Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Bone Proteomics for Neanderthal and Denisovan Genotyping (BONETAG)

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: Austria
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 214344.72
EU funding (EUR): 214344.72
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Ancient biomolecules have revolutionized our understanding of human evolution. Ancient proteins, in particular, preserve longer than DNA and have the potential to provide crucial insights into the evolution and demise of archaic hominins. The emerging field of palaeoproteomics, which studies ancient proteins, has mostly focused on the analyses of dental material and complete bones. However, smaller bone fragments that are morphologically uninformative—often the most common type of excavated fossil remains— remain an untapped source of important evolutionary information. BONETAG aims to utilize these fragments using recent technological advances and a unique fossil collection, and study the proteins preserved in the bones of our closest archaic relatives: Neanderthals and Denisovans. This will involve comprehensive proteomic sequencing of bones from archaic populations, some of which are linked to high-quality genetic data. BONETAG is the first project that compares ancient DNA and protein data from the same individuals in a comprehensive way. The project will initially focus on the extraction of bone proteins using a series of protocols to enhance protein recovery. This will be followed by the development of a computational method to differentiate the proteomic sequences of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans. Finally, the two workflows will be applied to a collection of hominin bone fragments that have previously failed DNA analyses but show positive signs of protein preservation. The results, as well as the workflows developed during BONETAG will be shared with the palaeoproteomic community. This will allow researchers in regions with poor DNA preservation to utilize proteins, and achieve reliable taxonomic identifications of morphologically uninformative bone fragments. By providing such broadly applicable tools and methodologies, BONETAG will significantly advance our understanding of Human Evolution and ensure that no fossil remains unexplored.

Keywords: palaeoproteomics,palaeoanthropology,human evolution,phylogenetics,taxonomic identification
Depicting the extraction of cadmea and different mineral “earths” in ancient metallurgy (DE CADMEA)

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: Cyprus,Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-06-01
End date: 2026-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 164328.0
EU funding (EUR): 164328.0
Participants: 3
Project status: SIGNED

Brass, a copper-ziBrass, a copper-zinc alloy, is a major alloy from Roman period and throughout the Middle Ages and early modern period. Despite its importance, relatively little systematic research has been done on its production, and archaeological evidence is less well documented than that for copper and iron smelting. One reason for this is the unassuming nature of most zinc ores and zinc-rich furnace remains, compared to the more easily identified copper or iron slags. DE CADMEA aims first to develop a systematic overview of zinc-rich materials, and related furnace remains from one of Europe's best-studied medieval mining and metallurgical regions, the Harz Mountains, before applying the experience gained onto another important mining region, Cyprus. Little is known about the exploitation of zinc in Cyprus, despite detailed and consistent references in key classical texts to the exploitation of 'earthy substances', described in a way that makes their identification as zinc/brass raw material highly likely, and several indications for zinc-rich smelting remains in the analytical literature. In collaboration with local archaeologists and geologists, the PF will systematically search for evidence for zinc-related metallurgy, broadening the current near-exclusive focus on copper metallurgy in Cyprus. DE CADMEA is an ambitious project producing an up-to-date review paper on historic brass raw materials and production technology, and potentially unravelling a totally new chapter in the metallurgy of Cyprus. The proposal also offers insight into the exploitation of non-standard earthy compounds that may be connected with other types of early metallurgy, such as the silver one. The fellowship is sided with two secondments: the Department of Mining Archaeology in Goslar, for the study of the mining district of Rammelsberg in Germany, and the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum (DBM) which will support the research with the archaeometric characterizations and interpretation.

Keywords: early metallurgy cyprus zinc,cementation metallurgy,raw materials
Miniaturised Respiratory Assist to treat acute lung failure patients using a breakthrough hyperbaric technology (MiRA)

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: Germany
Call: EIC Accelerator Open 2023 (HORIZON-EIC-2023-ACCELERATOR-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-05-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 28.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4484410.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499999.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Acute lung failure (ALF) is the third leading cause of death globally and is characterised by severe respiratory impairment. When non-invasive ventilation (NIV) fails, the treatment escalates to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) - the current standard of care for ALF. IMV is highly invasive, with a high risk of complications and an avg. in-hospital mortality rate of 35%, costing thousands of euros per patient. Hospitals have signalled an unmet need for safe and adequate alternatives to IMV in ALF. HBOX Therapies GmbH is bringing MiRA (Miniaturised Respiratory Assist) to market: a disruptive and innovative hyperoxygenation therapy that combines unrivalled blood oxygenation and CO2 removal to treat ALF patients, while they are awake. Such a breakthrough therapy has the potential to be the first treatment option for ALF patients who fail NIV. MiRA therapy has an outstanding cost-effectiveness and improved patient outcomes by avoiding or limiting the need for IMV and further respiratory deterioration in these patients. The growing incidence & prevalence of respiratory diseases causing ALF suggests that there are up to 6 million ALF patients who could benefit from MiRA every year, representing a market potential of €10.4 B/year. Behind MiRA, there is our extracorporeal hyperbaric blood oxygenation (HBOX) technology - 2 patents protect the technology and the approach. HBOX has been validated in animal trials (TRL 5) and we now need to: i) finalise the integrated system for improved safety & efficacy, ii) complete clinical studies, and iii) obtain MDR/CE certification for the MiRA medical device to commence commercialisation. We expect the results of the MiRA project to accelerate the market entry of HBOX and to serve as a platform technology for additional clinical applications in the future. The EIC support will be key for our company to establish itself as a leading company in the respiratory industry.

Keywords: respiratory systems,acute lung failure,hyperbaric blood oxygenation
REVEALing Signatures of Habitable Worlds Hidden by Stellar Activity (REVEAL)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Synergy grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: United States,United Kingdom,Austria
Call: ERC Synergy Grants (ERC-2023-SyG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-04-01
End date: 2030-03-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6831455.5
EU funding (EUR): 6831455.0
Participants: 5
Project status: SIGNED

For millennia people have wondered, “Do other Earths exist?” “Are they common?” “Would they show signs of life?”. We now have the technical capability to answer these questions. New radial-velocity spectrometers are capable of detecting the reflex motions of stars hosting Earth-mass planets in their habitable zones; the James Webb Space Telescope has the power to probe the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets. Yet the unprecedented precision of these instruments’ measurement capabilities is up against a fundamental astrophysically-imposed barrier to achieving these goals: contamination of exoplanetary signals by stellar activity and variability. Further progress is contingent on solving this “variability problem”. REVEAL gathers world-leading experts in exoplanetary and stellar physics to tackle this problem in synergy: - We will build on recent advances in magnetohydrodynamic simulations of stellar atmospheres, and data-driven efforts to separate the exoplanet signal from the stellar variability. - We will simulate the “ground truth” of the turbulent physics of entire stellar photospheres resolved at the level of individual convective cells for a broad class of stars. - We will model the emergent spectra of these “virtual” stars and “observe” them using the same data-processing pipelines as stellar radial-velocity and transit-spectroscopy observations. We will continue to observe the Sun and stars hosting small planets found with TESS and PLATO. The stars’ own spectra will REVEAL the clues needed to disentangle stellar variability from our measurements of their planets’ masses and the fingerprints of molecules in their atmospheres. Our unified efforts will enable the new cutting-edge space observatories and ground-based facilities to realize the full potential of their designs, bringing us closer to the most profound discoveries we could hope to achieve in our lifetimes - the identification of another Earth or even possible signs of life on another planet.

Keywords: detection and characterization of exoplanets habitability of exoplanets stellar activity stellar variability
Localized Cancer Therapy (LCT)

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: Ireland
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-02
End date: 2025-03-01
Duration (months): 26.0
Total project cost (EUR): 199694.4
EU funding (EUR): 199694.4
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Currently, cancer is the second cause of morbidity and death in Europe, with 1.9m deaths and 3.7m cases annually. Cancer-related deaths are projected to exceed 13m by 2030, with abdominal organs hosting most cancer incidents. Although popular, conventional modalities are nonetheless associated with major clinical challenges such as non-specificity, side effects, and drug tolerance, which impede further developments. In recent years, non-invasive, controllable, minimal side effects, and localized nano-scale drug-based therapies have been developed. This treatment deploys nanocarriers (NCs) to the location of the targeted cancer tumors, and upon activation, they release chemotherapeutic drugs. However, there are concerns over the safety of this strategy due to lack of biodegradation, potential toxicity, poor bioavailability, and limitations associated with the drug activation protocols. The main goal of the LCT project is to overcome these challenges in an original and innovative manner by developing nanocarriers that are nontoxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, and can be combined with a well-known treatment modality (e.g., a precise and effective radiation treatment). The proposed work will be approached from theoretical, numerical, and experimental perspectives based on the applicant's and host laboratory's expertise. The training program is exhaustive and will allow the applicant to grow as an independent researcher. The proposed research will foster further development in this direction, a step that is fundamental in healthcare and for the benefit of society. The applicant is a Libyan scholar with expertise in the areas of applied mechanics, industrial & medical radiation, materials science, nano-chemistry, and structural engineering. He has been trained in prestigious industrial and academic institutions in Libya, Canada, and Hong Kong. He is applying for a two-year MSCA fellowship to conduct the LCT at NUI Galway. A 4 months secondment at UCD is planned.

Keywords: radiotherapy,nanocarriers,cancer,targeted delivery,multimodal therapy
Proof of principle fly larvae biorefinery for biopolymer plastic production (BioLaMer)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Ireland,Spain,Portugal,Italy
Call: EIC Pathfinder Open 2022 (HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2026-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2971050.0
EU funding (EUR): 2956825.0
Participants: 7
Project status: SIGNED

Management of food waste (FW) and petroleum plastics pollution are two significant global challenges. Developing biopolymers and added-value bioplastic products from low-grade FW is, thus, a key enabler to tackle both issues. Despite extensive R&D efforts to valorise waste streams including FW to bioplastics, the widespread market penetration of bioplastics is hindered due to their high production cost. BioLaMer aims to demonstrate a novel proof of principle fly larvae biorefinery by establishing food eating black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) as a high impact feedstock for cost-effective production of two biopolymers, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and chitosan. The advantages of the larvae route are that it: i) is renewable and inexpensive; ii) provides less complexity as the larvae has invariable chemical composition; iii) can be used to mitigate the FW problem; iv) can reduce raw material inputs, thus minimizing energy utilization; v) doesn’t disturb the biodiversity; and vi) can avoid/reduce pre-treatment costs associated with the waste-streams to produce the platform chemicals for biopolymer production. The innovative BioLaMer biorefinery will improve the bioreactor process efficiency and cut down the PHA production cost significantly compared to existing technologies. BioLaMer will combine its conceptual innovations, complementary interdisciplinary expertise and bioreactor process expertise to develop cost-effective PHA and chitosan production technologies, supported by life cycle thinking/analysis and hybrid models developed using machine learning platform. Further, the significant environmental, economic, and societal impacts (that supports the EU Circular Economy, Green Deal, Food Waste, and Plastic strategies/initiatives) of BioLaMer will be demonstrated through the involvement of SSH, communication and circularity demonstration partners.

Keywords: biorefinery,food waste challenge,resource efficiency,plastic challenge,bioreactor,fly larvae
MONtenegrin center for Underwater SEnsor Networks (MONUSEN)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Improved access to Excellence
Destination: Improved access to Excellence
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Montenegro,Italy,Croatia,United Kingdom
Call: Twinning Western Balkans Special (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-02, 2021)
Start date: 2022-06-01
End date: 2025-05-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1131346.25
EU funding (EUR): 1131346.25
Participants: 4
Project status: CLOSED

Underwater Sensor Networks (USNs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their advanced capabilities in oceanographic data collection, pollution monitoring, exploration of natural undersea resources, disaster prevention, assisted navigation and tactical surveillance applications. The MONUSEN project will increase research and innovation capabilities of the University of Montenegro (UoM) via links with the internationally leading EU research institutions, University of Zagreb (UNIZG), Newcastle University (UNEW) and National Research Council of Italy (CNR). The project will reduce the gaps and deficiencies between the UoM and its EU research counterparts and improve staff research profiles in the USN field. It will strive for scientific excellence based on the transfer of knowledge and expertise, improved creativity, strong partnerships with the leading research institutions and industry, and improved research management and administration at the UoM. These objectives will be reached through a set of strategic measures: staff exchanges and expert visits for providing knowledge transfer; on-site trainings for providing hands-on experience; joint research actions; research and innovation management trainings; organization of research-industry workshops for strengthening links to marine robotics industry; joint organization of hackathons on topics dictated by industry needs within the scope of the joint research actions; and joint organization of summer schools with strong emphasis on strengthening links to USN end-users from marine biology, marine archaeology, oceanography, marine security, etc.

Keywords: acoustic communication underwater robotics underwater sensor networks
Nutritional Retinoic Acid as an early cDC2A fate instructive signal in the bone marrow (cDcIVA)

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: Portugal
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2027-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191343.12
EU funding (EUR): 191343.12
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

cDcIVA aims to reveal a gut-bone marrow axis mediated by retinoic acid (RA) as a fate-instructive factor for the development of conventional dendritic cell (cDC) precursors in the bone marrow. Communication between the intestine and other organs, such as the bone marrow is mediated by several nutrients, including Vitamin A. This proposal focuses on examining how the Vitamin A derivative, RA, reaches the bone marrow and boosts the output of a specific RA-responsive cDC subset with implications on predisposing certain effector functions of the adaptive immune system. By integrating in vitro differentiation assays, spatial transcriptomics, and in vivo RA manipulations (genetically and pharmacologically), this proposal aims to: 1) establish the role of Vitamin A, as a mediator of the gut-bone marrow axis, in regulating cDC development, 2) demonstrate that retinoic acid is the sole Vitamin A metabolite that can have cell intrinsic effects on cDC progenitors and 3) reveal the cells that metabolise and supply RA to cDC progenitors and form part of an instructive bone marrow niche. cDcIVA will advance our understanding of how the interplay between nutrition and immunity can regulate the development of the cells that govern the effector functions of the adaptive immune system, offering valuable insights for future research in vaccination and cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords: conventional dendritic cells,bone marrow niche,myeolopoiesis
Thermalization in circuit quantum thermodynamics (TcQTD)

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: Physics
Countries involved: Finland,United States
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-11-01
End date: 2027-10-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 278571.36
EU funding (EUR): 278571.36
Participants: 4
Project status: SIGNED

Thanks to advances in micro- and nano-fabrication techniques, microwave engineering and cryogenics, quantum technology is a fast-growing field of science and industry with great expectations for societal benefits. A quantum bit, qubit, is one of the central elements in the present-day quantum science but most importantly in future quantum information processing. Despite tremendous progress in improving the coherence of qubits, almost a million-fold improvement in 30 years in case of superconducting circuits, they still have to cope with different loss and decoherence mechanisms and they are vulnerable to influences from their environment, which can disrupt and destroy quantum information. With the progress in ultrasensitive nanoscale bolometry in the field of circuit quantum thermodynamics (cQTD), and the intense studies of superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) as one of the leading technologies for the realization of a universal quantum computer, a combination of the two technologies provides a unique platform for studying thermalization and decoherence of e.g., a superconducting qubit in the presence of different environments. On the fundamental side, the goals of the project are in understanding thermalization of open and closed quantum systems formed of superconducting qubits, Josephson junction arrays, and transmission lines, as opposed to true dissipative baths formed of on-chip resistors. On the practical level mesoscopic heat baths in form of calorimeters will be developed by implementing cross-correlation thermometry towards wide-band detection of single microwave photons. On the technological side I will advance my skills to advanced measurements of superconducting qubits and cross-correlation detection of temperature during the outgoing phase of the project in US (Chicago, Caltech, Seattle), and bring this expertise back to my host laboratory in Finland.

Keywords: quantum thermodynamics,open quantum systems,superconducting quantum bit,nano fabrication,circuit qtd,thermometry,ultrasensitive detection