Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Protein-engineering based approach to detect oxidative stress-induced changes in the neuronal proteome (NeuroProClick)

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: Germany
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-08-01
End date: 2024-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 173847.36
EU funding (EUR): 173847.36
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Neurodegenerative disorders are characterised by the progressive deterioration and loss of certain neuronal populations. Distinct clinical features are associated with different diseases, but common fundamental processes have been identified. One example of this is injury via oxidative stress. The production of oxidative species is linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation, which have been demonstrated to occur early in these disorders. Identifying the proteins that are involved in the response to these species is of critical importance to understanding these diseases. This will provide opportunities to identify novel biomarkers and develop treatments that are effective at these early stages. The use of genetic code expansion to functionalise proteins with clickable amino acids is an emerging protein engineering technology with many potential applications in neurobiology. Recently, it has been demonstrated that any of the 20 natural amino acids can be replaced with a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) on a proteome-wide scale. However, the application of this technology in complex cells, such as neurons, is still in its infancy. I aim to establish a novel proteome-wide ncAA incorporation methodology to monitor changes in the neuronal proteome in response to oxidative injury. This will be achieved using ncAAs that have been optimised for an inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder click reaction, which is highly biorthogonal and has extremely rapid kinetics. Adding a clickable biotin handle will facilitate protein enrichment in a highly time-resolved manner. Subsequent proteomic analysis will be applied to identify changes within the whole proteome or subsets of the proteome. Monitoring changes in protein expression in this way will provide valuable information about neurodegenerative disorders and allow for precise investigations of potential new drug targets and biomarkers.

Keywords: quantitative proteomics genetic code expansion neurons oxidative injury click chemistry
Contaminants of emerging concern: An integrated approach for assessing impacts on the marine environment (CONTRAST)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Clean Environment and zero pollution
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Norway,Spain,Belgium,France,Sweden,United Kingdom,Greece,Italy
Call: Integrated assessment and monitoring of emerging pollutants in the marine environment (HORIZON-CL6-2023-ZEROPOLLUTION-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 5249178.75
EU funding (EUR): 5249178.75
Participants: 10
Project status: SIGNED

CONTRAST will develop an integrated assessment and effect-based monitoring framework (IAF) to measure the impacts of CECs on the marine environment to provide a measure of Good Environmental Status for application in EU policy (i.e. MSFD/WFD). The IAF will involve chemical measurements together with biological effects endpoints that will be optimised to detect the presence and degree of effect of CECs in the marine environment. CONTRAST will identify the CECs that pose the greatest threat to marine life by using chemical prioritisation schemes to inform which of the CECs should be measured in the environment. Additionally, which CECs should be used in the laboratory-controlled experiments, where the effects on biological systems and marine biodiversity will be performed. A combination of in silico, in vitro and in vivo bioassays together with omics will be used to determine the principal mechanisms of toxicity of CECs selected from the chemical prioritisation schemes. This will provide important information on how CECs may interact with marine organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations and inform which biological effects tools should be used in the IAF to cover the range of toxicity mechanisms that CECs produce. CONTRAST will address this by optimising existing and developing new biomarkers, so that the IAF includes biomarker tools to cover many of the mechanism of toxicity produced by CECs. A series of European wide case studies will be used to test the suitability of the IAF to measure the effects of chemicals including CECs on indicator species and biodiversity. The knowledge gained from field testing and laboratory studies will form the basis for guidance documents and policy briefs on the best practices for performing an IAF on CECs in the marine environment. Furthermore, the interactions of climate change drivers on CECs will be evaluated including effects on CECs distribution, circulation, fate, bioavailability, and toxicity to marine life.
New generation of bioactive coating for intravenous catheters and implantable medical devices to prevent infections and thrombosis (Coati-X)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Transition
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Belgium,Spain
Call: EIC Transition Open 2023 (HORIZON-EIC-2023-TRANSITION-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-04-01
End date: 2027-03-31
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2476343.75
EU funding (EUR): 2476343.5
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Catheters and implantable medical devices contacting with the bloodstream are sources of internal blood infections and thrombosis. Catheter-related bloodstream infections are one of the major causes of patient morbidity and mortality in intensive care units. Both thrombosis and catheter-related infections are leading to prolonged hospital stay, increased risks of mortality and high costs for healthcare system. Currently there is no coating technology on the market that allows preventing these two complications at once. We developed a new innovative coating technology that enables simultaneous prevention of thrombosis and internal bloodstream infections. This coating is made of layer-by-layer cross-linked nanogels that can be loaded with an antithrombotic and/or antibiotic drug. We found that layer-by-layer assembly of these nanogels controls the amount of releasable bioactive agents from coated-surfaces. Innovation of our technology is linked to the wider space of used nanoreservoirs that can entrap several bioactive molecules thus combining several biological activities in a single coating. In addition, these nanoreservoirs can be deposited as a coating on the surface of any biomaterial or medical device, whether metallic, biological, or polymeric. We have built a consortium that combines the key technical and business experience to bring our innovative coating product to market readiness. CMD-Coat, a young SME, counts with top researchers and specialists in the field of cardiovascular diseases, biologists, chemists and pharmacist. Fresci is a company specializing on the business strategy and innovation management. Together we aim to accelerate the technological development and validation of our Coati-X technology and bring to the market a new bioactive coating solution for implantable medical devices.

Keywords: catheters,central venous catheters,bioactive coating,thrombosis prevention,catheter related bloodstream infections,pacemakers,implantable medical devices,drug loading technology,nanogels
HIDO - Holographic Display And Optics - Disruptive Extended Reality Smartglasses (HIDO)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Accelerator
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Portugal
Call: EIC Accelerator 2024 - Short application (HORIZON-EIC-2024-ACCELERATOR-01, 2024)
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

LusoVu, a spin-off of Lusospace, is seeking EIC support for its groundbreaking HIDO technology, aiming to redefine the extended reality (XR) smartglasses landscape. LusoVu’s innovation is motivated by one the most relevant market pain points in XR: the trade-off between elegance and field of view among others. LusoVU’s HIDO unique technology (Holographic Integrated Display and Optics) offers an elegant and scalable solution, disrupting current smartglasses designs. In HIDO, embedded micro-displays within the lens, combined with a proprietary holographic layer, result in a miniaturized photonics glass adaptable to various shapes and field-of-view requirements. This transformative approach positions HIDO as a game-changer in extended reality, and EIC's support is crucial for unlocking its full potential and addressing market demands. Our team, led by Ivo Vieira (CEO), Inês Cadilha (CSO), and João Ricarte (CTO), is poised to address industry insufficiencies and propel HIDO to market leadership. The team's competence and commitment are in place, with plans to address critical competencies. Conversations with industry giants such as Google, Applied Materials, Luxottica, and Sony underline HIDO's potential but highlight perceived technological risks. EIC funding is crucial for de-risking, industrialization, and lowering production costs. In a market with a 10.8% CAGR, projected to reach $33.6 billion by 2030, HIDO's impact will be significant. Smartglasses lack a major European player globally, and we are seeing major investments from American and Asian players, making HIDO both timely and strategic.

Keywords: extended reality,consumer,field of view,optics,display
Universality in phase transitions in random graphs (GraPhTra)

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: Netherlands
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-03-01
End date: 2027-02-28
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 217076.16
EU funding (EUR): 217076.16
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

GraPhTra aims to advance the rigorous theoretical understanding of phase transitions in random graphs and their universal properties, driven by questions in neuromorphic computing, physics, and epidemiology. We will work on three work packages. -We introduce a new model for random graphs, that are sampled with local energy considerations, inspired by statistical physics and motivated by material science for neuromorphic computing. We use a Gibbs measure to sample a spanning tree of a graph, and by varying the temperature we thus interpolate between the uniform spanning tree and the minimal spanning tree. We demonstrate that the global structure of Gibbsian trees (in the Gromov-Hausdorff-Prokhorov topology) exhibits a phase transition that is universal across various underlying graphs. -We find conditions under which the position of the percolation phase transition on random unimodular graphs can be reliably estimated using local information. On the way, we resolve a key conjecture on the limiting threshold for Poisson–Voronoi percolation in hyperbolic space as the density of points goes to 0. -We prove that the spatial random graph models ‘long-range percolation’ and ‘scale-free percolation’ possess a phase where neighbourhoods grow exponentially, ensuring a well-defined reproductive number for spatial SIR (Susceptible → Infected → Recovered) epidemics, answering a long-standing open question.

Keywords: random graphs,random trees,universality,phase transitions,spatial random graphs,scaling limits of random graphs,percolation,long range percolation
Space-like singularities beyond general relativity (SpSBeyondGR)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Postdoctoral Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: United Kingdom
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): 276187.92
EU funding (EUR): 276187.92
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Space-like singularities, where space-time curvature becomes infinite, pose a profound challenge in modern physics, highlighting the limitations of general relativity and necessitating a quantum gravity framework. Several potential candidates for quantum gravity have been proposed and developed, with String Theory standing out as the most prominent one. At the level of low-energy effective actions, these theories refine the Einstein–Hilbert Lagrangian by introducing specific higher-order terms in spacetime curvature. This proposal seeks to understand space-like singularities in this context. Particularly, I will reformulate the Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz (BKL) conjecture within generalised quasi-topological gravities. This approach aims to deepen our understanding of the chaotic dynamics near space-like singularities, particularly in black holes and the early universe. The motivation for this research stems from the need to understand space-like singularities, particularly the spacetime dynamics close to it, in an effective theory of quantum gravity. The project involves developing computationally efficient numerical methods to solve the complex equations of motion in generalised quasi-topological gravity coupled with massive tensor fields, focusing on spherically symmetric spacetimes to maintain tractability. We will explore the holographic implications of singularities through the AdS/CFT correspondence, analyzing boundary conformal field theory observables to gain insights into black hole interiors. This dual approach will enhance our understanding of how singularities encode themselves in these observables and provide fresh perspectives on the holographic nature of black hole interiors. The project will be conducted under the supervision of Professor Simon Ross at Durham University. The expected outcomes include significant advancements in theoretical physics, resulting in high-impact publications and the development of new computational techniques.

Keywords: ads cft correspondence,black holes,big bang,higher curvature gravities,cosmological models
Embodied Imamate: Mapping the Development of the Early Shiʿi Community 700-900 CE (ImBod)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Study of the Human Past
Panel description: Archaeology and history
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2022-STG, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499700.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499700.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The Shiʿi Imams played a key role in early Islam. Revered scholars descended from the Prophet Muḥammad, they posed an existential threat to the legitimacy of the ruling caliphs in the 8th and 9th century CE. Their leadership defined the quietist yet oppositional Imami Shiʿi community scattered throughout the Islamic empire. Imami Shiʿism was a key part of the turbulent thesis and antithesis which formed Islam, and it remains greatly influential until today. Remarkably, there is no comprehensive history of the Imamate. There are a number of reasons for this, central among which are that scholarship on Imami Shiʿism has approached it as a doctrinal and intellectual phenomenon. However, religious groups are also fundamentally social phenomena. ImBod will result in the first comprehensive history of the Shiʿi Imamate. It will position the Imamate as a social phenomenon, framing it as an interaction between two aspects which are rarely explicitly theorised: the Imams, and the Imami community who recognised them. ImBod will identify and study the key spheres in which the Imams and the Imami community operated, including the Imams’ household, elite Arab clans (especially the Prophet’s family and the dynasties of the caliphs), the network of Imamic agents, the scholars, and the communities who came to be associated with Shiʿi Islam through kinship, conversion and migration. ImBod will map out overlapping networks of interaction across these spheres and identify key actors and institutions responsible for mediating and performing the Imamate in the community. ImBod will not conceive of the Imamate as an essence, but as a set of social processes, some, but not all, instigated and controlled by the Imams themselves. Crucially, ImBod will study these processes as performed spatially and embodied materially by actors and physical objects linked to the Imams. ImBod will enrich Islamic history by providing a paradigm for studying how religious authority was embedded in society.
A Continuous Process of the Direct Mechanocatalytic Suzuki Coupling (MechanoExtrusion)

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: Germany
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2023-06-01
End date: 2025-02-28
Duration (months): 21.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The major contribution to chemical waste accumulating in chemical industry is made by solvents – often organic solvents, potentially toxic or harmful for the environment. My ERC-StG Mechanocat targeted this challenge by removing solvents entirely from chemical processes using a concept called mechanochemistry. In Mechanocat I applied mechanochemistry and targeted the famous Suzuki-coupling reaction, being one of the most popular catalysis in chemistry. The breakthrough of the project was the utilization of a principle to this reaction that we denoted as “direct mechanocatalysis” (DM). Applying DM, the catalyst neither must be added as molecule or complex as in homogeneous catalysis nor as solid powder as in heterogeneous catalysis. The milling ball itself served as catalyst because it was made from the catalytic material. This allowed for the easiest ever-possible way of catalyst separation and reutilization – simply taking the milling ball out of the milling vessel. Despite its great economic and ecological advantages, our principle has only been demonstrated on the scale of milligrams using conventional laboratory mills running in batch mode. To advance DM from lab curiosity to true innovation, the ERC-PoC project MechanoExtrusion will thus transfer DM to a continuous process at larger scale by giving the experimental evidence that one of the most popular reactions in pharmaceutical/medical chemistry – the Suzuki coupling – can be conducted in a Pd-coated extruder applying 100 times upscaled substrate quantities. In order to show that DM can become a true alternative to conventional catalysis, MechanoExtrusion will further on quantify the economic and ecological metrics using life-cycle assessment and market analysis, it will target IP protection, create industrial partnership to establish a first joint project and elaborate a business plan for potential spin-off foundation.
Chemosensation in Holothruoids (SensHolo)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Norway
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01, 2023)
Start date: 2025-09-01
End date: 2027-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 226751.04
EU funding (EUR): 226751.04
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Chemosensation is a critical signalling process for sea cucumbers which relies on the interaction between their chemosensory receptors and various ligands for foraging and reproduction. Although there is a vast amount of research on the chemistry of secreted specialized metabolites of sea cucumbers, and some behavioural data evidencing chemoreception of these metabolites, the chemosensory receptors of these organisms have not yet been identified and nothing is known about the physiology behind sea cucumber chemosensation. This setback is in large part because the scientific approach behind studying chemosensation requires a vast array of techniques and expertise in ethology, chemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics. Firstly, a behaviour associated with a chemical cue must be quantifiable, secondly, the precise chemical cue eliciting the behaviour response must be identified and isolated, thirdly, the chemosensory receptor of this specific cue needs to be identified on a tissue, cellular, and molecular level, and finally, the activation of this specific receptor by a specific chemical cue must elicit a measurable response on a molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal level. Through this project, I will elucidate the physiology of chemical communication between sea cucumber by considering these sequential steps in chemosensation. With my previous experience in sea cucumber ethology and chemistry, SensHolo will enrich my skill base in molecular biology and biophysics so that the mechanisms behind intraspecific chemical communication between sea cucumbers may be determined from both the emitter and receiver perspective; from signal to receptor. This holistic approach will be ground-breaking in chemosensation and sea cucumber research. It will enable future research to address the evolution of chemosensation in marine invertebrates and the chemical ecology of sea cucumbers both in the context of optimizing aquaculture and in their ecological conservation.

Keywords: sea cucumbers,holothuroid,receptor,chemosensation