Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Graphs without Labels: Multimodal Structure Learning without Human Supervision (GraViLa)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Computer Science and Informatics
Panel description: Informatics and information systems, computer science, scientific computing, intelligent systems
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-04-01
End date: 2029-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499438.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499438.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Multimodal learning focuses on training models with data in more than one modality, such as videos capturing visual and audio information or documents containing image and text. Current approaches use such data to train large-scale deep learning models without human supervision by sampling pair-wise data e.g., an image-text pair from a website and train the network e.g. to identify matching vs. not matching pairs to learn better representations. We argue that multimodal learning can do more: by combining information from different sources, multimodal models capture cross-modal semantic entities, and as most multimodal documents are a collection of connected modalities and topics, multimodal models should allow us to capture the inherent high-level topology of such data. The goal of the following project is to learn semantic structures from multimodal data to capture long-range concepts and relations in multimodal data via multimodal and self-supervision learning without human annotation. We will represent this information in form of a graph, considering latent semantic concepts as nodes and their connectivity as edges. Based on this structure, we will extend current unimodal approaches to capture and process data from different modalities in a single structure. Finally, we will explore the challenges and opportunities of the proposed idea with respect to their impact on two main challenges in machine learning: data-efficient learning and fairness in label-free learning. By bridging the gap between those two parallel trends, multimodal supervision and graph-based representations, we combine their strengths of generating and processing topological data, which will not only allow to build new applications and tools but also opens new ways of processing and understanding large-scale data that are out-of-reach at the moment.

Keywords: multimodal learning,self supervised learning,graph structure learning
Development of a simulation platform to study the role of joint hyper-resistance in functional tasks in children with cerebral palsy. (simSpas)

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: Belgium
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-10-01
End date: 2024-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 191760.0
EU funding (EUR): 191760.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Joint hyper-resistance to movement affects 85% of children with cerebral palsy (CP), the most common cause of physical disability in children. Joint hyper-resistance is an important treatment target in CP. Yet, its contribution to gait and balance impairments is poorly understood because it has been hard to associate clinical test outcomes to gait and balance deficits. Here, we will test a novel hypothesis about the mechanisms underlying joint hyper-resistance. We hypothesize that the neural component of joint hyper-resistance results from movement history-dependent muscle mechanics and its interaction with background muscle activity and hyperactive reflexes. The movement history-dependent muscle force response to stretch, which drives spindle firing and reflex activity, might explain why it has been so hard to relate clinical test outcomes to functional impairments. Indeed, movement history might be very different when walking than when relaxing during a clinical test. However, it is unfeasible to measure muscle and spindle responses to stretch non-invasively. Hence, we will use computer simulations to test whether the proposed mechanism can explain the response to stretch in clinical tests, during perturbed standing balance, and during walking. This requires two extensions to existing simulation frameworks. First, we will integrate more mechanistic muscle models in whole body simulations of movement as the commonly used phenomenological Hill models do not accurately capture the response to stretch. Second, we will account for uncertainty due to sensorimotor noise when simulating whole body movement as such uncertainty might trigger muscle stretch and maladaptive responses. I will build on my own and the host’s experience to realize these computationally challenging modeling developments. This project might improve the diagnosis and treatment of joint hyper-resistance in CP and has thereby the potential to improve the quality of life of many individuals with CP.

Keywords: neuromusculoskeletal modelling,predictive simulations,stochastic optimal control,joint hyper resistance,muscle mechanics,reactive balance,walking,cerebral palsy
Two-dimensionAl tRansition-metal dichalcoGEnides-based recTifier for RF harvesting (TARGET-RF)

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: Spain,Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 165312.96
EU funding (EUR): 165312.96
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

In the present day, electromagnetic (EM) signals operating within the radio frequency (RF) range, including Wi-Fi frequencies of 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz, and cellular telecommunication spanning from 700 MHz to 2.7 GHz, are becoming increasingly pervasive in indoor and outdoor environments. These signals constitute a prolific and continuous source of RF energy. Harnessing this RF energy holds great potential for powering future distributed electronics. However, before reaching the technology readiness level required for commercial utilization of RF harvesting, numerous factors must be taken into account. Among these considerations, the performance of diodes (rectifiers) is of paramount importance. Indeed, in most cases, the efficacy of the harvester heavily relies on the rectifier. This component ultimately enables switching-type conversions, such as alternating current to direct current (ac–dc) conversions. The most crucial parameter for assessing the rectification capabilities of a diode technology is the short-circuit current responsivity or the voltage responsivity at zero bias. In this context, graphene-based rectifiers have exhibited remarkable characteristics, including a zero-bias voltage responsivity reaching up to 71 V-1. The TARGET RF project will continue to innovate in emerging materials and device architecture. Specifically, it will concentrate on investigating the responsivity of emerging two-dimensional (2D) technologies for rectifiers, particularly focusing on Rectifiers based on various Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs).This pursuit aims to enhance the efficiency of converting RF to DC power, particularly in RF low-power density scenarios. TARGET RF (24 months) will be hosted at the Granada University and will l be supervised by Prof. Francisco Javier Garcia Ruiz, an internationally recognized expert in this area, take advantage, hence, the skills of his researcher's team and the infrastructure.

Keywords: two dimensional 2d materials,metal insulator tmds diodes,rectifiers,energy harvesters
Genetic Design of Biological Time in Fish (AquaAgeRate)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Physiology in Health, Disease and Ageing
Panel description: Organ and tissue physiology, comparative physiology, physiology  of ageing , pathophysiology, inter - organ and tissue communication, endocrinology, nutrition,  metabolism, interaction with the microbiome, non -communicable diseases including cancer (and except disorders of the nervous system  and immunity -related diseases)
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-11-01
End date: 2028-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Every species experiences a unique pace-of-life, which determines the duration of its embryonic development, onset of puberty, and rate of aging. However, how these traits are scaled so differently between species is largely unknown. Here, I propose to develop the tools to systematically study how the pace of life is regulated in vertebrates. To date, progress in our understanding has been experimentally hindered by the relatively long lifespans of classical vertebrate models. To address this challenge, I recently pioneered a genetic platform for rapid exploration of aging in the naturally short-lived turquoise killifish. Killifish species display up to 10-fold differences in their lifespan, thus providing a “microcosm” of extreme life-history adaptations. Here, we will significantly advance the state of the art by transforming selected species into genetic models. Specifically, we will use unbiased chemical screens to explore the molecular switch that allows killifish development to be suspended for years, in a process called diapause. We will then use our findings to establish genetic control of diapause and the aging processes that co-evolved in this clade. Interrogation of the transcriptional networks in play will be made possible by developing a CRISPR screen platform for fish cells. Finally, we will explore the co-regulation of rapid puberty and compressed lifespan in killifish, by developing multiplexed and reversible genetic approaches. Aging is the primary risk factor for many human pathologies. Thus, developing a quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the pace of life could revolutionize the way we manipulate aging, treat related diseases, and even control complex traits. Identifying such new principles will also have a broader impact, such as affecting developmental rates in in-vitro fertilization. Furthermore, providing precision genome editing tools for fish, and accelerating the generation time will greatly impact commercial aquaculture.

Keywords: ageing genetics genome engineering crispr embryonic diapause killifish fish model systems life history traits
VITNK - deciphering vitamin A and D regulation of human NK cells for cellular immunotherapy (VITNK)

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: Sweden
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 206887.68
EU funding (EUR): 206887.68
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic innate immune cells that defend against viral infections and cancer. As cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, more effective treatment options are urgently needed. Harnessing NK cell cytotoxicity for cancer treatment shows promise, but there is still room for improvement, particularly against solid tumours, which are difficult to treat due to challenges such as limited tumour infiltration. Therefore, identifying targetable factors that enhance not only NK cell development, function, expansion and persistence, but also homing and migration are crucial to optimize cancer immunotherapies. Vitamin metabolites retinoic acid (RA) and calcitriol (CA) activate nuclear receptors (RAR, RXR, VDR) and regulate differentiation, function and homing properties of T cells and ILCs. In the VITNK project, I will systematically investigate how RA and CA as well as their nuclear receptors impact human NK cell development, differentiation, function, expansion, survival, and migration. To achieve this, haematopoietic stem cell-based NK cell differentiation cultures and short-term peripheral blood mature NK cell cultures will be used. In-depth analysis of the changes induced by vitamin metabolite supplementation and CRISPR-mediated nuclear receptor knockout using advanced cell-based assays in combination with cutting-edge single cell RNA, ATAC- and ChIP-sequencing will give a comprehensive insight into the molecular mechanisms that are governed by vitamin A and D in human NK cells. VITNK will thus establish how vitamin A and D modulate NK cell homing and migration, which is essential for efficient tumour infiltration. The purpose of VITNK is to take initial preclinical steps towards therapeutic targeting by thoroughly evaluating the potential of vitamin A and/or D to upgrade NK cell-based immunotherapy for solid tumours, paving a way for my future research career.

Keywords: nk cells,tissue residency,lymphocyte homing
Touch-enabled Tactile Internet Training Network and Open Source Testbed (TOAST)

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: Denmark,Germany,Italy,France,Sweden,Spain
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN-01, 2021)
Start date: 2023-03-01
End date: 2027-02-28
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2853282.86
EU funding (EUR): 2741623.2
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

The touch-enabled Tactile Internet (TI), also known as the Internet of Skills, is anticipated to bring an unprecedented economic and social impact to the digitized world. So far, it has attracted tremendous interest from industry, standardisation bodies and the research community, and is fully aligned with the goals of Horizon Europe. TOAST will train the next generation of early-stage researchers (ESRs) to tackle the critical challenges of TI through interdisciplinary research. Addressing these challenges requires the ESRs to gain a broad understanding of haptics, teleoperation, haptic communication, networking, edge computing, machine learning and human perception. By bringing together world-class researchers from academia and industry, TOAST will (a) contribute to structuring doctoral research training in EU and consolidating currently fragmented trainings into one DN on TI; (b) provide an innovative training program to the ESRs with a balance of fundamental research questions, pragmatic industrial research perspectives, interdisciplinary cooperation through the development of a joined testbed, which will not only benefit the ESRs by enabling remote training and experiments, demonstrations and public engagement, but also generate stronger synergies and extend TOAST’s impact beyond its conclusion; (c) develop E2E solutions for the TI by leveraging the complementary competences of the partners, which will be transferred into IPR, new products and services; and (d) contribute to the development of the ESRs’ skills and network, enhancing their career perspectives and employability. Importantly, the industrial partners will actively contribute to TOAST's training programme and bridge the gap between fundamental research and applied research to ensure effective exploitation of the research results. TOAST will empower the ESRs with unique competences, while paving the way for other researchers to work on TI, which will assure Europe’s leading position in TI worldwide.

Keywords: tactile internet open source testbed teleoperation haptic control,haptic codecs haptic communication wireless communication and networking edge computing,machine learning
My dear little friend: letters to the ruler. Childhood and Political Culture, a Transnational Approach to the Iberian Dictatorships and the Brazilian New State (1930-75) (Child2rule)

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: Spain,Portugal,Brazil
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-01-01
End date: 2028-06-30
Duration (months): 30.0
Total project cost (EUR): 262393.2
EU funding (EUR): 262393.2
Participants: 4
Project status: SIGNED

In December 1953, an 11-year-old Portuguese girl wrote a letter to Salazar. Maria asked him to use bombs to defeat Russia and communism. The letter said: “You, Doctor Oliveira, who rules this country so well and loves peace, should put an end to these bad people who are hurting everybody.” Hundreds of letters like Maria’s are at the National Archive of Torre do Tombo. This research proposal follows an inventory of these documents, including two other sets of letters addressed to Spanish and Brazilian dictators Franco and Vargas - archived in their respective countries - whose analysis can be found at the intersection of political and childhood histories. In Europe and America, the first decades of the 20th century were marked by the rise of political regimes which, to spread their ideological values and shape the character of the nation, deployed mass media as political propaganda tools. These regimes collaborated in the construction and consolidation of political cultures in which their rulers seemed to merge with the State. This research will focus on Salazarism, Francoism, and Varguism, from the perspective of Transnational History, and it is based on the articulation between a set of state initiatives, centred on a nationalist ideology, and children’s overlooked participation in this state-building process. In Spain, Portugal, and Brazil, there are several works dedicated to the analysis of epistolary writing in the context of authoritarianism. However, little has been devoted to letters written by children, and none about children's letters to government officials. The originality of these sources thus represents an important innovation in the studies of the authoritarian pasts of those countries through the perspective of children, a marginalised subject in historical narratives, and that will enable us to revisit historiographical debates and open a completely new picture on the relation between the Iberian and Brazilian dictatorships, and their societies.

Keywords: history of childhood,letters,iberian dictatorships and the brazilian new state,child participation
Time Allocation of Men and Women in India: The Role of Bargaining Power (GenderedTimeUse)

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: Economic Sciences
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 28.0
Total project cost (EUR): 203464.32
EU funding (EUR): 203464.32
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Time allocation among household members, across various paid and unpaid activities throughout the day, gets negotiated through individual preferences, gender norms, and the bargaining power of respective individuals. The time allocation across activities by gender, age, and location is associated with Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality (Indicator 5.4.1), and the differences in time allocation by gender are linked to the process of economic development of a country. Despite the societal and economic significance, scholarly discourse on time use is until now mainly restricted to developed countries, with a lack of data hampering the analysis of intrahousehold time allocations in developing-country contexts. In this project, I will use Time Use Survey 1998-99 and 2019 data from India, together with the National Family Health Survey II (1998-99) and V (2019-21) data from India to examine the intrahousehold allocation of time across paid and unpaid activities. I will use econometric specifications to examine the variation in paid work, unpaid work (domestic work, care, other unpaid work), leisure, and necessary activities by considering the intersectionality of gender with socio-economic identities, location, and their change over 1998-99 and 2019. In addition, I will explore how various measures of married women’s power – women’s education level relative to their husbands and mothers-in-law, their decision-making autonomy, and freedom of movement outside the house - influence intra-household time allocations across activities. This project moves beyond the narrative of power previously explored in developed countries and examines the forms of power that influences women’s time allocations in a developing-country context. The approach of this project is likely to be relevant for other countries that are governed by similar gender norms and the findings will add to the evidence base for monitoring the global progress toward SDG 5 and specifically for India.

Keywords: time use,paid work,unpaid work
WIDENING THE INVESTIGATION OF ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS AS CONTRIBUTORS TO PROGRESSION OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION-ASSOCIATED STEATOTIC LIVER DISEASE (widenEDC-MASLD)

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: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Sweden,Serbia
Call: Hop on Facility (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-ACCESS-06, 2023)
Duration (months): 45.0
Total project cost (EUR): 441290.0
EU funding (EUR): 441290.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) affect hormone receptors and signalling in the liver, which is particularly vulnerable during critical periods of development (pregnancy and infancy and childhood), and promotes the development and progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). EDC-MASLD brings together partners with the overall aim to elucidate the impact of EDCs on the initiation and progression of MASLD. The main aim of the widenEDC-MASLD project which adds partner IBISS to EDC-MASLD, is to contribute to the Objective 2 of the EDC-MASLD project (to understand the mechanisms of hepatic injury and resolution due to exposures to EDCs). The overall objective of widenEDC-MASLD is to investigate whether the sexual dimorphism observed in MASLD originates from the effects of perinatal EDC exposure on sex steroids, GCs and AhR signalling pathways. Interaction of these pathways regulates overlapping networks related to physiological control of lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver. In this way, widenEDC-MASLD complements the sex-related dimension of EDC-MASLD and enhances the project objective towards understanding of the perinatal effects of EDCs on the underlying interaction between endocrine axes, hormonal signalling pathways and MASLD. As a Widening Country partner, IBISS contributes its expertise in the endocrinology and metabolic disorders, reflected in 18 national and 21 international projects and 170 SCI list publications (2018-2023), and significantly supports the core objective of EDC-MASLD to engage and inform citizens and policymakers about the health impacts of EDCs and to promote risk-preventing behaviours.

Keywords: endocrine disrupting chemicals,steatosis,metabolic disease,masld,murine models,sexual dimorphism,steroids