Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
The Fragility, Instability, Ambiguity, and Self-Reflexivity of Images in Roman Art (FRAGILE IMAGES)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Texts and Concepts
Panel description: Literary studies , literature,  philosophy
Countries involved: Germany
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): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

FRAGILE IMAGES fundamentally challenges the dominant notion of images as powerful actors. It moves away from the focus on the affective, persuasive, performative, and immersive image and instead focuses on its fragility, instability, ambiguity, and self-reflexivity. This radically new approach brings together a Visual Studies perspective and a cultural-historical approach and applies them to Roman imagery from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD. It has three main objectives: 1) A systematic study of pictorial fragility The manifold phenomena of pictorial fragility are divided into three analytical dimensions: temporal fragility, which deals with the material, contextual, and conceptual mutability of images; semantic fragility, which deals with their ambiguity; and ontological fragility, which addresses their self-reflexivity. The case studies aim at elaborating the semantic, aesthetic, but also social potentials of such ‘fragile’ images. 2) A new perspective on Roman visual culture By means of a comparative approach, the project explores the extent to which manipulated, ambiguous, and self-reflexive images differ in their spatial contexts and in their socio-cultural forms of use. This focus invites a new way of looking at Roman art: The temporality, ambiguity, and self-reflexivity of Roman images are constitutive elements of an innovative, sophisticated, intelligent, and even intellectual visual culture. This perspective moves away from the old view of Roman art as a mere derivative of Greek pictorial concepts. 3) A reformulation of image theory in the light of ‘fragile’ images This project will not only challenge the common notion of the power of images, but also transcend the dichotomy of power and weakness. ‘Fragility’ is not considered as an image deficit, but as a pictorial quality to be analysed in terms of its specific potential. The focus on pictorial fragility will result in renegotiating the ‘activity’ of image and viewer.

Keywords: roman art,classical archaeology,visual and image studies,
Resist materials for transition to green processing in semiconductor industry (RESIN GREEN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Digital, Industry and Space
Theme: Digital
Destination: Digital & Emerging Technologies for Competitiveness and Fit for the Green Deal
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Greece,France,Germany,Switzerland
Call: Low TRL research in micro-electronics and integration technologies for industrial solutions (RIA) (HORIZON-CL4-2023-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-CNECT, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2027-06-30
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3777574.5
EU funding (EUR): 3777574.5
Participants: 9
Project status: SIGNED

Alternative (to mainstream Silicon CMOS technologies) semiconductor manufacturing process technologies able to sustain in the mid- and long-terms the fast pace evolution of device performance, miniaturisation and cost, while reducing environmental footprint. RESIN GREEN proposes the development of new resist material platforms that can be processed under conditions offering clear advantages regarding reduction of environmental footprint. In particular, new resist chemistries targeting to materials than can be processed (deposited and developed) by using environmentally friendly solvents such as water, very dilute aqueous base solutions, or green organic solvents. In this context we will develop new resist materials in order to eliminate the use of organic solvents and aqueous alkaline solutions that are currently used in the lithographic process at semiconductor manufacturing industry. The lithographical process steps that demand the major amounts of solvents are the spin coating solution of the photoresist as well as the development process. We target to replace the standard organic solvents which are used in spin coating and the highly alkaline TMAH solutions used in development with water. The use of greener organic solvents and very dilute basic developers will only be considered if necessary for meeting high performance requirements. Our target is to investigate bio-source materials and new photoresist platforms suitable for exposure at 193 nm, 248 nm or EUV and achieve significant breakthroughs by designing a complete process, using renewable resources and neither organic solvent nor hazardous chemicals. In addition, e-beam lithography will be considered, especially for evaluating the high resolution potential of the proposed resist materials.

Keywords: nanolithography,environmental friendly materials,green developers
Africa-Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: European innovation ecosystems
Theme: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems
Destination: Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Netherlands,Côte d'Ivoire,Germany,Belgium,Kenya,Nigeria,Ghana,France,South Africa,Portugal
Call: The African Union-European Union Innovation Platform (HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2027-06-30
Duration (months): 30.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2493671.25
EU funding (EUR): 2493671.25
Participants: 15
Project status: SIGNED

The AEIP builds a network of African and European stakeholders strengthening links between innovation ecosystems in an inclusive and collaborative manner, ensuring equal benefits. The AEIP will stimulate collaboration among stakeholders and institutions implementing other programmes, contributing to mutually beneficial partnerships. The focus will lie on launching new activities (linked to capacity-building, mobility opportunities, knowledge production and transfer, investment readiness and access to finance) based on an assessment of the needs of all target groups, including researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, incubators/accelerators, civil society, women and youth. These will be activated through a combination of virtual outreach and in-person stakeholder meetings as a forum for discussion. Sustainability will be built into the AEIP from the start by making sure that new activities are linked up and designed in such a way that they can be carried forward by AEIP members after the end of the Action. We aim to grow the AEIP further into a network of networks acting as a hub for the implementation of the short-term actions of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, reinforcing existing initiatives rather than duplicating them. The Action has been designed to maximise societal, economic, and scientific impact by centring the Platform at the core as a forum where stakeholders convene for focussed and structured innovation cooperation. With the networks leveraged by the consortium partners and multiplier effect, our outcomes and impacts will be scalable. The AEIP will support the Agenda’s objective to strengthen Research and Innovation cooperation between the African and European Union, maximising the impact of funding and reinforcing interconnected innovation ecosystems, thus contributing to sustainable and inclusive development, economic growth and job creation.

Keywords: research,higher education,inclusive growth,innovation value chain,digitalisation,networking,capacity building,venture capital,technology transfer,ngos
Shaking table tests for assessment of the dynamic response of domes and masonry structures to earthquake actions (STEADYDOME)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Portugal,United Kingdom
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-06-01
End date: 2027-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 156778.56
EU funding (EUR): 156778.56
Participants: 2
Project status: TERMINATED

Vaulted structures hold enormous cultural, historical, and artistic value as they constitute one of the main structural elements characterising monumental masonry architecture. Among them, the dome is undoubtedly the most emblematic and prominent one. Preservation of cultural heritage for future generations and its sustainability is one of the major commitments to which our society is called. The seismic vulnerability of some monumental buildings and the great difficulty in estimating their safety level calls for urgent remedies to the current lack of knowledge and technical regulations. The research aims to carry out a systematic series of shaking table tests on scale models, suitably supplemented by a large set of reliable simulated experiments by discrete element models, with the goal of characterising the dynamical behaviour of masonry domes. The ultimate goal of the research is to draw up valuable recommendations for the development of rational regulations, verification criteria, guidelines for professionals and post-earthquake first intervention protocols through the theoretical analysis of the experimental results. The capability to properly evaluate the safety level of masonry domes will enable limiting consolidation interventions to a minimum, identifying with greater precision those cases that really require consolidation, with consequent economic benefits. It will also enable calibrating interventions on the basis of the true behaviour of the structure, avoiding exaggeratedly invasive retrofitting works that distort the original behaviour of the construction, thus being in line with the principle of architectural conservation while simultaneously ensuring the appropriate safety requirements of the building.

Keywords: masonry architecture,domes,seismic vulnerability,shaking table tests,architectural heritage conservation,dome dynamic response
Molecular mechanisms of pathogenic bacterial-fungal endosymbioses (HITCHHIKE)

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: Spain
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-11-17
End date: 2027-11-16
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 209914.56
EU funding (EUR): 209914.56
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Interspecies interactions between fungi and bacteria are highly prevalent in nature and play critical roles in agriculture, biotechnology, and medicine. Studying such bacterial-fungal interactions offers crucial insights into fungal pathogenesis that can be leveraged in understanding and treating serious fungal diseases. The Rhizopus-Mycetohabitans endosymbiosis offers a unique model to study how endosymbionts contribute to fungal pathogenicity. Notably, the fungal host's sporulation depends entirely on the bacterial endosymbionts, which are translocated into the spores. However, the molecular details of how R. microsporus mediates endosymbiont-dependent sporulation, and subsequent symbiosis maintenance, remain unknown. HITCHHIKE aims to close this knowledge gap by utilizing a combination of genetic, biochemical, and infection biology technologies. We will focus on elucidating: (i) the means of intra-hyphal transport of non-motile endosymbionts; (ii) the molecular mechanisms of endosymbiont-dependent sporulation; and (iii) how endosymbionts contribute to fungal pathogenicity. This will not only elucidate the nature of host control in this clinically relevant bacterial-fungal alliance but also has the potential to serve as a roadmap to understanding how prokaryotic pathogens and symbionts interact with more complex eukaryotic hosts. In addition, HITCHHIKE will provide a foundation to better understand how asexual sporulation is regulated in the greater Mucoromycota phylum. These ecologically diverse fungi are utilized in biotechnology and industry, with applications spanning from food production to drug development. Dr Richter, an expert in bacterial endosymbionts of fungi, will conduct HITCHHIKE under the supervision of Prof Victoriano Garre, a pioneer in the molecular biology of Mucoromycota. The MSCA fellowship will qualify her as a leading expert in fungal-bacterial-host interactions, thus laying the foundation for establishing her independent research group.

Keywords: bacterial fungal interactions,endosymbiosis,microfluidics,medical mycology,fungal sporulation,mucormycosis,cytoskeleton,proteomics,crispr cas
Modelling and control of flexible structures interacting with fluids (ModConFlex)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Israel,Netherlands,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom,France,Italy
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-02-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2707473.6
EU funding (EUR): 2707473.6
Participants: 21
Project status: SIGNED

The ModConFlex consortium comprises a group of 10 academics and 4 senior researchers in industry (ORE Catapult) with expertise in control theory, artificial intelligence, complex dynamical systems, distributed parameter systems, fluid dynamics, aeroelasticity, power electronics, power systems, swimming theory and marine engineering. Our aim is to train the next generation of researchers on the modelling and control of flexible structures interacting with fluids (water and air), contributing to the latest advances in control theory, artificial intelligence and energy-based modelling. Our main applications are in the control of floating wind turbines (the prime renewable energy source of the future), and in the control of highly flexible aircraft, aircraft with very high aspect ratio. Our research plans are organized into three scientific work packages, which cover mathematical systems theory (modelling and model reduction, boundary control systems, port-Hamiltonian systems, exact beam theory), relevant aspects of control theory (internal model controllers with anti-windup, nonlinear model predictive control, robust control), reinforcement learning, aeroelasticity, stochastic algorithms. We believe that science and technology in Europe will greatly benefit from this research, and from the education and knowledge that we will impart to a new generation of researchers. Key strengths of this consortium include a research environment that brings together mathematicians and engineers to provide the project’s young researchers with a unique training environment, and a network of associated industrial partners that will allow all the young researchers to participate in industrial secondments. We have the critical mass to cover all aspects of training, and we have an excellent track record of past collaboration and of training young researchers.

Keywords: flexible structure,fluid structure interaction,reinforcement learning,adaptive internal model,model predictive control,port hamiltonian system,wind turbine,flexible aircraft,vibrations
When enzymes join forces: unmasking a mitochondrial biosynthetic engine (MetaQ)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Panel description: For all organisms : Molecular biology , biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biophysics , synthetic and chemical biology, drug design, innovative methods and modelling
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2022-ADG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-10-01
End date: 2028-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2107750.0
EU funding (EUR): 2107750.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Enzymes have been classically investigated as standalone catalysts operating in a relatively diluted milieu. However, the cell micro-compartments are highly crowded environments and biological catalysis cannot be fully understood on the bases of simple diffusive models. We are tackling this challenge by reconstituting a full-scale biosynthetic pathway where multiple enzymes coordinate within a metabolon - a structurally defined setting that allows the vectorial transfer of substrates and products. Our system for exploration is the fascinating biosynthesis of coenzyme Q, an essential redox mediator for many pathways. The juxtaposition between its highly polar head group and hydrophobic tail renders this compound a challenging feat to handle. To synthesise its highly substituted aromatic head group, nature has amassed a large soluble supra-molecular complex consisting of no less than eight functionally distinct proteins that adheres to the inner-mitochondrial membrane. This infrastructure can extract the substrate whilst providing a shielded, hydrophobic environment for molecular transit. We will systematically characterize the functional, structural and evolutionary aspects of the involved protein machineries in interplay with the membrane. Our approach starts by exploiting ancestral sequence reconstruction to generate proteins of enhanced stability. We will build the metabolon in vitro to assess how the enzymatic activities are coupled in the context of a metabolon. Structural studies will reveal how the active sites are spatially organized with respect to the order of the enzymatic steps and substrate trafficking. Our integrated strategy will unveil the pivotal evolutionary transitions that create a biosynthetic machinery. This research will go beyond classical enzymology by exploring a new paradigm of cellular biochemistry where metabolic pathways are fuelled and governed through interactions between enzymes, and between enzymes and other proteins.

Keywords: metabolon,biological catalysis,multienzyme complex,enzymology,enzyme mechanism
MusculoSkeletal Expansion (MUSE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Systems and Communication Engineering
Panel description: Electrical, electronic, communication, optical and systems engineering
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-03-01
End date: 2029-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499160.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499160.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

People that suffer from severe muscle weakness of the (upper) limb following neurological disorders still struggle to find assistive technologies able to help them in their daily life. The most advanced technologies consist of wearable exoskeletons, either rigid or soft, that promise to support the wearer during daily living. Despite their great potential, the widespread adoption of exoskeletons where they are most needed – i.e., for continuous daily home assistance – is prevented by several flaws: limited efficiency, controllability, and lack of reliable ways to connect them to the user. MUSE (MusculoSkeletal Expansion) abandons the paradigm of wearing an exoskeleton to develop and clinically assess soft external muscles (exomuscles) intimately connected and naturally controlled by the user. The core objective is to develop innovative efficient exomuscles to support people with severe muscle weakness. With my solid experience in soft robotics and innovative materials, I will develop them by combining the extreme portability of pneumatic actuators made of textiles with the energy efficiency and promptness of non-linear elastic structures. They will be reliably connected to the user through fixtures implanted on the bones, which will grant the excellent mechanical stability of osseointegration, widely adopted in dental prosthetics and increasingly explored in limb prosthetics, but still unexplored in exoskeletons. This approach will unlock the potential of eliciting osseoperception, i.e., sensory feedback – necessary to control motion – through bone conduction. If successful, MUSE will benefit all those in need of sensorimotor augmentation, as it can be extended to all kinds of exoskeletons (from upper to lower limbs, from assistive to augmenting devices). Moreover, since MUSE connects the inner body to the external world, it may be the cornerstone to build a bidirectional gateway between them, bridging the human and the machine to a more and more intimate level.

Keywords: wearable exoskeletons soft robotics supplementary sensory feedback assistive technology
Clean Label Enhanced and Redefined Upcycled Starch (CLEAR-UPs)

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 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-01-12
End date: 2028-01-11
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 194074.56
EU funding (EUR): 194074.56
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

The increasing demand for pulse protein concentrates and isolates reflects a shift from animal to plant-based diets. At the industrial level, producing high-protein fractions from pulses generates significant starch co-products. However, native starches often lack the functional properties needed for food applications, leading to their undervaluation or use as animal feed, which poses both environmental and economic challenges. While chemical modification is commonly employed to enhance starch functionality, this method does not meet clean or green labeling standards, highlighting the need for more sustainable solutions. The project aims to develop a high-throughput green process for producing functionalized starches, understand the relationship between starch structure and functionality, and identify starches suitable for controlled-release applications. Specifically, I will use atmospheric pressure plasma jet and enzymatic treatments to modify starch co-products, creating enhanced starches with porous and branched structures. Advanced analytical techniques, including field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and size exclusion chromatography, will be employed to investigate the effects of multi-scale structural modifications on starch functionalities. Additionally, I will explore the use of caffeine as a model compound to evaluate the ability of the modified starches to function as controlled-release systems. Overall, the project will address a significant research gap and provide sustainable solutions for utilizing starch co-products, supporting the European agri-food system’s sustainability goals. It will contribute to reduced waste, enhanced food safety, and increased market competitiveness through the development of advanced, environmentally friendly starches.

Keywords: starch co products side streams sustainability upcycling delivery system