Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
New Applications of Broadband Rotational Spectroscopy (CPFTMW)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Physical and Analytical Chemical sciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-11-01
End date: 2017-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1497862.0
EU funding (EUR): 1497862.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The recent invention of the chirped-pulse, Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer will allow application of rotational spectroscopy to a greatly expanded range of challenges over the next decade. The proposed work will apply the state-of-the-art CP-FTMW spectrometer at the University of Bristol to major themes in both fundamental and applied research. Palladium, platinum and nickel catalysts are of central importance in synthetic chemistry and the industrial production of chemicals. The microwave spectra of Mn...(C2H4), Mn...(C2H2), Mn-CCH and Mn-CH2 (M= Ni, Pd or Pt, n=1-3) will be measured to characterise structural and other changes induced in C2H4 and C2H2 by attachment to these metals. The results will inform understanding of the mechanisms of catalysis. The role and function of metal ions will be another major theme of the programme. Infrared-microwave (IR-MW) double resonance will be used to determine structures for (H2O)n...MCl and (H2O)n...MF (where M=Cu, Ag or Au and n=1-6) to gain insight into the interactions that govern solvation shell formation. Copper ions have biological significance and govern the conformations adopted by proteins that include amyloid B-peptide, the production of which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and cytochrome C oxidase which is important for respiration. IR-MW double resonance will be used to probe the structure of complexes where the ionic copper atom of a copper chloride molecule coordinates to glycine, imidazole, alanine, histidine and cysteine, respectively. The proposed work will provide precise data for modelling of interactions in protein active sites. Finally, technical innovations will be implemented to support applications of the instrument in chemical analysis. A GC-CP-FTMW (GC=gas chromatography) instrument will be constructed to allow analysis of the composition of wine and fruit juice with the aim of establishing CP-FTMW spectroscopy as a useful tool for commercial applications.

Keywords: microwave spectroscopy,chirped-pulse,metal ion solvation,catalysis,copper binding sites.
Folding with Halogen Bonding (FOLDHALO)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Materials and Synthesis
Countries involved: Italy,Finland
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-03-01
End date: 2018-02-28
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1393000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1393000.0
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

The focus of this research project will be on halogen bonding, namely any noncovalent interactions involving halogen atoms as electrophilic species (electron density acceptor sites, Lewis acids, halogen bonding-donors). In particular, the overall goal of the project will be to fully elucidate the capabilities and properties of halogen atoms as recognition “sticky” sites in the context of biomolecules. The general objective of this research project will be achieved through the application of a multi-dimensional approach to the understanding of the intermolecular interactions involving halogenated molecules in chemistry and biology. The programme of work will centre around three closely integrated and synergistic strands. The common theme is to exploit halogen bonding for the design of “smart” peptides and foldamers (Strand 1), the obtainment of complexes of polyhalogenated organic pollutants with serum proteins (Strand 2), and to assemble biomimetic sensors for polyhalogenated organic pollutants (Strand 3). For the first time a multidisciplinary team composed by synthetic chemists, small molecule crystallographers, biologists, physicists, and protein crystallographers will join forces around the fundamental issues of: a) contributing to the establishment of the nature and properties of halogen bonding in ligand/biomolecule systems; b) improving our understanding of long-distance intermolecular interactions and their role on the energy profiles of biochemical transformations; c) facilitating preparation of more rationally designed new halogenated drugs; d) allowing for the mechanistic understanding of reactivity of halogen-containing molecules for the development of efficient and "green" synthetic and bioremediation methods. The overall aim of this project is, therefore, to enlighten to the scientific community the potential that halogen bonding has to become a very powerful tool in the manipulation of molecular recognition phenomena in chemistry and biology.

Keywords: halogen bonding,foldamers,proteins,halogenated pollutants
Development of new antimicrobial nanostructured durable coatings for fuel tanks (AMICOAT)

Framework: FP7 — Cooperation
Programme: Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV-SP1)
Theme: Public-private partnerships
Destination: Clean Sky
Action type: Article 171 of the Treaty
Partnership: CLEAN-SKY (Art-185)
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (SP1-JTI-CS-2011-03, 2011)
Start date: 2012-06-01
End date: 2014-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 299960.0
EU funding (EUR): 224970.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

The objective of the project is to do research and development in formulation of new antimicrobial nanostructured durable coatings chemically grafted onto non nutrient chromate free primer of fuel tanks. The strategy to formulate these new antifouling coatings specifically designed to inhibit the adhesion of microorganisms will be based on two aspects that will take place simultaneously: physiochemical incompatibility between the surface of the coating and microorganisms and sub-products generated by them, and biochemical elimination of microorganisms to inhibit their adhesion to the surface of fuel tanks by a synergistic combination of inorganic and/or organic biocides embedded in the coating, including nanomaterials and micro- or nano-encapsulated chemicals. Surface morphology (SEM, AFM), surface chemistry (XPS), surface tension (contact angle), adhesion and durability of the new antifungal coating will be evaluated. The effect of growth inhibition for specific microorganisms present in aircraft fuel will be measured according to microbiological analysis and studies of formation, adhesion and elimination of biofilms onto the new developed antifouling surfaces. The new antifungal coating formulations will be compatible with fuel and will not affect fuel combustion. A special interest will be addressed to potential nano-safety and nano-toxicity issues.

Keywords: antimicrobial nanostructured durable coatings chemically grafted onto non nutrient chromate free primer of fuel tanks.
Modeling and Simulation of Cancer Growth (MUSIC)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Products and process engineering
Countries involved: Spain
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1405420.0
EU funding (EUR): 1405420.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Nowadays, the treatment of cancer is based on the so-called diagnostic paradigm. We feel that the shift from the traditional diagnostic paradigm to a predictive patient-specific one may lead to more effective therapies. Thus, the objective of this project is to introduce predictive models for cancer growth. These predictive models will take the form of mathematical models developed from first principles and the fundamental features of cancer biology. For these models to be useful in clinical practice, we will need to introduce new numerical algorithms that permit to obtain fast and accurate simulations based on patient-specific data. We propose to develop mathematical models using the framework provided by the mixtures theory and the phase-field method. Our model will account for the growth of the tumor and the vasculature that develops around it, which is essential for the tumor to grow beyond a harmless limited size. We propose to develop new algorithms based on Isogeometric Analysis, which is a recent generalization of Finite Elements with several advantages. The use of Isogeometric Analysis will simplify the interface between medical images and the computational mesh, permitting to generate smooth basis functions necessary to approximate higher-order partial differential equations like those that govern cancer growth. Our modeling and simulation tools will be examined and validated by experimental and clinical observations. To accomplish this, we propose to use anonymized patient-specific data through several patient imaging modalities. Arguably, the successful undertaking of this project, would have the potential to transform classical population/statistics-based treatments of cancer into patient-specific therapies. This would elevate mathematical modeling and simulation of cancer growth to a stage in which it can be used as a quantitatively accurate predictive tool with implications for clinical practice, clinical trial design, and outcome prediction.

Keywords: mathematical modeling,numerical simulation,cancer growth,tumor
LODESTONE: Unifying the Radio Spectrum to Map the Magnetic Universe (LODESTONE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Universe sciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-01-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1928368.8
EU funding (EUR): 1928368.8
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

Clusters of galaxies are a unique cosmological probe. Beyond the potential wells of individual clusters the vast filamentary cosmic web which binds them together contains two thirds of the baryonic matter in the Universe and represents a rich scientific resource. In order to use such resources correctly it is essential to understand the energetics, dynamics and redshift dependence of the intra/inter-cluster media. Absolutely fundamental to this understanding is a detailed knowledge of the strength, morphology and evolution of their magnetic fields. In addition, using clusters of galaxies and cosmic large scale structure as a laboratory in which to probe these fields is also the key to unlocking the more fundamental long standing problems of magnetic evolution and structure, and ultimately to determining the very origins of cosmic magnetism itself. To tackle these fundamental questions I will use a combination of two different observational approaches, effectively unifying the radio spectrum from meter to millimeter wavelengths: Rotation Measure Synthesis and the resolved Sunyaev–Zel’dovich Effect. Individually these approaches both offer unique insights; combined they provide an almost complete picture of the internal baryonic dynamics of clusters and large scale structure. I will use a set of leading and next generation radio telescopes around the globe. These telescopes span the radio spectrum, but are united by my leading role in the magnetism and/or cluster science case for each one. I will build an infrastructure which combines their operations to achieve a scientific outcome much greater than the individual instruments can produce independently. This will include development of world leading image reconstruction techniques; novel approaches to data combining; and state of the art analysis methods - as well as building a program which integrate disparate communities in astronomy. This program is called LODESTONE, to reflect the aligning nature of magnetism.

Keywords: radio astronomy - cosmic magnetism
Pico: no more passwords (PICO)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Computer science and informatics
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2013-02-01
End date: 2017-12-31
Duration (months): 59.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1350000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1350000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Passwords, passphrases and PINs have become a usability disaster. Even though they are convenient for implementers, they have been over-exploited, and are now increasingly unmanageable for end users, as well as insecure. The demands placed on users (passwords that are unguessable, all different, regularly changed and never written down) are no longer reasonable now that each person has to manage dozens of passwords. This project will develop and evaluate an alternative design based on a hardware token called Pico that relieves the user from having to remember passwords and PINs. Besides relieving the user from memorization efforts, the Pico solution scales to thousands of credentials, provides ``continuous authentication'' and is resistant to brute force guessing, dictionary attacks, phishing and keylogging. To promote adoption and interoperability, the Pico design has not been patented. The Principal Investigator has been invited to speak about Pico in three continents (including at USENIX Security 2011) since releasing the first draft of his design paper.

Keywords: usability
Interferometry beyond the Standard Quantum Limit using a Velocity Sensitive Sagnac Interferometer (SAGNACSPEEDMETER)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Fundamental constituents of matter
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1399260.0
EU funding (EUR): 1399260.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

From the very first Michelson Interferometer invented over 100 years ago to today’s kilometre-scale gravitational wave detectors the sensitivity of interferometric length measurements has been improved by about 10 orders of magnitude and is now limited by the so-called Standard Quantum Limit (SQL), a manifestation of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. The SQL is comprised of the inevitable combination of sensing noise (photon shot noise) and back action noise (photon radiation pressure noise) when repeatedly measuring the position of a test mass. However, by measuring a different variable, i.e. the test mass velocity (speedmeter) instead of its position (position-meter), it is possible to evade back action noise. The momentum of a free test mass can be measured continuously to arbitrary accuracy without being limited by the SQL. Since a Sagnac interferometer is sensitive only to the time-dependent part of the arm-length difference it is automatically a speed meter and therefore brings measurements beyond the SQL into our reach. Theoretical analyses have shown that the speedmeter approach is the most promising track towards wide-band sub-SQL measurements. An experimental test of this technique is urgently required! Therefore, my three main objectives of this proposal are: 1) Realisation of an ultra-low noise, quantum radiation pressure dominated speedmeter test bed. 2) Experimental demonstration of back action noise supression in a Sagnac speedmeter. 3) Development of speedmeter based sub-SQL interferometery for future gravitational wave detectors such as the Einstein Telescope. By the end of this project I will have demonstrated the sub-SQL potential of the Sagnac speedmeter configuration. A positive outcome of this project is expected to lead to the Sagnac speedmeter superseding the Michelson interferometer as state-of-the-art instrument for ultra-high sensitivity lengths measurements.

Keywords: interferometery,standard quantum limit,gravitational wave detection,sagnac,length measurement
Magnetically manipulated molecular beams; a novel ultra-sensitive approach for studying the structure and dynamics of water surfaces. (MAGNETIC BEAMS)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Physical and Analytical Chemical sciences
Countries involved: Israel
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-10-01
End date: 2017-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1850000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1850000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This proposal is aimed at developing and applying novel ultra-sensitive methods for studying the structure and dynamics of surfaces on an atomic scale, focusing on water surfaces in particular. The proposal consists of two main instrument development projects which are based on magnetic manipulation of molecular beams: (1) Developing a ground-breaking apparatus which uses a pre-polarized H2O molecular beam in order to perform NMR measurements on dilute surface science systems, measurements which were impossible using conventional NMR approaches. (2) Developing a unique second-generation helium spin echo spectrometer which is sensitive to motion on an unprecedentedly wide time scale range. This instrument will be capable of measuring atomic scale surface dynamics of systems which were previously beyond the realm of experimentalists. Both of these novel instruments will be primarily used to study the atomic scale structure and dynamics of water surfaces. Studying these systems is particularly challenging due to the delicate and complex nature of the surface, nevertheless, there is an extensive interest in studying water surfaces due to the key role they play in a wide range of research fields and applications. Examples include atmospheric chemistry, where ozone depleting reactions are catalyzed on ice surfaces, Material sciences and nano-technology, where the interaction and reactivity of a surface with water can determine the performance of novel miniature devices and even astrophysics where star birth reactions take place on ice surfaces. We intend to exploit the new contrast mechanisms and the unique time scales made available by the novel instruments we will develop, in order to obtain new experimental insights into this exciting research field.

Keywords: helium scattering nuclear magnetic resonance surface diffusion and vibrations water surfaces
Measuring attosecond electron dynamics in molecules (ATTOSCOPE)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Physical and Analytical Chemical sciences
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999992.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999992.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of the present proposal is to realize measurements of electronic dynamics in polyatomic molecules with attosecond temporal resolution (1 as = 10^-18s). We propose to study electronic rearrangements following photoexcitation, charge migration in a molecular chain induced by ionization and non-adiabatic multi-electron dynamics in an intense laser field. The grand question addressed by this research is the characterization of electron correlations which control the shape, properties and function of molecules. In all three proposed projects, a time-domain approach appears to be the most suitable since it reduces complex molecular dynamics to the purely electronic dynamics by exploiting the hierarchy of motional time scales. Experimentally, we propose to realize an innovative experimental setup. A few-cycle infrared (IR) pulse will be used to generate attosecond pulses in the extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) by high-harmonic generation. The IR pulse will be separated from the XUV by means of an innovative interferometer. Additionally, it will permit the introduction of a controlled attosecond delay between the two pulses. We propose to use the attosecond pulses as a tool to look inside individual IR- or UV-field cycles to better understand light-matter interactions. Time-resolved pump-probe experiments will be carried out on polyatomic molecules by detecting the energy and angular distribution of photoelectrons in a velocity-map imaging spectrometer. These experiments are expected to provide new insights into the dynamics of multi-electron systems along with new results for the validation and improvement of theoretical models. Multi-electron dynamics is indeed a very complex subject on its own and even more so in the presence of strong laser fields. The proposed experiments directly address theses challenges and are expected to provide new insights that will be beneficial to a wide range of scientific research areas.

Keywords: time-resolved spectroscopy,attosecond science,strong-field laser-matter interactions,high-harmonic generation,photoelectron spectroscopy,nonadiabatic dynamics,electron correlation
Nanowire Atomic Force Microscopy for Real Time Imaging of Nanoscale Biological Processes. (NAMIC)

Framework: FP7 — Ideas
Programme: European Research Council
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: Support for frontier research (ERC)
Panel: Condensed matter physics
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call:  (ERC-2012-StG_20111012, 2012)
Start date: 2012-12-01
End date: 2017-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1264640.4
EU funding (EUR): 1264640.4
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Short summary: The ability to measure structures with nanoscale resolution continues to transform physics, materials science and life science alike. Nevertheless, while there are excellent tools to obtain detailed molecular-level static structure (for example in biology), there are very few tools to develop an understanding of how these structures change dynamically as they fulfill their biological function. New biologically-compatible, high-speed nanoscale characterization technologies are required to perform these measurements. In this project, we will develop a nanowire-based, high-speed atomic force microscope (NW-HS-AFM) capable of imaging the dynamics of molecular processes on living cells. We will use this instrument to study the dynamic pore-formation mechanisms of novel peptide antibiotics. This increase in performance over current AFMs will be achieved through the use of electron-beam-deposited nanogranular tunneling resistors on prefabricated nanowire AFM cantilevers. By combining these cantilevers with our state of the art high-speed AFM technology, we expect to obtain nanoscale-resolution images of protein pores on living cells at rates of tens of milliseconds per image. This capability will open a whole new arena for seeing nanoscale life in action.

Keywords: high speed atomic force microscopy,nanowire cantilevers,live cell imaging,nanogranular sensors,peptide antibiotics,pore forming toxins,nanotechnology,shear force microscopy