Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
ESQ-FP: Erwin Schrödinger Quantum Science Programme (ESQ)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND)-Fellowship programmes
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Countries involved: Austria
Call: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (H2020-MSCA-COFUND-2017, 2017)
Start date: 2018-05-01
End date: 2023-10-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2124000.0
EU funding (EUR): 1062000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Based on the Austrian scientific excellence strategy, the Erwin-Schrödinger Center for Quantum Science and Technology (ESQ) has recently been launched as a new nation-wide research initiative. ESQ is coordinated by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW), under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, Research and Economics, in close collaboration with the Vienna University of Technology (TUWIEN), the University of Vienna (UNIVIE), and the University of Innsbruck (UIBK). At present, 28 research groups cooperate in research and training programmes in quantum science and technology. ESQ will serve as a EU hub for Experienced Researchers and ESQ teams will contribute to the European Quantum Flagship Initiative, as well. ESQ supports in particular postdoctoral careers and innovative projects in quantum research and it will gain additional visibility and momentum through the MSCA COFUND program fostering interdisciplinary inter-sectoral research. ESQ supports incoming international fellows in developing their scientific careers. The ESQ fellowship programme offers mentoring by scientists, who were selected for their scientific excellence and it builds on an excellent infrastructure at all partner organizations. ESQ provides an extensive international scientific network and many options for personnel development and acquiring transferrable skills, also with industrial partners. For that purpose, the fellows will also be offered extended academic and inter-sectoral secondments. The ESQ fellowship programme will publish one international call per year to recruit up to 15 fellows distributed over three selection rounds and 54 months. The selection process follows the principles of excellence and transparency and will be supported by a high-level, international selection committee. The ESQ fellowship programme thus enhances the research capacity in Europe substantially as it provides excellent research opportunities to the best young talents in quantum research.

Keywords: post doc fellowship,quantum science and technology,international,inter sectoral,interdisciplinary,excellence,transparency,capacity buildung
Simulating particle acceleration within black hole magnetospheres (SPAWN)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Universe sciences
Panel description: Astro-physics/-chemistry/-biology; solar system; planetary systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy; cosmology; space sciences; astronomical instrumentation and data
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC-2019-COG, 2019)
Start date: 2020-09-01
End date: 2026-02-28
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1330322.0
EU funding (EUR): 1330322.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Black holes are involved in extreme astrophysical phenomena such as accretion, launching of relativistic jets and particle acceleration. The origin of this activity is still poorly understood, but plasma processes within the magnetosphere of the black hole are most likely involved. Thanks to high-performance computing, it is now possible to probe this region. The current state-of-the-art numerical simulations have been focusing on a fluid description of the plasma surrounding black holes. This approach is not sufficient to understand how the plasma is generated and how particles are accelerated near black holes. Here, we propose to model black hole magnetospheres using global ab-initio particle-in-cell simulations where the fields, particles and radiation evolve in a self-consistent manner. Our project will produce the first fully consistent modeling of black hole magnetospheres and allow for an accurate interpretation of current and upcoming horizon-scale observations of the Galactic center and nearby supermassive black holes by the VLTI-Gravity instrument in the infrared and the Event Horizon Telescope in radio. This project will also lead to the prediction of the electromagnetic signal from black-hole neutron star binaries prior to the merger in coincidence with gravitational waves events detected by LIGO-VIRGO instruments.

Keywords: particle acceleration,black holes,plasma numerical simulations
Shifting the obesity epidemic in Iberia-Latin American cities: applying interdisciplinary, intersectional and intersectoral approaches to understand and change key obesogenic causes (OE-ILAC)

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: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019, 2019)
Start date: 2021-03-22
End date: 2023-03-21
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 160932.48
EU funding (EUR): 160932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

More than half of the worldwide population (55%) is overweight or obese (O/O), while the increasing trends are leading to shorten life expectancy. Tackling O/O is a European priority, and innovative actions to achieve this are urgently needed: no country has so far succeeded in reducing its growth. O/O are related to several axes of social inequality, such as socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, age, and place of residence. O/O are more frequent in more unequal societies and increase with urbanisation. The highly urbanised Iberia-Latin American region has strong historical, political, economic and cultural bonds. However, this region has also considerable heterogeneity in the degree of social and gender inequalities (SGI), urbanisation, and in the prevalence of O/O. Thus, this transnational scenario holds great potential for the analysis of the urban SGI in O/O. The overall objective of this project is to develop an analytical model to assess the determinants of SGI in O/O in the Iberia-Latin American cities over a recent time period, and to inform urban policies by integrating interdisciplinary, intersectional and intersectoral approaches. A mixed methods study design will be applied, with a cross-sectional multi-city study followed by a public policy analysis and the development of recommendations for polices and interventions to address SGI in O/O. A gender perspective will be adopted throughout all the action. The novel integration of these approaches will contribute to tackling urban SGI in O/O by providing a more comprehensive understanding of its drivers and by finding new avenues for improving equity-based urban policies. The project will also provide insights to reshape O/O as a systemic problem worldwide. Moreover, the action will have a key impact on my career development, on the institutions involved, and on relevant target audiences (researchers, practitioners, policy makers) as well as on the wider community.

Keywords: social inequality,gender inequality,obesity,public health,public policies,social determinants
Neural Spectral Image Decoding (NEURAL SPICING)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Diseases
Panel description: Medical technologies and tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases, therapeutic approaches and interventions, pharmacology, preventative medicine, epidemiology and public health, digital medicine
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2020-COG, 2020)
Start date: 2021-05-01
End date: 2026-04-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1999975.0
EU funding (EUR): 1999975.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Had we the capacity to image the molecular tissue composition in real time, without exposing the patient or clinical staff to radiation, then this would revolutionize healthcare. Spectral imaging techniques, such as multispectral diffuse reflectance imaging and photoacoustics, have the potential to recover important tissue properties including oxygenation, temperature and the concentration of water. However, decades of research invested in solving the inverse problem of reconstructing clinically relevant tissue properties from spectral measurements have failed to produce solutions that can quantify tissue parameters robustly in a clinical setting. Initial attempts to address the limitations of model-based approaches with machine learning were hampered by the absence of labeled reference data needed for supervised algorithm training. While training data simulation can potentially address this bottleneck, the domain gap between real and simulated images remains a huge unsolved challenge. This project at the intersection of physics, biology, medicine, and data science bridges the domain gap with a “learning-to-simulate” approach and reframes the quantification problem as a decoding problem that can be tackled with physics-constrained neural networks. It is based on the hypothesis that unlabeled and weakly labeled measurement data can be leveraged to improve the realism of simulated spectral images and ultimately the quantification accuracy. In building upon modern machine learning techniques, the concept naturally allows different sources of uncertainty to be handled and even exploited, requires no labeled data for the target task, and enables imaging systems to learn from their experience. The proposed second generation of spectral imaging is inherently safe and low-cost and could thus pave the way for a new era in interventional healthcare, with clinical applications ranging from cancer diagnosis to the staging and therapy of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.

Keywords: machine learning,biophotonics
Microprocessing photovitamin D3 using photo-high-T intensification. (Photovitamin Windows)

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: Chemistry
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-09-01
End date: 2017-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 177598.8
EU funding (EUR): 177598.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

This project develops a continuous flow microprocess for the synthesis of pure vitamin D3 from 7-dehydrocholesterol. Such approach will be achieved by applying a massive and combined photo-high-T intensification. Such conditions are only possible by employing microreactors according to Novel Process Windows postulates: The aim is to boost the reaction kinetics both by providing a high photon number density and through thermal intensification. In addition, supercritical conditions will be tested as third intensification option. Besides the normal time-invariant, continuous photon exposure, a new photochemical approach based on intense LED-photo-pulses will be tested to enhance the selectivity. To have a full process scheme covered, a continuous micro-plug-flow crystallization operating at fast mixing, short residence time and supersaturated conditions will be developed. Vitamin D3 is a very important nutrient needed to prevent all types of disease. As its deficiency is now recognized in the developed world, a significant increase demand in the market is expected. That is why it is envisaged a multiple impact of this project mainly in European society, but also for pharmaceutical companies and SMEs, representing for both a ‘Window of Opportunity’. Particularly photo-high-T could be also tested in other photochemical reactions; such as the synthesis of vitamin D2 or, by using other photocatalysts such as TiO2, in the N-ethylation of benzylamine. This multidisciplinary proposal includes Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA) to holistically evaluate in ex-ante fashion different process intensification scenarios. At the project end, LCA will benchmark the flow achievements to the current batch production, looking towards its industrial transfer. For the fellow, this proposal means an extension of his previous research, but with novel and challenging additional aspects,providing with a range of training options in research and transferable skills for building his independent career.

Keywords: microreactor,intensification,photochemistry,flow chemistry,life cycle assessment,fine chemistry,vitamin d,micro process engineering
Transcriptional and Epigenetic Regulation of Totipotency in Mouse Early Embryos. (Totipotency)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Cellular, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Panel description: Structure and function of the cell, cell-cell communication, embryogenesis, tissue differentiation, organogenesis, growth, development, evolution of development, organoids, stem cells, regeneration, therapeutic approaches
Countries involved: Switzerland
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2015-AdG, 2015)
Start date: 2016-08-01
End date: 2022-01-31
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2859560.0
EU funding (EUR): 2859560.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

In mammals, fusion of two highly differentiated gametes gives rise to a totipotent zygote capable of developing into a whole organism. It coincides with translation and degradation of maternally provided transcripts, initiation of global transcription called zygotic genome activation (ZGA), and “epigenetic reprogramming” of germline chromatin states into an embryonic state. The molecular mechanisms underlying this exquisite reprogramming of cell fate are barely understood. This research program has the ambitious goal to identify and characterize in a comprehensive way the transcription factors and chromatin regulators which initiate and regulate ZGA in a parental specific manner in early mouse embryos. We will utilize novel and highly sensitive genomic approaches to measure nascent transcription and determine open and modified chromatin landscapes in oocytes and early embryos, wild-type and conditionally deficient for major epigenetic modifiers. We will apply computational approaches to identify candidate TFs and histone modifiers controlling ZGA. We will use molecular and developmental biology approaches, combined with sensitive quantitative live-imaging, to interrogate the function of TFs and their binding sites for ZGA. We will further investigate the significance of possible paternal inheritance of nucleosomes at CpG islands for gene regulation during ZGA and later development by depleting nucleosomes from mature sperm by using sophisticated conditional deficiency and gain-of-function mouse models. By transferring nuclei of immature spermatid and mature sperm into oocytes, we will interrogate the relevance of nucleosome eviction during spermatogenesis, as a possibly truly epigenetic reprogramming process, for defining embryonic competence. ERC funding would represent a crucial contribution to dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying acquisition of totipotency in mouse embryos and may impact on the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in human med

Keywords: chromatin,imaging
Antiadhesive Bionic Combs for Handling of Nanofibers (BioCombs4Nanofibers)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
Theme: EIC Pathfinder
Destination: Novel ideas for radically new technologies
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Austria,Greece,Romania,Czechia
Call: FET-Open Challenging Current Thinking (H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2019-2020-01, 2019)
Start date: 2019-10-01
End date: 2022-09-30
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3049050.0
EU funding (EUR): 3049050.0
Participants: 6
Project status: CLOSED

Challenge: Nanofibers are constantly drawing the attention of material scientists and engineers as their surface-to-used-material-ratio is beneficial for, e.g., medical applications. However, technical nanofiber processing, transportation or even simple things as spooling is inhibited by their attraction to any surface by van der Waals forces, the adhesive forces also enabling geckos to stick to the wall. Recent research aims for scale-up of the controllable production of nanofibers though have not enabled an easier handling and thus their application is still limited. A specific kind of nanofibers are nanofibrous protrusions of adherent cells and microorganisms. The interaction of these fibers with nanostructures is a key feature for their controlled adhesion at natural or artificial surfaces. Inspiration by nature: One major problem for handling of nanofibers is their stickiness to almost any surface due to van der Waals forces. However, there is a biological example to show how to tackle this problem in the future: cribellate spiders bear a specialized comb, the calamistrum, to handle and process nanofibers, which are assembled to their structural complex capture threads. These 10 – 30 nm thick fibers do not stick to the calamistrum due to a special fingerprint-like nanostructure. This structure causes the nanofibers to not smoothly adapt to the surface of the calamistrum, but rather minimizes contact and thus reduce the adhesive forces between the nanofibers and the calamistrum. Radically new technological approach: The transfer of these bionic comb structures to a technical surface will enable that future tools for nanofiber handling (covered with such a nanostructure) are antiadhesive towards nanofibers. Similar nanostructures can hinder the adhesion of nanofibrous protrusions of cells or microorganisms, which may enable cell-repellent or antiseptic areas on medical devices and implants.

Keywords: nanofibers,functional nanocombs,cribellate spiders,van der waals forces,biomimetic,antiadhesive,laser processing,laser induced nanostructures
Nutrient regulation of intestinal stem cells – exploring a novel mechanism with relevance to aging (STELLA)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Finland
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2022-03-01
End date: 2024-02-29
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 190680.96
EU funding (EUR): 190680.96
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Tissues of animals undergo constant renewal. This is enabled by pools of tissue-resident stem cells that differentiate to replace aged cells and maintain homeostasis. However, stem cell self-renewal and differentiation capacities gradually start to decline during aging, leading to compromised organ function. Nutrition has a prominent effect on aging and the maintenance of stem cell function. Therefore, investigating the mechanisms responsible for nutrient regulation of tissue stem cells is of direct relevance to understanding the regulatory basis of animal lifespan. The proposed project will focus on the intestine, which undergoes high cellular turnover and adaptability in response to changing nutrition, and as such is an optimal model for nutrient regulation of tissue stem cells. The use of Drosophila provides advantages including the availability of a powerful genetic toolkit, a short lifespan and the ability to quantitatively analyse stem cell function at the organ-wide level. Specifically, my project will address the regulatory role and physiological relevance of Periodic tryptophan protein 1 (PWP1), a conserved chromatin-binding protein that acts downstream of nutrient-responsive Insulin/mTOR signalling. PWP1 is known to be implicated in embryonic and germline stem cell regulation, but its role in somatic stem cells and aging has remained unexplored. Our unpublished data shows that PWP1 has a role in intestinal stem cell regulation, downstream of Insulin signalling, and that it has a significant impact on organismal lifespan. The results obtained in this study will go beyond the current knowledge of nutrient-dependent regulation of intestinal stem cells, and will push the boundaries of scientific research on stem cell aging, with substantial societal relevance for the aging population. Along with its scientific objectives, the proposed project has been designed to support my professional development and my career goal of scientific independence.

Keywords: stem cell,aging,intestine,drosophila,nutrient,insulin,mtor
Supernova dust: production and survival rates (SNDUST)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Advanced grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Universe sciences
Panel description: Astro-physics/-chemistry/-biology; solar system; planetary systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy; cosmology; space sciences; astronomical instrumentation and data
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2015-AdG, 2015)
Start date: 2016-06-01
End date: 2022-05-31
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2498535.0
EU funding (EUR): 2498535.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The dust content of galaxies is dominated by silicate and carbon grains, whose origin is the subject of much debate - are the dust grains provided mainly by red giant stars, by supernovae from massive stars, or can they grow in the interstellar medium itself from stardust seeds? My team's recent observations with Herschel of three supernova remnants, Cas A, SN 1987A and the Crab Nebula, have provided direct evidence that supernovae from massive stars can form dust masses in the range of 0.1-0.8 solar masses per event, a level at which dust evolution models for high and low redshift galaxies predict that supernovae can become the dominant contributors of dust. With both O-rich and C-rich shells, core-collapse supernovae can make both silicate and carbon particles, as observed. Most of SN 1987A's current dust mass of 0.6-0.8 solar masses appears to have been grown between 3 and 25 years after outburst, a period that is currently poorly observed for other remnants. To build on and to extend these results beyond our initial sample of three core-collapse objects, dust masses will be measured for a much larger sample of late-epoch (3-50 yrs post-outburst) supernova remnants. This will be done by using a new Monte Carlo line transfer code to model red-blue line profile asymmetries observed in 8m telescope optical spectra to derive dust masses at a range of epochs, and via JWST mid-infrared observations of SN dust emission as the dust cools. We will extend our dust and gas emission modelling code to include dust heating not just by radiation but also by particle impacts, in order to determine accurate dust masses for collisionally ionized supernova remnants covered by Herschel surveys of the Magellanic Clouds and Milky Way. The theory programme will also determine grain lifetimes against destruction by supernova remnant reverse shocks, accounting for shielding in clumps, as well as destruction lifetimes for dust in circumstellar shells impacted by supernova blast waves.

Keywords: supernovae,cosmic dust,formation and destruction of dust