Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Sperm telomere length as a mediator of paternal effects (TELOSPERM)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Reintegration panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-07-01
End date: 2020-10-24
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Despite having long been overlooked, paternal effects (influence of fathers on offspring traits via mechanisms other than the transmission of alleles) are now recognized as affecting a broad range of phenotypic traits in the next generation. There is, for example, increasing evidence for transgenerational effects of paternal stress levels with consequences on offspring health. In most cases, the proximate mechanism mediating these paternal effects on offspring remains unknown. Recent studies show that these transgenerational effects might be mediated, at least in part, by telomere attrition. Telomeres are regions of non-coding DNA at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes. Telomeres shorten at each cell division or when cells are exposed to oxidative stress, resulting in telomere shortening with aging. A permanent arrest in the cell cycle occurs when telomeres are shortened to a critical length, thereby increasing risk factors in a large number of diseases. Consequently, telomere length predicts remaining lifespan, with individuals with the shortest telomeres displaying the poorest survival prospects. Telomeres are very sensitive to damage induced by oxidative stress and paternal exposure to stressors may thus affect telomere length in sperm before fertilization as well as inherited by the offspring, with consequences for aging and disease susceptibility. In this project, I propose to test this hypothesis by examining the three following aims using a captive population of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata): • Measure the effect of stress exposure on sperm telomere length through an experimental manipulation of stress levels at the time of sperm production. • Determine links between paternal sperm telomere length and offspring telomere length at birth using artificial insemination experiments. • Elucidate the effects of sperm telomere length on offspring development and disease susceptibility.

Keywords: sperm,telomere,stress,paternal effect,immunity,oxidative stress
Tipping Points in Antarctic Climate Components (TiPACCs)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Climate action, environment,  resource efficiency and raw materials
Theme: Fighting and adapting to climate change
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Germany,Norway,France,France,United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Addressing knowledge gaps in climate science, in support of IPCC reports (H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2, 2018)
Start date: 2019-08-01
End date: 2024-01-31
Duration (months): 54.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4602897.5
EU funding (EUR): 4602897.5
Participants: 8
Project status: SIGNED

The TiPACCs project will investigate the probability of sudden and large changes in the sea-level contribution from the Antarctic Ice Sheet that would result from passing tipping points in the marginal seas and at the grounding lines of the floating ice shelves that fringe the ice sheet. A comprehensive study of the triggering processes will reveal the likelihood of reversibility, while the study of ice-ocean feedbacks will provide insight into the threat of sudden sea-level rise. Modelling work will deliver parameter estimates of safe operating spaces, and linking these with Southern Ocean observations will contribute to the launch of early-warning indicators for dangerous levels of ocean-induced basal melting of the ice shelves. We will achieve these objectives using a suite of state-of-the art ocean-circulation and ice-flow models run by leading European research groups, greatly enhancing confidence in the results. The combination of numerical work with existing remote sensing and in-situ observations and paleo-reconstructions is ideal for defining the proximity of the simulated tipping points. With this work, we aim to provide a better understanding of key processes controlling the climate-Earth system that are critical for further improvement in climate projections and reducing uncertainty in climate sensitivity calculations. We will also assess more accurately the impacts of climate change related to the proximity, rate, and reversibility of tipping points in Antarctic climate components. Furthermore, future climate projections will benefit from our combined use of numerical models and paleo-reconstructions as they allow a better understanding of how the climate system worked during abrupt climatic transitions and under warmer or colder than present-day conditions. Thus, the project will dramatically improve our knowledge of sudden sea-level rise caused by tipping points in Antarctic climate components.

Keywords: sea level,antarctic ice sheet,southern ocean,ice shelf melting,ice shelf buttressing,grounding line stability,tipping points,ice sheet disintegration,ice sheet dynamics,glaciology
Testing the role of thermo-chemical piles in the generation and continuation of plate tectonics (TEROPPLATE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Individual Fellowships (IF)-Reintegration panel
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2018-02-01
End date: 2020-01-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195454.8
EU funding (EUR): 195454.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The mechanics of plate tectonics (the movement of the Earth's surface) is a fundamental scientific question in understanding the recycling of mantle volatiles in processes that affect habitability. The emergence of plate tectonics on Earth set the planet apart from others in our solar system allowing for the propagation of life, yet the fundamentals of how it all began remain unresolved. Present-day geophysical imaging of the deep mantle show anomalous chemical piles thought to originate from the beginnings of Earth. Recently, consensus has been reached that the chemical piles can impact, and be impacted by, plate tectonic processes. However, their interaction with mantle convection in a pre-plate tectonic early Earth is not well known. In this study, state of the art numerical experiments will be designed and implemented to offer the first investigation into what role deep chemical heterogeneities play in the initial breaking of the lithosphere (to initiate a form of plate tectonics). Furthermore, a numerical analysis into the evolution of temperature and mantle dynamics in the early Earth will be conducted to assess a range of geodynamic scenarios previously hypothesized. This fellowship is timely as it complements a number of recent developments in early Earth tectonics, numerical modelling, and in knowledge of thermo-chemical pile behaviour. Returning to the EU, the applicant will expand his ability to design, program, and develop large-scale numerical models using high performance computing gained from doctoral and post-doctoral experiences in Canada. This project allows for the applicant to reintegrate into EU academia, and contribute his acquired research skills. The expertise of the contributors and the design of the research will provide the applicant with new knowledge and experience in early Earth geophysics and geochemistry. As a result, the fellowship will augment the applicant's skill set ready for the next step of an independent research career.

Keywords: plate tectonics,early earth dynamics,geodynamics,mantle geochemistry,numerical modelling
Development of microalgae-based natural UV Sunscreens and Proteins as cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals (AlgaeCeuticals)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Research and innovation staff exchange
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Italy,Germany,Austria,Spain,Spain,Greece,Greece,Croatia,Greece
Call: Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017, 2017)
Start date: 2018-01-01
End date: 2023-06-30
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1129500.0
EU funding (EUR): 1129500.0
Participants: 9
Project status: SIGNED

The biotechnology of microalgae has gained considerable importance in recent decades, as they represent a largely untapped reservoir of novel and valuable bioactive compounds. The biological and chemical diversity of the microalgae, has been the source of unique bioactive molecules with the potential for industrial development as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional supplements. The proposed project will combine both basic and applied research in the fields of –omics technologies, biochemistry, applied and enzyme biotechnology in order to exploit microalgae resources for the development: 1) Natural UV sunscreens, based on algae mycosporine-like aminoacids, 2) Algae-based nutraceuticals as functional foods and food supplements, 3) Algae-derived proteases with applications in cosmetic (skin repair enzymes) and food industry. The implementation of the project will offer to the involved academic and SMSs the opportunity to translate scientific research into well defined knowledge-based ‘green’ products and analytical tools. Apart from scientific objectives, the project will enhance the European’s capacity in the field of Blue Growth and Marine Biotechnology by exchanging interdisciplinary knowledge, developing and disseminating joint research activities, thus strengthening the intersectoral links between academia and industry for sustainable growth.

Keywords: microalgae,novel products,genomics,transcriptomics,proteomics,enzymomics,cosmecuticals,neutracuticals,species identification and authentication,authentication of products
Reactive Extrusion Technology for Thermoset Polyurethane Resins to Provide High Performance and Sustainable Plastic Materials in Construction and Related Industrial Markets. (EXTRU-PUR)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Innovation in SMEs
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Spain
Call: SME instrument (H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1, 2018)
Start date: 2019-02-01
End date: 2019-07-31
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The EU construction sector consume up to 9.4Mtons of plastic per year of which 92% are thermoplastics, mainly PVC with 54%, while thermoset plastics present superior technical properties that allow them to reach longer lifespan, a key advantage in a sector where material lifespan should reach 50 years. To do so, INDRESMAT, a chemical start-up focused on the development of high performance and sustainable construction products participating in “Redefining Chemistry”, an International Incubation Program in Brightlands Chemelot Campus, an entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on green chemistry, sustainable materials and circular economy, has developed EXTRU PUR. It is a simple, robust, efficient and versatile technology that manufactures simple geometrized products of constant section and indefinite length (2D products) made from thermoset Polyurethane (PUR), enabling a large scale manufacture of high added-value plastics widely used in construction such as profiles, frames, pipes, etc. The incorporation of PUR as structural material in extruded plastics will provide: >50% higher durability, >200%, thermal resistance increase, >100% thermal and acoustic insulation increase and >30% mechanical strength increase. The market entry will be performed with PUR profiles/frames products within the windows market, representing the major market share (28%) of extruded construction plastics with a 3 B€/y of revenue in EU. After market entry, the strategy will be replicated to pipes applications (22%), and later with other similar 2D products where PVC is the dominant material, a low sustainable plastic still questioned by the EU due to different environmental and geopolitical considerations since American and Asian PVC industries dominate over EU plastic industries.

Keywords: extrusion,thermoset plastic,sustainable materials
Governing with Data: Local Experimentation in Authoritarian China (DigitalGovernance)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Panel description: Political science, international relations, law
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2019-STG, 2019)
Start date: 2020-10-01
End date: 2026-09-30
Duration (months): 72.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1499160.0
EU funding (EUR): 1499160.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

As new information technologies and the advent of “big data” are reshaping societies around the globe, inquiries into the nature and varieties of digital governance and their consequences become increasingly urgent. “Smart cities” are mushrooming particularly quickly in China, which is home to more than half of the more than 1,000 smart cities worldwide. These city governments have begun to experiment with digital technologies to harness the power of big data analytics for governing society. Emerging practices have momentous implications for the organisation of social, political and economic life in China and globally. A systematic study has yet to address the lacking empirical and conceptual understanding of digitalising governance practices in authoritarian China. The project seizes a unique opportunity to witness “natural experiments” of digital government modes as they emerge from China’s advanced smart cities. A political economy framework and policy cycle analysis will be used to study the interplay between government, businesses and citizens in local decision-making as digital technologies are increasingly integrated into the process. Through mixed-method, the project will achieve three objectives: 1. Study the variation in local digital governance modes and understand why these modes evolved in different ways. 2. Explore the mechanisms through which digital technologies are integrated into local decision-making processes and governance structures. 3. Assess the impacts of new digital governance modes for citizens, businesses and the state. Findings will generate new empirical data, on the basis of which it will be possible to push the conceptualisation of emerging digital governance modes and the assessment of their benefits and risks. The project will significantly add to the field of digital governance in authoritarian states and will contribute to debates reaching beyond the China context about societal change under advancing digitalisation.

Keywords: china,local government,digital technologies,smart cities
Single Frequency Laser Inside a Crystal (GRAIL)

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: Information Science and Engineering
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2024-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 160932.48
EU funding (EUR): 160932.48
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

At a time when the climate emergency and an ever growing energy-demanding population are major issues facing the world, it is clearer than ever that new integrated sensing technologies are needed to: (1) locally adapt to climate change (by monitoring and preventing environmental catastrophes) and (2) globally mitigate it (by developing the future greener technologies which will require from advanced self-monitoring system integrated sensors). State-of-the-art heterogeneous silicon photonics or plasmonics cannot withstand real-world environments and must be carefully protected; this leading to the question: Will it be possible to foresee a nanophotonic technology capable of withstanding extreme environments? GRAIL will explore a new 3D nanofabrication approach for embedding monolithic nanophotonic sensors inside harsh-environment resistant crystals, such as for example in the protective layer of a smart watch or on unmanned vehicles and remote monitoring systems. GRAIL is meant to develop novel single-frequency nanophotonic lasers (SFL) for future extreme-environment resistant sensors. This new type of laser will merge for the 1st time concepts from so far disconnected optical fields: photonic crystal fibers, semiconductor lasers, and rare-earth doped solid-state lasers. This leap will be enabled by the 3D-laser nanofabrication process recently discovered by the Host Supervisor, as well as by the expertise of the ER in SFLs for next-generation gravitational-wave detectors. GRAIL will also tackle the transfer of this technology to an award-winning EU-company on ultrafast laser fabrication. GRAIL will provide a high-quality training to the ER in nanophotonics, 3D-laser nanolithography, IPR & technology transfer whereas the Host will greatly benefit from the creation of a new international research field. The EU Industrial Partner will benefit from acquiring first-hand knowledge on the innovative SFL nanophotonic technology, an its mass-produccion studies.

Keywords: extreme environment photonics,optical crystals,nanostructuring
Disrupting the Way We Store and Search for Files, Replacing The Folder-Based With a Context- Based Filing Paradigm. (Intranetum)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Industrial Leadership
Programme: Information and Communication Technologies
Action type: SME instrument
Countries involved: Spain
Call: Open Disruptive Innovation Scheme (H2020-SMEINST-1-2016-2017, 2016)
Start date: 2017-01-01
End date: 2017-06-30
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Knowledge workers such as lawyers or software engineers spend 16% of their time searching for information. Over 50% of the times, they do not find exactly what they are looking for. A lot of this time is wasted by employees using solutions that ask “where” the information is, instead of allowing the employee to search for “what” they are looking for. Digital folders mimic the way we have been storing documents for centuries: in drawers. But, does this make sense? 95% of docs contain written down ideas. So why don't we treat these written ideas like we do the ideas in our brain? Intranetum mimics the brain in order to connect the common dots in knowledge. In this way, instead of a traditional folder-based filing system, Intranetum provides a context-based filing system based on AI technologies, mainly Deep Learning. Intranetum is the first SaaS self-learning knowledge environment to connect people with information inside a company. We combine artificial intelligence and smart knowledge management to provide new insights, recommendations and predictions. The overall objective of the Phase II project is to create more sales by scaling-up the current system with additional features that provide more benefits to users and/or that give us access to a larger user base. The Expected Outcome of the Phase II project will be Intranetum v2.0 that reaches a larger potential user base due to additional functionalities and integrations. The specific objectives of Phase I Feasibility are: Technological Feasibility Study, Market Assessment, Business Model Assessment, Risk Assessment, IP Assessment, Work Plan for Phase II, Business Plan Our solution Intranetum is completely European. Of course, we are a European company, but also our beta users are all based in Europe, our team consists of Europeans and our aim is to contribute to Europe being the most successful knowledge economy it can be. Our revenues are likely to come from within Europe at first but we are eager to expand beyond

Keywords: knowledge management,machine learning,deep learning,api integration,algorithms,cognitive,computing,artificial intelligence
Systematic investigation of the functional coupling between transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory interactions underlying tissue-specific 3'UTRs variability. (NeuroUTR)

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: United Kingdom,United Kingdom
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014, 2014)
Start date: 2015-06-01
End date: 2017-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 183454.8
EU funding (EUR): 183454.8
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) serve as a key platform in the RNA regulatory network that controls mRNA translational efficiency, localisation and stability. Of all human cell-types, brain-specific isoforms have the longest 3' UTRs and therefore their regulation is likely to be most complex. Moreover, mutations perturbing the mRNA secondary structure and sites of mRNA-miRNA interactions can lead to diseases such as neurodegeneration. Isoforms of variable 3' UTRs are engendered by alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (polyA) site selection. Of the many factors contributing to this process, both transcriptional and RNA regulatory interactions have been extensively studied. Yet the regulatory mechanisms responsible for the systematic tissue-specific polyA site selection remain largely unknown. Here I hypothesise that changes in transcription factors, RNA binding proteins, and polyA factors activities together regulate the condition-specificity of this process. Furthermore I hypothesise that the resulting 3' UTR sequence variation contributes to increased protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders such as motor neurone disease (MND), a common but incurable disorder in which mRNA metabolism and protein homeostasis are disrupted. Here using bioinformatic approaches I will integrate a variety of genomic measurements, and systematically identify tissue-specific transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory interactions underlying polyA site selection. I will develop linear models to characterise the genome-wide functional coupling between these regulatory interactions and study how these associate with MND in regulating alternative 3' UTRs. In doing this project I will not only advance our current knowledge about RNA regulation but I will enable a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying MND, and in the long term, the future development of new therapies that ameliorate the regulation of 3' UTRs in neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: 3 untranslated regions,rna sequencing data,iclip sequencing data,motoneurone disease