Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Drivers and origins of high-altitude precipitation on the Third Pole (DROP)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Earth System Science
Panel description: Physical geography, geo logy, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, climatology, cryology, ecology, global environmental change, biogeochemical cycles, natural resources management
Countries involved: Netherlands,Germany
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2023-ADG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-10-01
End date: 2029-09-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Asia’s mountain ranges are the world’s most important water towers, often referred to as the planet’s Third Pole. Precipitation in these mountains feeds glaciers and snow fields and generates river flow, which sustains millions of people downstream. Precipitation also triggers natural hazards such as floods, landslides and avalanches, which cause enormous human and economic losses. Despite the importance of high-altitude precipitation, we lack a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that control its distribution and how it changes. We need this to elucidate the water cycle at the Third Pole. DROP will close this knowledge gap by showing how the mountains, feedback from land surfaces and large-scale circulation control the magnitude and spatiotemporal distribution of high-altitude snow and rain. New field observations at extreme altitudes and state-of-the-art atmospheric modelling will provide a comprehensive picture for the entire Third Pole at a wide range of scales. At the smallest scale, a high-altitude ice core and meteorological observations will provide key insights into past accumulation trends. At the valley scale, I will combine dense observations of precipitation and high-altitude snow accumulation with atmospheric simulations to gain insight into snow and rainfall patterns. At the scale of the entire Third Pole, I will conduct state-of-the-art atmospheric model experiments, combined with in-situ observations in regional transects and remote sensing to understand how the extreme topography, land surface feedback and moisture recycling control snow and rain patterns. DROP will provide a long-awaited scientific step forward in understanding mountain precipitation in a region where this is of vital importance for water security and disaster risk reduction for millions of people.

Keywords: mountain meteorology,high mountain asia,precipitation,snow,rain
Elucidating the nano-biointeractions on DNA origami (ORBIT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Chemistry
Countries involved: Spain
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-09-15
End date: 2025-09-14
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 181152.96
EU funding (EUR): 181152.96
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The forces governing the nano-biointeractions are essential to understand the biological behaviour and pharmacokinetics of the nanostructures. So far, these understandings have been limited to nanoparticles. However, it should be noted that the NPs´ chemical synthetic methods render non-homogeneous dispersions, even when low polydispersity is reached. In addition, the modification of NPs with a specific number of ligands is still challenging and there is no agreement about the most effective configuration or number of ligands to achieve efficient targeting in vivo. The programmability of the DNA-nanostructures (origamis) allows the synthesis of predictable and controllable sizes and shapes with almost atomic precision. In addition, the origamis can also be designed to include additional molecules, with high accuracy on the valency and the orientation. Thus, this technology offers a powerful tool to study and understand the biological behaviour of objects at the nanoscale since precise control over the size, shape and attachment of molecules can be achieved when other methods are unable to. Based on the structural organization and spatial distribution of natural and specific bionanoparticles, such as viruses, this project will exploit the atomic programmability of origamis to design a library of DNA nanostructures inspired on viral particles. The biomolecular corona will be studied to understand its impact on origamis´ biodistribution, a topic still not studied yet. Finally, the cell response will be evaluated in terms of targeting and immune response. These results will help to a better understanding of the mechanism between nano-structures and living systems and to formulate guidelines to synthesize more efficient nanomedicines. Overall, this project will allow me to carry out a 2-year project independently, growing towards a mature, professional and independent researcher in the DNA nanotechnology field, reinforcing my expertise on the nanomedicine field.

Keywords: nano biointeractions,biomolecular corona,targeting
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF URGENT MEASURES IN PROTECTING AT-RISK DETAINEES IN LATIN-AMERICA (IMPACTUM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Panel description: Political science, international relations, law
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2021-COG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-12-01
End date: 2027-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1981250.0
EU funding (EUR): 1981250.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Urgent Measures (UMs) are granted by international human rights (HRs) bodies to protect persons in a situation of extreme gravity/urgency. In Latin America, UMs are mostly granted to protect detainees, when their right to life, integrity and/or health are in danger of being violated. When a UM is granted, the state is requested to provide detainees with e.g. immediate access to medical care, drinking water, or sanitation. In such cases, UMs may prompt emergency protective actions that can, in the most extreme circumstances, save the life of the beneficiary of these measures. Though UMs have been issued on thousands of occasions, they have attracted little academic attention. The few studies that exist focus on a doctrinal analysis on compliance. Such studies have several shortcomings in that they primarily examine only procedural legal aspects, and often excessively rely on information provided by HRs bodies themselves. As UMs often face practical, financial and political constraints that shape and limit their implementation, it is crucial to establish a better understanding of how these measures are applied in practice. IMPACTUM moves beyond the traditional legal research questions and methods of analysing UMs. It instead proposes an interdisciplinary study of UMs that: 1) considers the context in which UMs are enforced and how they are applied on the ground; 2) assesses the impacts of UMs on detainees, legal/institutional systems and (inter)national actors; 3) discusses their strengths/limitations; 4) analyses their wider learning effects. With reference to UMs granted by 4 HRs bodies to protect at-risk detainees in 6 Latin American countries, IMPACTUM will develop a critical normative impact framework useful to provide a deeper theoretical analysis, as well as insight into how to formulate UMs to maximise their practical protective effects. IMPACTUM will thus uncover and present new knowledge on emerging issues with UMs that are currently unaddressed in academia.

Keywords: urgent measures,international human rights systems,persons deprived of liberty,impact
Investigating DC migration with large, ingested cargos through confining environments (DCsConCargo)

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: France
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-02-01
End date: 2028-01-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 242260.56
EU funding (EUR): 242260.56
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

As immune sentinels, dendritic cells (DCs) must be able to ingest material and migrate to lymph nodes to present the processed antigen to T cells, and initiate the adaptive immune response, essential against pathogens or cancer. This means that DCs must be able to navigate through complex environments with this ingested material of varying physical characteristics. Preliminary data revealed that DCs deform and/or rotate large, ingested material to overcome occlusion from entering constriction points (transmigration). Additionally, there are instances of nuclear deformation and even migratory frustration, which reflect reported phenomena of DCs in vivo in mice. I propose to use a suite of fabricated particles and in vitro complex environments to test the ability of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells to overcome physical obstacles with large cargos. The fabricated particles will include oil droplets with tunable deformability, paramagnetic particles, and 3D printed microplastics. The in vitro complex environments are collagen gels and PDMS microchannels where I can observe DCs with ingest particles attempting to through points of constriction. With this experimental set-up, I can measure the efficiency of transmigration, deformation or rotation of particles, as well as the force exerted on particles as a function of particle properties. Furthermore, I can observe the effect of particle manipulation on DC behavior and function, even if they never successfully transmigrate. This work will aim to answer how dendritic cells can migrate successfully with a wide range of materials, but also provide insight into the role of frustrated or trapped DCs that are observed in tissues, and particularly near tumors.

Keywords: dendritic cells transmigration cargo manipulation nuclear deformation cell fate
Mechanics and multi-physics of phase transformations in shape memory alloys under extreme dynamic environments (MultiPhaseXtrM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Products and Processes Engineering
Panel description: Product and process design, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical, vehicle engineering, energy processes and relevant computational methods
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2025-STG, 2025)
Start date: 2026-06-01
End date: 2031-05-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2416978.75
EU funding (EUR): 2416978.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Efficient power generation/absorption will remain a crucial aspect of disruptive technology in a society with rising energy demands for sustenance (e.g., power generation) to scientific curiosity (e.g., space exploration). Multi-functional shape memory alloys (SMAs) form the core of many such technological breakthroughs. The multi-functionality of SMAs originates from solid-solid phase transformations, i.e., changes in the atomic lattice structure, driven by local mechanical, thermal or magnetic fields. Project MultiPhaseXtrM identifies a radically different and unexplored regime for the operation of SMAs — large, multiaxial dynamic impact and shock stresses (up to 10 GPa) within short time scales (down to nanoseconds), referred to as “extreme dynamic environments”. Exploiting multi-physical coupling in SMAs under these extreme conditions could scale up their power conversion capabilities by orders of magnitude. Two broad scientific questions form the core of Project MultiPhaseXtrM: (1) How do thermodynamic states evolve in SMAs under extreme dynamic environments and coupled thermal/magnetic fields? (2) How do these states drive the evolution of phase transformations at short time scales? Dynamic impact experiments and high-speed instrumentation, developed in house, will probe this multi-scale behavior in single-crystal SMAs under carefully-controlled strain rates and multi-axial stress states, while advancing experimental science towards resolving short length and time scales, simultaneously. Multi-scale data sets will be analysed within continuum theoretical frameworks to discover the kinetic laws for phase transformations across the range of multi-physical conditions explored. The impact of this program will extend beyond, from designing multi-ferroic SMAs with programmable multi-functionality under these extremes, to understanding the role of stress-induced phase transformations in dynamic material strength, material synthesis and extreme geological events.

Keywords: mechanics and materials,dynamic behavior of materials,shape memory alloys,phase transformations,experimental mechanics,extreme conditions
Oxytocin-driven territorial mapping in the mammalian hippocampal formation (OxytocINspace)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Synergy grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Germany,France,Israel
Call: ERC Synergy Grants (ERC-2022-SYG, 2022)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2029-05-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 10000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 10000000.0
Participants: 6
Project status: SIGNED

Orienting in space recruits brain mechanisms well conserved across mammalian species. Within the entorhinal-hippocampal network, a core system of spatially-selective cells supports spatial geometry computations. Yet, when navigating familiar surroundings, neural computations of space usually escape our attention. Instead, we parse space into socially meaningful territories. Territorial boundaries are social in nature since they capture the location of utilities available to individuals tied to group hierarchy and affiliation. How does our brain integrate geometry and territory? We propose that this process is regulated by the oxytocin (OT) system, acting on the entorhinal-hippocampal regions. OT, a hypothalamic neuropeptide known for its pro-social effects in mammals, modulates neural activity in the hippocampal formation, but its potential role in territorial representations has not yet been studied. Here, experts in complementary fields – social behaviors, spatial navigation, neurophysiology, anatomy, and cell signaling – will study brain similarities and differences of socio-territorial strategies in five mammalian species: bats, mice, rats, marmosets, and macaques. Our central goal is to investigate how neurons coding for space (e.g. place cells, boundary cells, grid cells) respond to perceived socio-spatial parameters of ownership, utility, and social hierarchies. We expect spatial cells to be sensitive to territorial manipulations (ownership, proximity, intrusion), regulated by OT in a context-dependent manner. OT inhibition may enhance territorial defense when territories are challenged (e.g., conspecific approaches or transgresses borders) and may sharpen territorial boundary representations. Conversely, OT stimulation could blur the boundaries of territorial perception. Our cross-species perspective will be the first to provide information on possible species-specific vs. shared neural mechanisms for territorial maps and OT-induced hippocampal plasticity.

Keywords: oxytocin,oxytocin receptors,entorhinal cortex,hippocampus,place cells,territorial behavior,rodents,bats,non human primates,social behavior
Network Fairness: A novel complex network approach for tackling inequalities in society and algorithms (NetFair)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Soci al World and Its Interactions
Panel description: Sociology, social psychology, education  sciences , communication  studies
Countries involved: Austria
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-02-01
End date: 2030-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1481736.0
EU funding (EUR): 1481736.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Social inequalities are on the rise and will have devastating impacts on education, healthcare, economies and societies for many generations to come. Structural barriers to equality, despite being complex and dynamic, are poorly understood through the lens of complex evolving social networks. More crucially, with the rise of AI and machine-learning algorithms, it is extremely important to detect, forecast, and mitigate those inequalities in a systematic manner in order to avoid unintentional algorithmic consequences. A network fairness framework is proposed, premised on topological and temporal features of social interactions that shape the formation and evolution of inequalities. These features include (1) people have multiple and correlated attributes that determine how they identify with groups and interact with others, (2) people belong to a variety of social groups with different sizes, hierarchies, and historical precedents, and (3) interactions between people evolve over time in a hybrid space of society and algorithms. To this end, I will develop a suite of dynamical complex network models of inequality that are driven by social theories (e.g., homophily, intersectionality, consolidation) and calibrated and evaluated with big data and network experiments. This will allow us, for the first time, to investigate inequalities that arise from network-based algorithms in a systematic manner. More importantly, I will devise a novel methodology of network intervention, a set of data-driven principles for tackling network inequalities in a broad range of applications. Finally, based on the models developed in this project, I will create a cutting-edge interactive software – NetFair – to visualize and forecast the evolution of inequalities and implement various fairness criteria. The software will contribute towards bridging the gap between research and policy applications in academia and industry.

Keywords: complex networks,computational social science,intersectional inequalities
Renovation with automation and optimization of processes and products (RENOMIZE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Energy
Destination: Efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy use
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Austria,Belgium,Estonia,Netherlands,Spain,Germany,Italy,Switzerland,France
Call: Low-disruptive renovation processes using integration of prefabricated solutions for energy-efficient buildings (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D4-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6109804.11
EU funding (EUR): 5199098.63
Participants: 16
Project status: SIGNED

RENOMIZE presents well-selected innovations in the processes and products for the full renovation trajectory from ideation, over delivery, maintenance and end-of life. Building on an impressive experience in the field, the following innovations have been put forward: • Decision support tools for optimisation of building site preparations, integration of balconies and overhangs, and for the integration and selection of HVAC and RES technology; • Optimisation of the process planning using advancements to spatiotemporal planning; • Development of an improved anchoring system and panel-panel connections, optimised for automized non-sequential mounting, de/re-mounting; • Self-positioning system and end-effectors thereon to support autonomous anchor and panel placement; • Phased optimisation of the factory automation for cost reduction and quality improvement. These innovations will lead to cost savings beyond the aimed 25% and considerable time savings. Elaborate testing for disruptive events is previewed in Switzerland and Spain, while 4 complementary demonstrations will be delivered in Estonia, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Stakeholders are engaged from the onset of the project, and wider uptake is actively integrated in RENOMIZE’s concept through certification, technical assistance and various capacity building activities.

Keywords: renovation,prefabrication,process planning,factory optimisation
The rules of miRNA-target interactions (miRules)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Attracting and mobilising the best talents
Destination: Attracting and mobilising the best talents
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Malta
Call: ERA Fellowships (HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-TALENTS-02, 2024)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2027-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 189474.24
EU funding (EUR): 189474.24
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are short regulatory RNA molecules which modulate the levels of RNA and proteins in cells. Understanding the role of miRNAs in health and disease is a field with high engagement in molecular biology and biomedicine, with over 50 000 scientific articles published in the past 5 years (PubMed search “microrna[MeSH Terms]”). However, predicting their molecular targets is still a major unsolved challenge, and the state-of-the-art bioinformatic solutions for this task remain far from perfect. First, the task requires an exceptionally high accuracy and precision, as it can be compared to looking for a few hundred needles in a haystack: a few hundred targets among hundreds of thousands of transcripts. Second, the true mechanism of target binding is still unknown, which necessitates the use of heuristic approaches - ones that seem to work often enough, but are not necessarily related to the way miRNAs actually find their targets. The aim of this project is to use bioinformatic methods to gain more knowledge about the mechanisms of miRNA-target interactions. We will approach this problem from several angles: 1) Using the deep learning methodology recently developed by the host group (miRBind), which reaches a single nucleotide resolution in its predictions; 2) Analyzing the interactions from an evolutionary perspective; 3) Developing a customized pairwise alignment algorithm combined with a dedicated statistical methodology. The Researcher will benefit from this project by gaining experience in the field of genomics in a multidisciplinary, collaborative environment. In the future, the results of this project will enable creating knowledge-driven machine learning models for improved prediction of the molecular targets of miRNAs, which will facilitate the fundamental and applied research on the complex biology of these molecules.

Keywords: microrna mirna mirna target interactions mti sequence alignment smith waterman mirna seed