Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Flexible electronics integrating 3D nanostructured electrodes for cellular-resolution in-depth electrophysiology recordings from developing spheroids and organoids (SPHELECTRO)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Career Restart panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: France
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2022-02-01
End date: 2025-08-01
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 295061.76
EU funding (EUR): 295061.76
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Three-dimensional neural models such as spheroids and organoids hold the potential to recapitulate several aspects of the human brain at the level of gene expression, cell differentiation, network and formation, thus representing one of the most promising technology to study brain development as well as neurodegenerative disorders. Suitable for large-scale production and genetic engineering, 3D brain models represent a highly encouraging model for next-generation drug screening assays. However, the electrical functionality assessment of such 3D models and its relevance to the human brain is still at its infancy, with current techniques limited to acute electrophysiology recordings through invasive or superficial tools. In this project, through the combination of expertise from the researcher in flexible neuroelectronics and surface functionalization, and from the host in nanotechnology-based electrophysiology and iPSC organoids, the overall scientific objective of the SPHELECTRO project is to develop a Seamless Array of Flexible Electronics (SAFE) with 3D nanostructured electrodes, integrated into 3D matrix-free brain models (spheroids and organoids) during early stages of development for prolonged, routine electrophysiology recordings with cellular resolution. This original proof-of-concept would provide an exceptional tool for the neuroscience community to advance our understanding of brain development and neurological disorders, with high industrialization potential in the pharmacology field. The timeliness and high interdisciplinarity of this project, at the intersection of fast-growing research topics such as flexible electronics, nanotechnology and organoids, will greatly build up skill transfer between the host laboratory and the researcher, as well as to enable the latter to establish a unique research profile towards the perspective of becoming a group leader in the field.

Keywords: micro nano technology,organoids,spheroids,nanowires,electrophysiology,3d cell culture,biosensors,flexible electronics,surface functionalization
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation through Advanced Nitrogen Removal Technology (GREENT)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
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: Germany,Netherlands
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2014-STG, 2014)
Start date: 2015-09-01
End date: 2021-08-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Human activities have severe impacts on the biological carbon and nitrogen cycles. The most important consequences of these are global warming and water pollution. Wastewater treatment technology, in particular nitrogen removal systems, improved considerably in the last decade. The application of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria in oxygen-limited granules has the potential to turn wastewater treatment plants into energy-efficient systems with minimal greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Recently, microorganisms that couple the anaerobic oxidation of methane to denitrification were discovered. An innovative integration of these microorganisms into partial nitritation-anammox systems for wastewater treatment offers an elegant and efficient solution to combat greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants. The aim of the GREENT project is to determine nitrous oxide emissions from partial nitritation-anammox bioreactors and the parameters that govern these emissions, and to investigate the responsible pathways in molecular detail. Furthermore, I will explore the feasibility of an innovative bioreactor, which will remove ammonium and methane simultaneously through anammox and anaerobic methane-oxidizing microorganisms. This approach will turn the otherwise harmful methane into a resource for efficient nitrogen removal. These fundamental insights and technological advances will be achieved by a complimentary array of state-of-the-art methodology such as continuous culturing, stable isotope tracing and a combination of -omics methods together with physiological experiments and detailed measurements at full-scale installations. The results of this proposal will be of paramount importance for the wastewater treatment sector, but also indispensable for mathematical modelling, life cycle assessment and understanding the ecophysiology of the involved microorganisms.

Keywords: nitrogen removal,anaerobic ammonium oxidation,nitrogen cycle
Exploring Gender in Children's Literature from Cognitive Corpus Stylistic Perspective (GLARE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Standard European Fellowships
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Social Sciences and Humanities
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-09-01
End date: 2019-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Gender equality remains a critical societal challenge. But how does one ‘learn’ gender? Children’s literature presents one early source of cultural norms, values and assumptions about gender. Language use in these texts is a crucial means by which children learn about gendered concepts and behaviours. To understand this formative influence more deeply, the innovative GLARE project will examine the discursive construction of gender in corpora of English children’s literature drawing on a novel cognitive corpus stylistic approach to characterization to conceptualise the notion of gender. GLARE will further take a diachronic perspective to the development of gender representation over time. The ‘cognitive corpus stylistics’ links together corpus linguistics (CL) and Cognitive Poetics (CP). CL methods combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to text analysis while CP offers a theoretical framework to account for the creation of meaning in the mind of the reader. The approach adopted by GLARE stresses that the representation of real and fictional people is related – in terms of the background knowledge that readers bring to texts and in terms of the patterns used in a text. Hence, relationships between the representation of fictional characters and real people are to some extent a reflection of links between patterns in fictional and non-fictional texts. To investigate this relationship, the project draws on complementary data from the Times Digital Archive. Through the description and analysis of linguistic patterns GLARE will provide novel insights into the way in which children’s literature can influence the creation of gendered concepts and behaviours. GLARE will be situated at the University of Birmingham and supervised by Prof. Michaela Mahlberg, a world-leading expert in corpus stylistics. A secondment at Oxford University Press will allow the unique opportunity to access the largest electronic collection of children’s books, the Oxford Children’s Corpus.

Keywords: corpus linguistics,children s literature,gender,cognitive poetics
Reversible Creation of Non-Inherent Reactivity Patterns in Catalytic Organic Synthesis (ReverseAndCat)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — 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: France
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2018-STG, 2018)
Start date: 2018-11-01
End date: 2024-12-31
Duration (months): 74.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1731250.0
EU funding (EUR): 1731250.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Current methods in organic synthesis only enable reactions at the most reactive bonds or at bonds predisposed by specific directing groups. Consequently, many less reactive bonds, including numerous C-H and C-C bonds, cannot be functionalized, enormously limiting the scope of possible transformations. To overcome these limitations, I propose Reverse&Cat, a revolutionary strategy using a novel method to change the reactivity pattern of molecules. This strategy combines the dynamic equilibrium mediated by the first catalyst and a functionalization reaction catalyzed by the second catalyst. The originality of the transformation stems from exploiting three simultaneous processes: (i) the dynamic exchange of one functional group (FG) for another FG that modulates the reactivity of the substrate; (ii) the functionalization of the temporarily activated bond; and (iii) the restoration of the initial FG. In essence, the processes (i) and (iii) – the components of the dynamic equilibrium – realize the novel concept of the temporary creation of non-inherent reactivity of a substrate. The program is divided in three phases, which will establish the full potential of the strategy. In phase A, I will develop a set of new reactions enabled by the bi-catalytic systems. I will exploit two types of reversible reactions: (1) reversible oxidation of alcohols, which delivers temporarily activated aldehydes/ketones, with the distinct reactivity of their C-H bonds; and (2) reversible retro-hydrofunctionalization of nitriles or their analogues, which delivers temporarily activated alkenes, containing allylic C-H and C=C bonds. In phase B, I will conduct detailed mechanistic studies to gain the mechanistic understanding and enable further rational development. In phase C, I will establish the utility of this new strategy in practical organic synthesis. Overall, the strategy will open a new dimension of reactivity, with prospective applications in production of fine-chemicals and materials.

Keywords: dynamic equilibrium,reversible reactions,catalytic reactions,multicatalysis
PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF MICROVASCULAR HEALTH IN COVID-19 PATIENTS AT THE INTENSIVE CARE (VASCOVID)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Health, demographic change and wellbeing
Action type: Innovation actions
Countries involved: Italy,Spain,Ireland,Netherlands
Call: Medical technologies, Digital tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics to improve surveillance and care at high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) (H2020-SC1-PHE-CORONAVIRUS-2020-2-CNECT, 2020)
Start date: 2020-12-01
End date: 2023-05-31
Duration (months): 30.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2457976.59
EU funding (EUR): 2041348.25
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

As COVID-19 spreads worldwide, the surge in patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission has been overwhelming to the healthcare systems. Critical care triage to allow the rationing of scarce ICU resources is needed but is hindered due to lack of personalization. The management of acute respiratory failure and hemodynamics is critical at the ICU. In fact, of the seven million COVID-19 cases (end of May 2020) 3-12% required mechanical ventilation which forms the primary target of VASCOVID where we focus on; (1) patient stratification derived from endothelial function evaluation, and, (2) evaluation of cardiopulmonary interactions that personalizes conservative ventilation strategies in order to avoid ventilator-induced lung injury and readiness to wean from the ventilator. VASCOVID will deploy and mature our portable, non-invasive and real-time health monitoring platform for this purpose. This platform combines two bio-photonics technologies, time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy, and is the fruit of long-term collaboration between core project partners in two European projects (BabyLux and LUCA) where high technology readiness level have been achieved for neuro-monitoring and thyroid cancer screening. VASCOVID will adapt the platform to meet the needs of a typical ICU dealing with COVID-19 and other patients requiring ventilation, as well as to leverage large-scale testing of new treatment procedures and therapies aimed to address microvascular impairment and to reduce extubation failure on ICU patients weaning out of mechanical ventilation life-support. The platform is easy to deploy, cost-effective and provides real-time fast results and its transition to clinical practice will be eased through this project by pushing CE certification. Our inter-disciplinary consortium is well-suited for these activities and will interact closely with our on-going clinical study spanning four countries and a dozen hospitals.

Keywords: biophotonics,tissue oxygenation,endothelial dysfunction,cardio pulmonary interactions,near infrared spectroscopy,intensive care patient management,ventilator weaning,bed side monitoring
The Dawn of Tibetan Buddhist Scholasticism (11th-13th c.) (TibSchol)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Cultures and cultural production
Panel description: Literary studies, cultural studies, study of the arts, philosophy
Countries involved: Austria
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2020-COG, 2020)
Start date: 2021-07-01
End date: 2026-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1994161.0
EU funding (EUR): 1994161.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

TIBSCHOL will be the first wide-ranging exploration of the formative phase (11th–13th c.) of the Tibetan Buddhist scholastic tradition. Its ground-breaking study of an exceptionally active period of Tibetan scholarly creativity will integrate Tibetan thinkers into world intellectual history and the global history of philosophy. The revival of Buddhist culture in Tibet in the late 10th/11th c., marked by an intense engagement with the sophisticated tradition of Indian Buddhist scholarship, set in motion the development of new tools of reasoned analysis and their application in synthesizing exegeses of Indian Buddhist soteriological and philosophical literature and in newly devised textual genres. TIBSCHOL integrates the contextual aim of reconstructing the early Tibetan scholastic landscape with the conceptual aim of exploring the Tibetan scholastic method. This involves: - Mapping the networks of Tibetan scholastics in the 11th–13th c. - Charting the early scholastic corpus - Investigating seminal features of the early Tibetan scholastic toolkit - Studying how this toolkit was applied in hermeneutics and argumentation TIBSCHOL takes advantage of the recent surfacing of a large amount of early scholastic writings in manuscript form, advocating a broad-scale approach to this corpus that goes beyond previous studies both in qualitative and in quantitative terms. Introducing an original methodology that systematically exploits the high degree of intertextuality displayed in these scholastic treatises (typically containing critical discussions of others’ views), the project articulates personal networks, intellectual networks, and intellectual profiles. This will pave the way for studying the circulation of texts and knowledge propagation, as well as the continuities and ruptures in a particularly enduring tradition of methodical and systematic learning in human history, as forms of scholasticism continue to survive in Tibetan monastic contexts to the present day.

Keywords: scholasticism,buddhism,tibet,religion,networks
Real time network, text, and speaker analytics for combating organized crime (ROXANNE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure societies - protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens
Theme: Fight crime, illegal trafficking and terrorism, including understanding and tackling terrorist ideas and beliefs
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Italy,Austria,Ireland,Israel,Germany,Germany,Cyprus,Greece,Croatia,Romania,Lithuania,Switzerland,France,France,France,Czechia,Czechia,Netherlands,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Technologies to enhance the fight against crime and terrorism (H2020-SU-SEC-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-09-01
End date: 2022-12-31
Duration (months): 40.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6999458.75
EU funding (EUR): 6999458.75
Participants: 26
Project status: CLOSED

Discovering criminal networks and identifying their members is one of the primary aspects of LEAs' mission. ROXANNE will contribute towards this goal by bridging the strengths of speech and language technologies (SLTs), visual analysis (VA) and network analysis (NA). If funded, ROXANNE will achieve a significant increase in the speed of investigation processes and an improvement in identification of individuals by means of speech, in the scope of criminal cases where large amounts of lawfully intercepted communications (with multilingual attributes) are analysed. The technical development will be centred around the ROXANNE platform, which will enhance criminal network analysis capabilities by providing a framework for extracting evidence and actionable intelligence based on speech, language and video technologies. The intention is not to replace humans but automate time-consuming tasks, and support LEA decision-making. Its early version will offer preliminary SLT, VA and NA capabilities to collect end-user feedback. The final version will provide multilingual, probabilistic tools interfacing SLT and NA technologies, boosted by natural language processing (NLP) and relation analysis in the synoptic criminal activity graph. ROXANNE will achieve full compliance with relevant INTERPOL and EU legal and ethical frameworks, including innovative approaches to data protection management such as privacy by design. Special efforts will be expended to ensure ROXANNE outcomes achieve widespread adoption by law enforcement. The effort will be enhanced through a series of education and awareness campaigns and the direct involvement of LEAs from nine European countries, that will test our solutions on real case data. In addition, ROXANNE partner INTERPOL and EUROPOL (member of the External Advisory Board) will provide advice and guidance. The consortium has 24 partners with complementary skills, including leaders in key technology areas impacting criminal investigations.

Keywords: speech analytics,criminal network analysis,organised crime,counter terrorism,analysis platform,legal and ethical framework
Culture as an evolutionary force: Does song learning accelerate speciation in a bat ring species? (CULTSONG)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Environmental Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Panel description: Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change, evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, microbial ecology, marine biology, ecophysiology, theoretical developments and modelling
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2018-STG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-05-01
End date: 2024-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1492911.0
EU funding (EUR): 1492911.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Culture is highly relevant for human evolution but whether animal culture can be an evolutionary force that promotes speciation is an open and highly contested issue. While culturally induced song divergence can be correlated with increased speciation rates in songbirds, it is hard to resolve whether cultural differences are promoting speciation or vice versa. Studying ring species is a perfect solution for this problem since they illustrate divergence in space instead of time, thus allowing us to determine whether cultural differences are causes or consequences of speciation. A ring species originates from a population that expands around an uninhabitable barrier and gradually diverges until the terminal forms are reproductively isolated upon secondary contact. We will study whether culturally induced song divergence accelerates speciation in the bat Saccopteryx bilineata, the first known mammalian ring species. Cultural differences between S. bilineata populations are manifested in distinct and temporally stable song dialects which juvenile males learn from adults. First, we will study song divergence around the ring and the relative contribution of song dialects to reproductive isolation of the co-occurring terminal forms of the ring. Second, we will study potential genetic predispositions for learning specific song dialects and investigate neurogenetic mechanisms involved in mammalian song learning. Third, we will reconstruct the history, evolutionary patterns and processes of speciation in a ring using a genomic approach in S. bilineata and its sympatric sister species. This comparative approach will allow us to unravel factors involved in the rapid divergence of S. bilineata on a small spatial scale. In synthesis, we will be able to determine whether sexually selected, culturally transmitted traits can accelerate speciation and elucidate the role of culture as an evolutionary force.

Keywords: animal behaviour,acoustic communication,song,dialect,vocal learning,culture,playback,speciation,foxp2,sexual selection,ring species,gene culture coevolution,genomic differentiation