Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Engineering soft microdevices for the mechanical characterization and stimulation of microtissues (MELCART)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Materials Engineering
Panel description: Advanced materials development: performance enhancement, modelling, large -scale preparation, modification, tailoring, optimisation, novel  and combined use of materials, etc.
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2023-ADG, 2023)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3475660.0
EU funding (EUR): 3475660.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

As living beings move, touch, or grow, the tissues within them are subject to mechanical stresses that act over minutes, hours, or days. These efforts play a critical role at all stages of life, from early embryonic development to homeostasis in adult tissues or disease progression. Mechanobiology has emerged in response to this realization and has led to many discoveries on mechanosensitive pathways in individual cells. However we are still very far from relating the single-cell behavior to the response within a real tissue that contains mixtures of cell types which are organized in complex 3D structures. In this project we will expand mechanobiology to 3D tissues by developing a new class of micro-devices, based on soft robotics and metamaterials, for active mechanical forcing of spheroids and organoids. We will couple this active forcing with multiscale cytometry methods that we have pioneered, in addition to concepts from many-body soft matter physics. This will allow us to understand how the rheological responses of individual cells add up to result in the global tissue rheology. The outcome is a new paradigm to probe phenotypic changes, e.g. the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in a cancer model or the cellular differentiation and 3D organization in a maturing organoid. Conversely we will map how global mechanical stresses are transferred to individual cells that in turn respond to the forces locally. This will allow us to engineer dynamical forcing strategies to guide the biological response of specific populations within a complex co-culture. When applied to developing organoids this will lead to strategies to mature individual cell types, in view of using them for cell therapy. In the case of cancer models we will identify mechanosensitive pathways that can be targeted by drugs to treat real tumors. By working on the joint cutting edge of technology, physics, and biology, we will manipulate in vitro models with real impact on human health.

Keywords: microfluidics,organoids,cancer,mechanobiology
From hands to concepts: evolutionary and developmental origins of gesture iconicity (GESTICO)

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: United Kingdom,France
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2027-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 260347.92
EU funding (EUR): 260347.92
Participants: 3
Project status: CLOSED

The GESTICO project will explore the developmental and evolutionary origins of gestural iconicity, by examining the spatial properties of gestures that convey meaning independently of semantic communication. The relevance of different amplitudes and lateralisation of gestures in reference to spatio-numerical and/or emotional magnitudes will be tested in non-human primates (Chimpanzees, Bonobos, Guinea baboons, and Barbary macaques) and preverbal human infants. Observational data from chimpanzees and bonobos will be used to investigate whether the amplitude and laterality of their communicative gestures are meaningful, by testing their correlation with specific social or emotional contexts, and whether they impact the responses of recipients (WP1). Movement analyses, based on newly developed deep learning tools, will be used to enable quantitative measures on gestures. Once the methodology of gesture spatialisation description is established for great apes, similar analyses will be applied to gestures of captive Guinea baboons and Barbary macaques (WP2). Finally, a habituation paradigm measuring looking times will assess the ability of human infants aged 10 to 12 months to spontaneously associate concepts of magnitude (quantities) with metaphorical manual gestures differing in their spatial amplitude (WP3). Collaboration between the host organisation, the Wild Minds Lab (University of St Andrews), the Eco-Anthropology Lab (French National Museum of Natural History), and the Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center (Paris Cité University) will facilitate an interdisciplinary approach, enabling cross-species comparisons around common concepts. The complementary use of innovative observational and experimental approaches will contribute to a better understanding of the emergence of the form-function link in the gestural communication of catarrhine primates (Afro-Eurasian species, including humans), and the associated cognitive mechanisms.

Keywords: primates infants gestures movement analysis gestural laterality magnitude meaning mental representations emotion referentiality intention
Bio-inspired AntiMicrobial Bone BIoceramics: Deciphering contact-based biocidal mechanisms (BAMBBI)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Materials Engineering
Panel description: Advanced materials development: performance enhancement, modelling, large -scale preparation, modification, tailoring, optimisation, novel  and combined use of materials, etc.
Countries involved: Spain
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2021-ADG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-12-01
End date: 2027-11-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2497334.0
EU funding (EUR): 2497334.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Bacterial bone infections are one of the great challenges of orthopaedic and maxillofacial surgery, aggravated by antibiotic resistance, a serious health threat responsible for 700,000 deaths per year. The recent discovery of the bactericidal properties of some naturally occurring surface topographies has opened a new avenue of research. However, there is incomplete knowledge of the mechanisms of action and too many unanswered questions to translate these advances into clinical use. BAMBBI aims to tackle this challenge by developing synthetic bone grafts featuring contact-based antimicrobial properties, adding antimicrobial activity to their capacity to support bone regeneration. Using a novel bottom-up approach inspired in biomineralization routes, I intend to engineer the surface of calcium phosphates with an unprecedented and fine control of nanotopography by harnessing the power of ions and organic molecules (e.g. amino acids, calcium chelators and surfactants) to drive crystal nucleation and growth. Moreover, we will further enhance the antimicrobial effect by exploiting the synergy with chemical moieties to modulate bacterial affinity for the surface and/or confer additional antimicrobial properties by immobilisation of antimicrobial peptides. This will provide us with a platform to study the contact-based bactericidal mechanisms in depth and unravel the role of nanotopography and surface chemistry and their interplay with the intrinsic properties of bacteria. Only considering all these parameters will it be possible to unveil the causes of the substantial differences in bactericidal efficacy of a given substrate for different bacteria and design more efficient antibacterial surfaces. In addition to being a major breakthrough in the field of bone regeneration, the progress in new methods of fine-tuning the nanostructure of calcium phosphates will have an impact in very diverse fields such as catalysis, water purification and protein separation.

Keywords: antimicrobial materials,nanostructured materials,biomineralization,bone biomaterials
EURopean Epitranscriptomics of Cancer Academy (EURECA)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Netherlands,Austria,France,Portugal,Belgium,Spain,Germany,Italy
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-11-01
End date: 2029-10-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4278872.98
EU funding (EUR): 4157935.2
Participants: 19
Project status: SIGNED

The overarching objective of EURECA - The European Epitranscriptomics of Cancer Academy, is to train young doctoral candidates into excellence at the frontiers of basic and translational research by exploiting the cancer epitranscriptome to answer unmet clinical needs in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics and to drive change through knowledge and research. Epitranscriptomics is a new science field that studies RNA modifications (epitranscriptomic marks) and their function in regulation of gene expression. It is long known that many different RNA modifications exist. Yet, the true dimensions of the epitranscriptome were unveiled only in the last decade. It is now evident that RNA modifications affect the stability, function, subcellular localization and even immunogenicity of RNA to modulate essential cell programs like cell proliferation, differentiation, and stress response. Pathological changes in the epitranscriptome are seen as a new cancer hallmark: an independent mode of genetic reprogramming shaping cancer’s cell fate. We thus foresee that the epitranscriptome will prove to be a fundamental layer of gene regulation amenable to the clinics as a valuable tool in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Focusing on RNA methylation and RNA editing in three different cancers, EURECA’s doctoral candidates will investigate the commonalities and differences in the epitranscriptomic landscape and underlying mechanisms, while searching for novel biomarkers and treatment strategies to combat cancer and while expanding the epitranscriptomics toolbox. The candidates will join a purposely established European network of outstanding academic groups and innovative biotech companies devoted to advancing the fundamental knowledge of RNA modifications and its translation to innovative solutions for patient care. The EURECA Doctoral Network is the first European effort to challenge the uncharted territory of the epitranscriptome for the benefit of cancer patients.

Keywords: epitranscriptomics rna modifications rna editing m6a m5c nm 2 o methylation rna translation cancer prostate cancer glioma glioblastoma neuroblastoma oxford nanopore technology ngs
Assessing Climate Change Risk in EUrope (ACCREU)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Climate
Destination: Climate sciences and responses for the transformation towards climate neutrality
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Italy,Germany,Denmark,Netherlands,United Kingdom,Austria,Spain,Cyprus
Call: Socio-economic risks of climate change in Europe (HORIZON-CL5-2022-D1-01-two-stage, 2022)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2026-11-30
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4992062.5
EU funding (EUR): 4992062.5
Participants: 15
Project status: SIGNED

ACCREU will contribute to the just transition towards climate resilience in the EU, its Member States, and regions, by co-creating and co-delivering with a wide array of stakeholders, new knowledge and actionable insights that connect the challenges of adaptation and mitigation with the multiple and new challenges our society is facing. At the scientific level, it will provide a comprehensive, integrated, co-created, socio-economic evaluation of future climate risk under different adaptation and mitigation scenarios, across European countries, sectors, households, and business types. Specific attention will be paid to non-market impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and health. ACCREU will advance models and methods for climate risk assessment, and integrated adaptation decision-making. Novel investigations will be developed to assess poverty, equity, financial, and fiscal implications of climate risk and the related policies. At the societal/economic level, ACCREU will engage stakeholders involved in different adaptation decision types to design practical solutions to successfully mainstream climate resilience and adaptation into decision-making processes. ACCREU’s case studies will examine adaptation decisions in the following thematic areas: risk assessment, ecosystems and nature-based solutions, land use and food systems, water management, protection and management of critical infrastructures including transport and supply chains, health, and human well-being, and justice. Stakeholders will represent decision makers at the local (e.g. city or municipal authorities, local resource managers), national/regional (e.g. regional and national authorities), and pan European level (e.g. EEA, EIB). Some case studies will be pan-European whereas some other case studies will be carried out in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom. To ensure effective uptake and long-term use of its results, the co-designed applied case studies will involve EU-level stakeholders, such as Directorate-Generals, the JRC, the EEA, the Mission Adaptation, as well as local practitioners, businesses, and authorities.

Keywords: climate risk,mitigation,adaptation,co creation
Flexible Upcycled Waste Material based Sensible Thermal Energy Storage for CSP (FLUWS)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Energy
Destination: Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Sweden,Germany,Spain,Türkiye,United Kingdom,Italy
Call: Novel thermal energy storage for CSP (HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-02, 2023)
Start date: 2024-06-01
End date: 2027-05-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2241603.75
EU funding (EUR): 2241603.75
Participants: 12
Project status: SIGNED

FLUWS aims to develop and validate a more flexible, reliable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective thermal energy storage (TES) system futureproofed for next-generation concentrating solar power plants operating at higher temperatures and hybridized with PV, two of the main paths for reaching cost-efficiency of CSP. FLUWS validates up to TRL 5 a novel TES concept that ensures elevated thermal efficiency with minimum environmental impact thanks to on the one hand the upcycling of waste and residual materials from the ceramic industry and the use of air as heat transfer fluid and on the other thanks to building on previous consortium know-how in the development of new cost-effective radial packed-bed TES and materials for high-temperature applications. The new FLUWS TES will enable more flexible and modular CSP systems as it will have embedded electric heaters driven by renewable electricity and will be designed for easier integration with compact gas Brayton cycles, thus facilitating the provision of additional services from CSP to the grid and widening the applications of CSP as a competitive technology for combined heat and power (CHP) in the industrial sector. FLUWS addresses key technological challenges: development of high-temperature solid TES media materials based on upcycling of waste and residual material streams; Production of bricks-shaped TES materials via low energy demanding extrusion processes; Development of high temperature (≥800°C) packed bed TES with embedded electric heaters with enhanced performance and reduced structural challenges facilitating upscaling and commercial uptake; Development of high-temperature TES with minimal environmental impact and maximized circularity along the full value chain; Deployment of comprehensive modelling suites for industry and grid operators to maximize the dispatchability of CSP plants, improving their role in the energy sector and the variety of provided services.

Keywords: thermal energy storage,waste materials upcycling,concentrating solar power plants,high temperature
Chiral One Dimensional Enchainment of Metals (PolyMetal)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Synthetic Chemistry and Materials
Panel description: New materials and new synthetic approaches, structure -properties relations, solid state chemistry, molecular architecture, organic chemistry
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2025-STG, 2025)
Start date: 2026-01-01
End date: 2030-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1493812.0
EU funding (EUR): 1493812.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Semiconducting polymers have enabled the development of highly successful technologies such as flexible solar cells and OLED displays. Advances in synthetic chemistry allow precise tailoring of the electronic properties of soluble and processable materials. In the coming decades, a transition to chiral versions of these materials could not only enable the emergence of new technologies, including spintronics and quantum computing, but also increase the energy efficiency of OLED displays by 100%. Existing strategies for developing chiral semiconducting polymers fall short in achieving the necessary performance levels for light polarization, especially when high energy conversion efficiency is required. This highlights the need for a new paradigm in macromolecular design. PolyMetal focuses on the fundamental aspects of chemical synthesis to produce an unseen class of processable chiral semiconductors. Specifically, PolyMetal will develop an innovative class of semiconducting polymers based on one-dimensional chains of metal atoms held in place by helically chiral polymers. To achieve the precise enchainment of metal atoms, we will develop a selective approach to synthesize phosphorus(III)-based polymers, which are highly sought-after for applications in energy conversion and nanomedicine. Selective catalysis will be employed to determine the chirality at the phosphorus(III) centers, introducing a new concept for the control of polymer tacticity and hence material properties. Upon metal coordination and enchainment, all centers of chiral information will actively participate in optical transitions and lead to helically arranged exciton coupled chromophores at a macromolecular scale thereby maximize the circular polarization of emitted light which we will assess in chiral OLEDs. Simultaneously, the use of metals will achieve quantitative energy efficiency thereby unifying high quantum yields with high chiroptical activity, an immense challenge that needs to be solved

Keywords: main group chemistry
Comprehensive Platform for the Functional Characterization of Cancer Epigenetics and Diagnosis (EpiCancer)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Biotechnology and Biosystems E ngineering
Panel description: Biotechnology using all organisms , biotechnology for environment  and food applications, applied plant and animal sciences , bioengineering and synthetic biology , biomass and biofuels , biohazards
Countries involved: Israel
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-02-01
End date: 2029-01-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SUSPENDED

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression- the mechanism responsible for establishing and maintaining cellular identities during development- is frequently deregulated in cancer. Our working hypothesis is that this deregulation confers upon cells phenotypic plasticity, resulting in intratumor heterogeneity, which is key to tumor development, metastasis, and drug resistance. In EpiCancer, we seek to provide the technological means to address fundamental issues concerning epigenetics in cancer. Namely, we intend to develop, apply, and validate single-cell and single-molecule epigenetic analysis methods that can parse the function of this network and its heterogeneity in human cancer, and utilize it for cancer diagnosis. We will build a rich arsenal of tools to profile the combinatorial epigenetic network in primary tumors and blood taken from cancer patients at multiple scales of resolution (Aims 1 + 2). We will apply these systems to elucidate the function and connectivity between epigenetic modifications in breast cancer and lymphoma, and link epigenetic heterogeneity to tumor biology and clinical outcome (Aim 3). We will also establish revolutionary systems for cancer diagnostics and monitoring, leveraging the unique advantages of our single-molecule tools for multi-modal analysis of epigenetic, protein biomarkers, and microRNAs, originating from both the tumor and its microenvironment, in patients’ blood (Aims 1 + 3). The epigenetic technologies we intend to provide the scientific community are set to profoundly impact our understanding of the epigenetic determinants of cancer, as well as our ability to detect cancer at early stage from a routine blood test and identify early disease recurrence. The analysis of a large cohort of tumor and blood samples from the same patients will generate novel datasets that are expected to reveal cancer-specific and patient-specific epigenetic modules and shed light on the contribution of epigenetic plasticity to tumor biology.

Keywords: epigenetic technologies,single molecule,single cell,cancer epigenetics,cancer heterogeneity