Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Helium dimer Ultracold Molecules - a platform for fundamental physics and ultracold chemistry (HeliUM)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Panel description: Particle, nuclear, plasma, atomic, molecular, gas, and optical physics
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2215408.0
EU funding (EUR): 2215408.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Laser cooling of atoms has revolutionized physics and allowed studying nature with unprecedented sensitivity, precision and accuracy. With their additional degrees of freedom, ultracold molecules offer even more. However, reaching high densities and a high number of elastic collisions are the two major challenges remaining to achieve quantum degeneracy with molecules. 4 molecules were laser cooled and trapped in the last decade, but recent experiments have shown universal loss upon collisions caused by the formation of complexes and therefore preventing further cooling. Although not yet fully understood, the loss is favored by the large state densities of the heavy diatomic molecules used so far. I propose a novel strategy: HeliUM aims to overcome both obstacles by achieving direct laser cooling of the lightest and first homonuclear molecule He2 and establishing a path towards quantum degeneracy. The light mass of the molecule, absence of hyperfine structure and a restricted set of rotational states due to the Pauli principle, drastically reduce the level density and facilitate evaporative cooling. Additionally, relying on a continuous molecular beam and implementing an innovative slowing technique will lead to densities several orders of magnitude larger than in existing experiments. With HeliUM, I will provide a controllable, simple 4-electron system at record low temperature, allowing quantum sensing and precision measurements to test quantum physics and the quantum nature of collisions with unprecedented accuracy - while being accessible to highly accurate ab initio computational methods. By using Rydberg states and photodissociation, HeliUM will put me at the forefront of measuring cross sections for a plethora of reactions involving charged and neutral, atomic and molecular helium species, relevant for understanding He droplets, astro- and plasma physics. This will complement my strong track record in precision measurements of molecular hydrogen and its ion.

Keywords: laser cooling,ultracold molecules,ultracold collisions,precision spectroscopy,rydberg spectroscopy,molecular physics,diatomic molecules,scattering
ENGINEERING CELLULAR SELF‐ORGANISATION BY CONTROLLING THE IMMUNO-MECHANICAL INTERPLAY (Immuno-mechanics)

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: Germany
Call: ERC ADVANCED GRANTS (ERC-2021-ADG, 2021)
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2490725.0
EU funding (EUR): 2490725.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Both scar formation and restitutio ad integrum during bone regeneration rely on cellular self-organisation that involve cell contraction and fibronectin/collagen formation. This early stage of cellular self-organization is later followed by angiogenesis and mineralisation. Scar-free regeneration of physiological tissue homeostasis requires balanced downregulation of early inflammation, however little is understood of the immune-mechanical coupling involved. We aim to lay the foundation for reducing patient suffering resulting from scarring by combining two distinct scientific worlds, for which we have been a major driving force: the distinct regulation of local inflammation and the mechano-biology during regeneration. By combining both of our areas of expertise, we aim to harvest the potential of the novel cross-disciplinary field Immuno-Mechanics. This ambitious project concentrates first on identifing the different mechanical niches that immune cells experience early in successful healing and non-healing. Second, we will engineer synthetic niches to control fibroblasts and fibroblast-immune cell interactions to steer cell self-organisation and matrix formation in vitro. Third, we plan to verify that these synthetic niches reprogram hematoma composition and can thus reduce later scarring in vivo. The proposed experiments are challenging as they have never been done this way before, but are feasible since they capitalise on our strengths in osteo-immunology and mechano-biology. Novel technologies will be combined in a unique way to engineer the immune-mechanical cell niche, to passivate activated immune cells and to reprogramme cell fate. This will allow us to substantially advance the basic understanding of the interplay between immune cells and their mechanical niche during early regeneration. By harnessing the mechanisms of the immune-mechanics interplay, we will lay the foundation for advancing immune-modulatory therapies to reduce harmful scarring.

Keywords: mechano biology,bone healing,regeneration,cell matrix interactions
Unravelling early dinosaur success through fossil digestive contents and trophic dynamics (DINO-DIGEST)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Environmental B iology, Ecology  and E volution
Panel description: For all organisms : Ecology, biodiversity, environmental change , evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, microbial ecology , marine biology, ecophysiology, theoretical developments and mod elling
Countries involved: Sweden
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): 1500000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1500000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The early radiation of dinosaurs, spanning approximately 30 million years from their emergence to dominance of terrestrial ecosystems, remains a complex and poorly understood evolutionary event. While previous studies have focused mainly on phylogenetic aspects, less attention has been given to the ecological dynamics that drove their success. This project aims to fill that gap by employing a novel, multidisciplinary approach to investigate the early evolution of dinosaurs through the lens of their dietary and trophic interactions. By analysing bromalites (fossil digestive remains) using cutting-edge methods like synchrotron microtomography, I will infer the food webs in which early dinosaurs participated, shedding light on how their diets and ecological roles evolved. Comparative analysis across Pangean regions and different time periods will enable the construction of a comprehensive palaeoecological model, highlighting key factors in their rise to dominance. Furthermore, I will apply biomolecular techniques adapted from archaeological geochemistry to identify preserved organics within these fossils, providing unprecedented insights into predator-prey relationships. These findings will be integrated into a holistic eco-evolutionary model, offering new perspectives on dinosaur success with broader implications for understanding mass extinction dynamics and current biodiversity crises. To achieve this, I will collaborate with leading experts and engage a team of PhD students and postdocs, ensuring the project’s multidisciplinary goals are met.

Keywords: coprolites,food webs,early dinosaurs,mass extinction,triassic jurassic transition,synchrotron microtomography
Decoding molecular sexual dimorphism of neuromuscular function (AR-NMJ)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System
Panel description: Nervous system development, homeostasis and ageing , nervous system  function and dysfunction , systems neuroscience  and modelling , biological basis of cognitive processes and of behaviour, neurological and mental disorders – In humans and all other organisms
Countries involved: Italy
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2025-STG, 2025)
Start date: 2026-04-01
End date: 2031-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499221.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499221.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Motor functions implement evolutionary relevant and necessary actions, such as running and breathing. They rely on electric impulses which produce muscle contractions through the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Sex-dependent features including hormone production and genetics influence neuromuscular pathophysiology, but the molecular players involved are unknown. Here, I will unravel how sex hormones shape and maintain NMJs by dissecting the unconventional signalling exerted by peripheral hormone receptors. Indeed, unexpectedly, androgen receptor (AR) localizes at the neuron periphery and is regulated by neuronal activity. Trinucleotide repeat expansions (TRE) in AR gene cause spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), a neuromuscular disease caused by motor neuron degeneration and muscle wasting. As AR interacts with components of the translation machinery and RNA-binding proteins, I hypothesize that extra-nuclear AR is a regulator of NMJ stability mediated by hormone binding, regulating sex-specific local translation of key mRNA targets in a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation-dependent manner, mechanisms which fail to support neuron/muscle crosstalk in SBMA. Applying sophisticated in vitro models such as cocultures in microfluidic devices and cutting-edge spatial technologies, I propose to test this by: 1. Dissecting the in vivo NMJ transcriptome in healthy males/females and SBMA mice using unbiased Nova-ST technology and snRNA-seq. 2. Elucidating the sex-specific synaptic translation events in motor axons and NMJs using ribosome sequencing from microdissected subcellular compartments. 3. Identifying the molecular players involved in the AR-dependent local translation at the NMJ and their dysregulation in disease using proximity labelling. AR-NMJ will be the first of its kind to identify the unprecedented spatial AR function and its dysregulation in SBMA at the NMJ, uncovering a novel sex-specific pathway for NMJ function, and original therapeutic strategies for SBM

Keywords: androgen receptor,neuromuscular junction,local translation,hormones,sex biology,neuromuscular system,neurodegeneration
Precision Hearing Diagnostics and Augmented-hearing Technologies (EarDiTech)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Transition
Destination: Challenges
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: Medical Technology and Devices: from Lab to Patient (HORIZON-EIC-2021-TRANSITION-CHALLENGES-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-08-01
End date: 2026-01-31
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2499416.0
EU funding (EUR): 2499416.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Cochlear synaptopathy (CS) is a recently discovered type of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that compromises the integrity of the auditory-nerve population after ageing, noise-exposure or ototoxicity. This SNHL type occurs before the gold-standard clinical audiogram detects hearing problems and has functional consequences for neural sound encoding and communication in noisy environments. Despite its presumed high prevalence, CS is neither diagnosed nor treated in clinical practice. There is a WHO-identified need for early-diagnosis and treatment of SNHL to reduce the societal and economic burden of hearing loss, and CS-diagnosis falls within this category. In our ERC StG and PoC projects, we developed a robust, encephalogram-based diagnostic test to quantify CS in humans. Based on this test, we individualize hearing-impaired auditory models to design hearing-aid signal processing that compensates for CS. Our model-based, augmented-hearing algorithms can offer an accessible treatment to those suffering from CS and are based on a clever and versatile neural-network architecture that enables real-time sound processing. In this project, we plan to implement our diagnostic CS-test (TRL4) in a portable medical device and perform clinical trials with early-adopters and first-point-of-contact centers to demonstrate its patient benefit and application range in a real-world clinical context (TRL5-6). Secondly, we aim to develop hardware demonstrators that embed our augmented-hearing sound processors. These real-time FPGA processors (TRL5) will be tailored for market-entry in the hearable, hearing-aid and cochlear-implant sectors. Along with consolidating our IP portfolio and setting out a business strategy, this challenge on Medical Technology and Devices will enable us to transition our proof-of-concept research discoveries to market with this project: EarDiTech: Precision Hearing Diagnostics and Augmented-hearing Technologies.

Keywords: hearing technologies,audiology,auditory evoked potentials,sensorineural hearing loss,hearing loss rehabilitation,augmented hearing technologies,machine hearing,hearing diagnostics,hearing aids
Self-disinfecting, smart microfilms for healthcare & community acquired infections (SafeTouch)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Open to supporting projects in all areas of science, technology,...
Action type: EIC actions
Countries involved: Greece,Portugal,Spain,Netherlands,Germany
Call: EIC Pathfinder Open (HORIZON-EIC-2024-PATHFINDEROPEN-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2028-04-30
Duration (months): 40.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2982936.25
EU funding (EUR): 2982936.25
Participants: 7
Project status: SIGNED

The transmission of pathogens from contaminated surfaces to humans is a major threat for the public health as it is associated with Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs) and Community Acquired Infections (CAIs). Maintaining surfaces clean from pathogens is an undisputable requirement but, at the same time, a laborious, manual, costly process that requires use of harmful chemicals. We propose the development of a novel microfilm, the iSafeTouch (iST) microfilm, that provides a heat shock to the pathogens on its surface, killing them instantly. Core element of the iST technology is the successful integration of heaters and touch sensors on flexible substrates. The proposed novel integration scheme, based on a scalable microfabrication process, is critical for achieving high performance and robust operation. We will microfabricate the iST microfilms and demonstrate that they are efficient in killing different pathogens in vitro and they are safe to use. Subsequently, we will develop two Proofs of Concept: a smart, wireless, door handle and a smart, wireless, light switch that integrate the iST microfilms. A mobile application will be developed for monitoring multiple iST units remotely. We will install the iST Proofs of Concept in a hospital and in a senior care facility and verify their antimicrobial activity at real-world conditions. Those two pilot studies will provide information about the acceptability of the technology by the end-users and will confirm that iST microfilm technology does not interference with current practices. The potentially low manufacturing cost, the minimum maintenance requirement by the user and the eco-friendlness of the iST microfilms, makes iST technology an ideal solution for use in any high touch, prone-to-contamination surface.

Keywords: antimicrobial,self disinfecting,smart surface,microfabrication,microscale heating
Measuring Methods in Manuscript Map Production in the 16th Century Low Countries (MAPPER)

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: Netherlands
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 232916.16
EU funding (EUR): 232916.16
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

MAPPER aims to revolutionize our understanding of 16th-century cartography by uncovering the hidden geometric knowledge embedded in historical manuscript maps. The project focuses on three key objectives: identifying geometric traces in the underdrawings of maps using advanced imaging techniques, analyzing and categorizing these traces, and exploring the transmission of practical geometric knowledge in Renaissance mapmaking. By implementing a three-phased data collection and imaging strategy, which includes Raking Light (RAK) and Multi-Light Reflectance Imaging (MLRI), the project will meticulously examine 16th-century manuscript maps housed in Dutch archives. These techniques will reveal underdrawings and geometric constructions that are invisible to the naked eye, offering new insights into the methods and tools employed by mapmakers of the period. The research will be carried out in three phases. The first phase involves identifying geometric traces through detailed imaging. The second phase focuses on analyzing and categorizing these traces, enabling a systematic understanding of the geometric principles applied. The final phase aims to place these findings within the broader context of Renaissance scientific knowledge and its dissemination across Europe. By merging material-based approaches in historical map studies with new perspectives from the history of knowledge, the project aims to challenge established practices in the conservation, digitization, and analysis of manuscript maps, while offering fresh insights into how applied geometric knowledge shaped the history of science. This fellowship will support my development as a multi-skilled scholar in Digital Geo-Humanities, with expanded expertise in studying spatial and material cultural heritage. The unique combination of technical research skills in both the history of cartography and landscape archaeology will enable me to lead and innovate the digital and spatial turns in historical and heritage sciences.

Keywords: early modern history renaissance,3d cartography,surveying triangulation history of knowledge
Timescale-controlled Transformations for Colloidal Multielemental Nanocrystal Design (Time4Nano)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting 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 STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1562741.0
EU funding (EUR): 1562741.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) represent an exciting material class where surface and finite-size effects result in prominent physicochemical phenomena. Bottom-up colloidal methods have demonstrated unmatched control over NC properties by enabling their synthesis with defined sizes, shapes, compositions, elemental distributions, crystal habits, and surface chemistry. However, the field is moving toward sophisticated nanomaterials where complex compositions, unconventional elemental mixing patterns, and precisely engineered lattice defects offer advanced optical and catalytic functionalities, among others. Unfortunately, these NC features and their technological impact remain largely unexplored due to the high energy barriers and out-of-equilibrium conditions often associated with the required synthesis process. With Time4Nano, I envision establishing a novel bottom-up colloidal methodology, timescale-controlled NC transformations (TNT), where the combination of pulsed laser irradiation and wet-chemical strategies are exploited to create highly out-of-equilibrium conditions required for multielemental nanomaterial creation. To achieve this, I will interrogate the interplay between laser conditions, chemical, and colloidal environment, and NC characteristics in the controlled transformation of colloidal NC chemical composition (Objective 1), elemental distribution (Objective 2), and lattice defects (Objective 3). If Time4Nano succeeds, it will bridge current knowledge gaps in TNT methodology, paving the way for nanoscale matter manipulation by merging laser technology and wet chemistry in an unprecedented manner. This will lay a foundation for producing nanomaterials with tailored physicochemical functionalities, promising transformative advancements in areas like catalysis, energy storage, sensors, and optoelectronics.

Keywords: colloidal nanocrystals,bottom up synthesis,multielemental,alloy,metal,metal oxides,nanoparticles
Neuroactive compounds in Tomatoes and their role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases via the gut-brain axis using a multi-Omics approach (NeuroTOm)

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: Italy,Netherlands
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-11-01
End date: 2024-10-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 172750.08
EU funding (EUR): 172750.08
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Neurodegenerative (ND) diseases are debilitating and largely untreatable conditions that affect millions worldwide, including 7+ million Europeans. Although there remains no cure, there is growing evidence of a correlation between diet, gut, and ND diseases but a deeper understanding of what happens to neuroactive compounds once digested and their role in the communication between gut and brain is still missing. In response, NeuroTOm will answer complex questions about human exposure to neuroactive compounds (using tomato as a model food), such as what happens to these chemicals during digestion and their role in the gut-brain axis and ND disease development. It will use advanced mass spectrometry-based techniques to characterise neuroprotective and neuro-disrupting compounds in tomatoes produced organically, conventionally, and processed. An in vitro batch colon model will then be applied to investigate the fate of these compounds in the gut microbiome and identify gut-microbial metabolites. A step towards more realistic conditions will be made by investigating how the presence of neuro-disrupting compounds influences the bioavailability and beneficial effects of neuroprotective compounds in the gut. Selected compounds will also be tested using an innovative in vitro 3D colon (organoid) model to determine the role of neuroprotective/disruptive compounds and their gut microbial metabolites on intestinal epithelium cells. The proposed research is highly interdisciplinary and encompasses analytical and food chemistry, holistic and multi-omics approaches, nutritional biochemistry, biotechnology, and aspects of neuroscience. The goal of NeuroTOm is to extend the knowledge of diet–gut microbiome–host (brain) interactions and will contribute towards preventing or alleviating the burden of ND disease.

Keywords: neurodegenerative disease,diet,tomato,target analysis,non target screening,neuroprotective compound,neuro disrupting compound,multi omics,2d colon model,organoids,gut brain axis