused on the modification of a repeat sequence of the Exon-1 (~320 amino acids) of Res. We found that a biomimetic chemical modification of this sequence (i.e., halogenation) induces the emergence of elastomeric properties resembling those of the full-length Res protein. This is surprising for such a short peptide, and the unmodified peptide, in fact, does not show such properties. Halogenation determines a huge change in the material properties due to the induced physical (supramolecular) cross-linking of the peptide chains. The main advantage of the novel “minimalist” bioelastomer that we developed lies in its chemical and structural simplicity. This simplicity allows foreseeing easy industrial scalability at low costs, trivial processing, either as pure compound or component of elastomeric formulations, as well as possibility of further chemical and structural modifications (opening up a family of small elastomeric peptides). Expected outcomes of the MINIRES project are to perform a technical and commercial feasibility study to move the developed “minimalist” bioelastomer from the lab to the market. In particular, within the MINIRES project, we intend to accelerate the maturity level of this technology, by technically validating it, as well as scouting market opportunities and setting up a suitable exploitation strategy (licensing vs. start-up creation) for valorizing the patent that has being deposited.

Keywords: peptide,elastomer,resilin,halogenation,bromine