Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Impact of maternal nutritional status and microbiota on child anthropometric and metabolic development (MOM2CHILD)

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,Switzerland
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 293445.6
EU funding (EUR): 293445.6
Participants: 3
Project status: TERMINATED

Both overnutrition and undernutrition shape the capacities of the body to process food (double burden of malnutrition), and are thus important determinants of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions including high blood sugar or excess body fat, and diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes or heart diseases. The first 1000 years of life (from conception to second birthday) are considered a key period of life where the metabolic capacities are adjusted. We hypothesize that during this period, exposures such as the nutritional and metabolic status of the pregnant mother, her gut and vaginal microbiota, the child’s gut microbiota and other clinical parameters linked to pregnancy, delivery and early life, have an impact on how the metabolism develops. The objective of the proposed research is to study the contribution of prenatal/early life exposures on the anthropometric and metabolic development of the child, and whether these effects could be mediated by epigenetic changes. For this, I will spend 24 months in the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, for the outgoing phase (Prof. Pascale Vonaesch) followed by a returning phase of 12 months in FISABIO, Spain (Dr. Pilar Francino). This collaboration gives me the unique opportunity to work on samples and data from two birth cohorts of under-, normally and over-nourished pregnant mothers and their offspring, both in a low and a high-income country (Lao PDR and Spain). I will bring my expertise in epidemiology and clinical research, as well as specific knowledge and skills in analysing vaginal microbiota data, to the host and associated partner. In return, I will dig into new concepts and acquire advanced skills in genomics (from bench work to bioinformatics), community analysis, epigenetics, nutrition-related diseases, as well as transferable and complementary skills, in order to enhance my career’s perspectives. This interdisciplinary research will generate new insights in both basic science and public health.

Keywords: microbiome,nutrition,metabolic development,pregnancy,childhood
A nanobody imaging tool to detect protein crystals and predict therapeutic response in asthmatics (CRYSTAL-SHINE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2026-02-28
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Asthma is characterized by airway obstruction, causing difficulty in breathing. The major cause of therapy resistant obstruction is mucus plug buildup in 60% of severe asthmatics. Mucus plugs form as a result of abnormal mucus production by airway barrier cells and recruitment of eosinophils that change the mucus from a gel- to a glue-like state. Eosinophils also release galectin-10 (Gal10) protein, which crystallizes and forms Charcot-Leyden crystals (CLC). My advanced ERC grant unraveled how CLCs damage the epithelium to aggravate airway inflammation, cause more mucus build-up and physically impede the clearance of plugs, because of their needle-like shape. We therefore developed crystal-dissolving antibodies, that improve mucus clearance in mice. Meanwhile we also found that chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and 10% of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients have CLC-rich mucus. The current problem we are facing in the further clinical development of crystal dissolving antibodies is that we do not have a biomarker for CLC-rich mucus, and therefore it would be hard to predict which patients benefit from treatment with CLC-dissolving antibodies. The solution is to develop a non-invasive imaging technique to visualize crystal-containing mucus. We have therefore generated a Gal10 PET tracer. We have developed humanized mice that express Gal10 and form CLCs in their airways, and will be used to test the feasibility of Gal10 PET tracer imaging. A major challenge is to find the best conjugation format of the PET biomarker, and unravel the pharmacokinetics and - dynamics of the imaging modality. In parallel, we will test if Gal10 antibodies bind to human biopsies from asthma, CRS and CF patients, and how this biomarker correlates to CLC presence. Gaining PoC that Gal10 PET imaging works as a biomarker to detect CLCs will personalize the approach and create deal-making value for our antibody program.
Demonstration of Sonication and Microwave Processing of Essential Chemicals (SIMPLI-DEMO)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Digital, Industry and Space
Theme: Industry
Destination: Increased Autonomy in Key Strategic Value Chains for Resilient Industry
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Belgium,Germany,Greece,Luxembourg,United Kingdom,France,Norway
Call: Promote Europe's availability, affordability, sustainability and security of supply of essential chemicals and materials (IA) (HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2026-09-30
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 11537527.96
EU funding (EUR): 9406833.0
Participants: 13
Project status: SIGNED

SIMPLI-DEMO, the Demonstration of Sonication and Microwave Processing of essential chemicals project, aims at strengthening the chemical process industry ? and in particular the specialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries ? in its capacity to produce materials and chemicals in a sustainable and competitive way by moving from batch to continuous and modular production with flexibility being ensured by the application of alternative energy forms. Currently, the conventional technologies in the specialty and pharma sector tend to be batch-type, combined with mechanical mixing and conduction-based heat transfer, inherently leading to poor process control. SIMPLI-DEMO's vision is that of intensified processes, where alternative energy sources enable continuous and modular technologies to achieve localized actuation of multiphase, flow reactors for the purpose of high-value product synthesis. SIMPLI-DEMO focuses on the synthesis of specialty polymers and particles for use in a wide variety of every-day-use products, e.g. insulation, paints and coatings, plastics, catalysts, as well as health applications, which are important domains in the chemical industry today and into the future. Therefore, SIMPLI-DEMO advances the technology readiness level (TRL) of modular flow technology for multiphase streams involving suspensions or viscous products from TRL5 (validation in relevant environment) to TRL7 (industrial system demonstration). SIMPLI-DEMO has brought together a consortium of four end-user chemical companies, two technology suppliers (ultrasound and microwave technology), five universities and research institutions (process control & automation, reactive extrusion, oscillatory flow, ultrasound, microwaves), one SME experienced in modular automation and another SME experienced in sustainability assessment and exploitation.

Keywords: process intensification,ultrasound,microwave,multiphase processes,polymerization,crystallisation,pilot scale,demonstration
Interacting Solitary Waves in Nonlinear Wave Equations (INSOLIT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Mathematics
Panel description: All areas of mathematics, pure and applied, plus mathematical foundations of computer science, mathematical physics and statistics
Countries involved: France
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): 1274500.0
EU funding (EUR): 1274500.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Various models encountered in mathematical physics possess special solutions called solitary waves, which preserve their shape as time passes. In the case of dispersive models, small perturbations of the field tend to spread, so that their amplitude decays. The Soliton Resolution Conjecture predicts that, generically, a solution of a nonlinear dispersive partial differential equation decomposes into a superposition of solitary waves and a perturbation of small amplitude called radiation. Our study will focus on topological solitons appearing in models motivated by Quantum Field Theory: kinks in the phi4 theory and rational maps in the O(3) sigma model. We expect that the developed techniques will have applications in the study of other topological solitons like vortices, monopoles, Skyrmions and instantons. Our general ultimate objective goes beyond the Soliton Resolution, and consists in obtaining an asymptotic description in infinite time, in both time directions, of solutions of the considered model. Such a description should be correct at least at main order, and reflect interesting features of the problem, which are the soliton-soliton interactions and soliton-radiation interactions. We pursue this general goal in various concrete situations, namely: the problem of unique continuation after blow-up for the equivariant wave maps equation, the collision problem for the phi4 equation, the study of pure multi-solitons in the regime of strong interaction, and the multi-soliton uniqueness and stability problem. Their solution requires a mixture of non-perturbative and perturbative techniques. While the former rely heavily on the concrete model, the latter will be applicable to any dispersive equation having solitary waves.

Keywords: soliton,scattering,long time behavior
Positive Solutions in the Sciences (POSSIS)

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: Mathematics
Countries involved: Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 202125.12
EU funding (EUR): 202125.12
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Polynomial equations are fundamental across various scientific disciplines, serving as powerful tools for modeling and solving real-world problems. Often, only the positive real solutions of these equations are of interest. The goal of this project is to develop methods within the framework of real algebraic geometry, specifically aimed at solving problems related to the positive solutions of polynomials that arise in scientific applications. The main focus of this project is a classical problem that arises from the scattering of elementary particles in physics. The primary objective is to develop a method for computing the positive solutions of the Landau equations. These positive solutions are crucial because they lead to singularities in the physical region of Feynman integrals, which correspond to observable phenomena in scattering experiments. Beyond particle physics, this project aims to extend the applications of real algebraic geometry to the study of Nash equilibria in game theory, steady states of biochemical reaction networks, and statistical models in phylogenetics. In all these fields, the models are given by parametrized polynomial equation systems with parameters that share linear dependencies. While methods from applied algebraic geometry have already proven successful in studying complex solutions, investigating the positive solutions of these polynomials requires a paradigm shift toward real algebraic geometry.

Keywords: real algebraic geometry applied algebraic geometry a discriminant landau singularities
InnoGuard: Hybrid and Generative Intelligence for Trustworthy Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems (InnoGuard)

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: Spain,Norway,Italy,Netherlands,Switzerland
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-DN-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3220718.4
EU funding (EUR): 3220718.4
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

InnoGuard addresses novel challenges imposed by quality assurance of Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems (ACPS), which have integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) components. Their use in our daily lives is increasing, such as in public transport systems, highlighting the need for novel, robust development methodologies to ensure their dependability, whose compromise could have severe consequences, as exemplified by various incidents (e.g., accidents caused by Tesla's autopilot system). To ensure ACP dependability, InnoGuard targets developing novel methods for ACPS quality assurance by creating a tailored training program for Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs), with scientific objectives including methods to automate ACPS quality assessment and behavior evolution using AI techniques and enhancing ACPS dependability through real-time security, privacy, and uncertainty handling solutions. Additionally, InnoGuard seeks to improve the trustworthiness of AI methods, enhance environmental sustainability by increasing the energy efficiency of ACPSs with the usage of AI methods, including Large Language Models (LLMs), and validate such techniques in open-source contexts such as Robot Operating Systems (ROS)-based systems. Ultimately, InnoGuard will deliver novel techniques and methodological principles for ACPS quality assurance, ensuring high trustworthiness, reliability, and legal compliance. The project's holistic approach encompasses technical advancements and training initiatives, with a broad plan to disseminate results to industry stakeholders, associations, and the wider public. Through these efforts, InnoGuard strives to elevate the status of ESRs as future experts in ACPS engineering.

Keywords: ai enabled cyber physical systems quality assurance large language models law in ai
Discovering and Deploying Evolution's Solutions for Microplastic Degradation (EnzyMiner)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2025-POC, 2025)
Start date: 2025-08-01
End date: 2027-01-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Microplastics represent an emerging global health crisis, with nearly 500 million people directly impacted worldwide. Current solutions for plastic waste management are inadequate, with degradation into microplastics (<5mm) and nanoplastics (<1μm) creating pervasive contamination. These particles have been detected in human tissues including the brain, gut, arteries, placenta, and breast milk, with evidence linking them to inflammatory conditions, hormone disruption, and increased disease risk. The EnzyMiner project aims to revolutionize microplastic remediation by leveraging computational genomics to discover and optimize highly efficient plastic-degrading enzymes. Building on our ERC CoG project IndexThePlanet, we have developed a highly optimized search engine for enzyme discovery across the world’s most comprehensive genomic datasets. Our preliminary work has yielded several candidate plastic-degrading enzymes with activity superior to the current gold standard. This PoC grant will establish three critical pillars for commercialization: (1) a demonstration of our sequence mining methodology with experimental validation of synthesized candidate enzymes; (2) a regulatory pathway strategy for enzyme deployment in environmental and consumer applications; and (3) a consolidated IP strategy and startup creation plan. The results will create a robust foundation for bringing this breakthrough technology to market, offering transformative solutions to microplastic pollution across multiple industries while safeguarding human health.
From soils to apex species: chemical pathways, effects and impacts on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services and applications for better chemicals management (TerraChem)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Slovakia,Netherlands,Denmark,Germany,Greece,Switzerland
Call: Better understanding of routes of exposure and toxicological and ecological impacts of chemical pollution on terrestrial biodiversity (HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01, 2023)
Start date: 2023-11-01
End date: 2026-10-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5504122.5
EU funding (EUR): 5504122.5
Participants: 7
Project status: SIGNED

The overall aim of TerraChem is to develop, demonstrate and apply a novel systems approach integrating monitoring, environmental modelling, data management, analytical tools and user guidance to better understand exposure of terrestrial biota across trophic levels (from soil and soil water to plants to primary and secondary consumers to apex species) in Europe to the universe of environmentally-relevant anthropogenic chemicals and their damage on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services, with a view to enabling more efficient environmental risk assessment of chemicals in the terrestrial compartment and more effective prevention and mitigation, accelerating achievement of the EU’s zero pollution ambition. TerraChem’s objectives are: (1) To understand routes of exposure to chemicals in wildlife, including routes and extent of trophic transfer, for selected food chains (from soil and soil water to plants, primary and secondary consumers and apex species) in representative terrestrial ecosystems. (2) To model source-to-receptor pathways of selected chemical contaminants for terrestrial ecosystems, and link organism and species effects to damage on genetic and functional diversity and on relevant ecosystem services. (3) To develop tools and guidance for regulatory and practice uptake of TerraChem research and innovation output to optimise current environmental risk assessment of chemicals and improve risk management measures, and thereby reduce chemical damage to terrestrial biodiversity; and (4) To refine the TerraChem conceptual framework, ensure integration of monitoring (under objective 1), modelling (objective 2) and prevention and mitigation (objective 3), ensure coherence with related project, platform, partnership and policy/regulatory initiatives and pertinence for key end-users, and develop a TerraChem Data Management System and TerraChem Dashboard as a One-Stop Shop for data on contaminants in terrestrial biodiversity in Europe.

Keywords: chemical contaminant,exposure,source to damage pathways,terrestrial biodiversity,food chain,genetic diversity,functional diversity,ecosystem services,environmental risk assessment,rmm
Lightweight Vibration Absorption using Buckling Metamaterials (MetaVib)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2025-06-30
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Vibrations cause unwanted noise and even failure in many areas, including vehicles such as spacecrafts, road vehicles and trains, sensitive optical or high-tech instruments and machinery. The market size for global vibration control systems was valued at 4.7 billion dollars in 2021 and is expected to expand to 8.1 billion dollars in 20302. This increase in demand is driven by a growing emphasis on the mechanical stability and balancing of industrial machines, which require ever growing precision and vehicles, which require ever growing safety. To counter these vibrations, many strategies have been developed. One of the easiest ways is to use viscoelastic materials, but there is typically an inherent trade-off: high dissipation entails low stiffness, whereas many applications typically require both high dissipation and high specific stiffness. Another approach is to use active vibration damping, but these systems typically add an additional layer of complexity and weight. Here, we propose to use Euler buckling as a functional mechanism to create vibrations absorbers. Buckling structures are simultaneously stiff and highly dissipative thanks to their high stiffness prior to buckling and highly nonlinear force and damping response during post-buckling. To this end, we will use flexible mechanical metamaterials made of metal and fibre-reinforced composites with tailored buckling and post-buckling. We will establish such metamaterials as a prime avenue to create lightweight structures that is orders of magnitude more dissipative than their linear viscoelastic counterparts. We will hence establish their potential as a competitive solution for lightweight structures combining high damping and high specific stiffness in high-tech and aerospace applications. In particular, our metamaterials will allow to reduce the weight and increase the damping of energy-absorbing components in vehicles, hence reducing their overall weight.