Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
The Ethics of Loneliness and Sociability (Ethics of Loneliness)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Texts and Concepts
Panel description: Literary studies , literature,  philosophy
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2021-STG, 2021)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2028-03-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1025860.0
EU funding (EUR): 1025860.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Loneliness, which can be defined as the negative mental states (e.g. sadness, despair) that people experience when they feel that they do not have enough relationships, or not the right kinds of relationships, is a widespread phenomenon in many societies. Even prior to the current pandemic, surveys from Europe and North-America reported that 20 to 35 percent of adults between the ages of 65 and 79 say that they are frequently lonely, a figure that rises to 40 to 50 percent among those aged 80 and above. Other groups that are at high risk of chronic loneliness include informal care-givers; people with disabilities; and adolescents, with 40 percent of 16-24 year old Britons saying that they are 'often' or 'very often' lonely. These statistics are worrisome, as chronic loneliness has been found to contribute to e.g. depression; dementia; and poor physical health, with some medical experts arguing that its health effects can be compared to those of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In addition to this, loneliness takes a heavy economic toll. In the UK, for instance, it is estimated that ill health associated with loneliness costs employers 2.5 billion GBP every year. Yet while the severity of these harms and economic costs makes loneliness prevention and alleviation a highly important topic to study (as psychologists and sociologists have long realized), philosophers have paid scant attention to it. The aim of this project is to fill this lacuna. Through ethical analysis and reflection on relevant philosophical, psychological and sociological literatures, it will investigate what moral duties private individuals and societies more broadly (i.e. states) have to help protect people from loneliness and to help ensure that people can protect themselves from loneliness. This will culminate in the development of the first normative theory of loneliness within the scholarly literature and in the establishment of a new sub-field within moral and political philosophy.

Keywords: loneliness,sociability social isolation lockdowns relationships
Valorization of Lactobacilli and their Antimicrobial Peptides for Reproductive and Intimate Health Enhancement (VALERIE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Proof of concept grants
Action type: ERC actions
Countries involved: Belgium
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2024-POC, 2024)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2026-10-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

In an era marked by escalating concerns over antibiotic and antimycotic resistance as the next major global pandemic, the need to explore unconventional sources of antimicrobial agents has become increasingly urgent. In this context, lactobacilli, traditionally renowned for their probiotic and food applications, have recently emerged as a promising source of novel antimicrobial strategies. These lactic acid bacteria, abundant in various natural habitats including the human vagina and fermented foods, present a unique source for the discovery of novel antimicrobial compounds, because the compounds are valuable as such when purified and when combined with the producing lactobacilli are used as live biotherapeutic products or probiotics. The VALERIE project starts from recent discoveries in the host laboratory that lactobacilli from the vagina can produce specialized antimicrobials, including novel bacteriocin-types. This discovery is particularly appealing since gynaecology and women’s health is an area in medicine which urgently needs new antimicrobials. VALERIE aims to bring these discoveries to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL4). Our objectives include purifying and characterizing these compounds and assessing their antimicrobial efficacy against key pathogens, including fungi like Candida albicans and ESKAPE pathogens and elucidate their mode of action. Hereto, we will assess the safety and efficacy of the purified compounds and producing lactobacilli in silico, in vitro and in vivo and initiate the development of multispecies lactobacilli formulation for applications with the live producing micro-organisms. These experiments will result in a robust dataset that can attract industrial partners for future endeavours aimed at clinical applications. Through innovative approaches, we aspire to unveil and harness the untapped antimicrobial potential of lactobacilli, providing a ray of hope in our ongoing battle against antibiotic resistance.

Keywords: probiotics,live biotherapeutics,vaginal microbiome,women s health,antibiotics
LOW-DIMENSIONAL FERROELECTRICS FOR ADVANCED ELECTRONIC AND BIOMEDICAL DEVICES (FeLow-D)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area
Programme: Widening participation and spreading excellence
Theme: Attracting and mobilising the best talents
Destination: Attracting and mobilising the best talents
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Latvia
Call: ERA Chairs (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-11-01
End date: 2029-10-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2492490.0
EU funding (EUR): 2492490.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The FeLow-D project at the Institute of Solid-State Physics of the University of Latvia (ISSP UL) aims to boost research in low-dimensional ferroelectric (FE) materials for electronic and biomedical applications. This research field is now burgeoning due to multiple discoveries of novel functionalities and various applications of FEs in ambient energy harvesting, flexible sensors, smart implants, piezocatalytic devices, scaffolds for tissue regeneration, and many more. This initiative plans to establish ISSP UL as a leader in this field by creating a state-of-the-art research laboratory and making structural enhancements for sustainable growth. By appointing an outstanding ERA Chair holder, Dr. Andrei Kholkin (h=66), FeLow-D will attract top talents, prevent brain-drain, and promote open knowledge sharing within Research & Innovation system. Focusing on industry collaboration and intensive transition from lab innovations to market viability, the project will significantly contribute to European Research Area objectives. Through its dedication to advancing low-dimensional ferroelectrics, FeLow-D will ensure the development of novel FE materials and structures with exceptional performance, providing pathways to next-generation technologies for localized energy sources, smart biomedical systems, wearable sensors, piezoelectric scaffolds, etc., which will have a significant impact on scientific and technological development in Latvia and Europe. The development of FE devices will definitively improve the European position in the corresponding markets and bridge the gap between fundamental research, technology development, and practical applications of low-dimensional ferroelectrics.

Keywords: sustainable research innovative applications advanced ferroelectrics capacity building cooperation
Advanced POwer conversion technologies based on onboard ammonia cracking through novel membrane reactors (APOLO)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Mobility
Destination: Clean and competitive solutions for all transport modes
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Partnership: ZEWT (co-programmed)
Countries involved: Spain,Netherlands,United Kingdom,Italy,Sweden,Austria,Norway
Call: Developing the next generation of power conversion technologies for sustainable alternative carbon neutral fuels in waterborne applications (ZEWT Partnership) (HORIZON-CL5-2023-D5-01, 2023)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7511266.25
EU funding (EUR): 7511266.25
Participants: 14
Project status: SIGNED

Through a holistic approach, APOLO aims to tackle the challenges of power conversion from ammonia and develop an efficient and flexible ammonia cracking technology. This technology will be coupled with fuel cells and engines to achieve complete decarbonization of the maritime sector. As the main objective of the call is to demonstrate scalability beyond 3MW, the consortium will focus on showcasing the following demonstration units: i) A 125kW power conversion system that utilizes an ammonia cracker coupled with a PEM fuel cell system, achieving an overall system efficiency of 51% to 54%. The ammonia cracker will be customized to work with different pressure conditions and efficiency levels of PEM fuel cells. A comparison of efficiency levels will be conducted to evaluate the flexibility of the cracking system for all types of PEM fuel cells. ii) A 125kW partial ammonia cracker coupled with a 4-stroke engine, exhibiting an overall system efficiency above 45% APOLO is dedicated to minimizing the ecological footprint of transportation and energy, focusing on the maritime sector. To achieve this, we're actively developing innovative power conversion technologies such as cracker, fuel cell, and engine, and utilizing life cycle assessment (LCA) at various stages of product development. The technologies developed in APOLO are capable of targeting the first 30,000 ships in the market. Initially, the focus will be on vessels with 1 to 10 MW propulsion, with a significant number of them being around 3 MW in the next decade, as these are the first vessels relevant for ammonia-powered solutions.

Keywords: ammonia cracking,fuel cells,ammonia engine,catalytic membrane reactor,power conversion
Complex Contagion of Childcare Strategies amongst Low-Income Parents (CHILDCARE STRATEGIES)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Human Mobility, Environment, and Space
Panel description: Human geography, demography, health, susta inability science, territorial planning, spatial analysis
Countries involved: Netherlands
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2021-STG, 2021)
Start date: 2022-07-01
End date: 2027-06-30
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1470130.0
EU funding (EUR): 1470130.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Background - High quality childcare greatly improves outcomes in later life. Yet childcare access and usage are distributed unevenly, leading to amplified inequalities in later life outcomes. Parents from low-income households are 50% less likely to use formal childcare services than high-income households and use them when the child is older and less intensely. Research has shown that cost, location, and quality of childcare effects usage, yet policy solutions aimed at removing these barriers have not reduced inequalities in usage. Aim - In this project, sociological, economic, demographic and social policy perspectives are synthesized within a framework of ‘complex contagions’ to investigate how the use of formal childcare diffuses across low income populations, with the aim of identifying barriers to uptake in formal childcare. Approach - This project breaks through the state of the art to more clearly describe why some childcare strategies, that use formal childcare, don’t spread to low income households. With a complex contagion, people only adopt a new behaviour if they are repeatedly exposed to it from multiple, diverse actors in their network. Low income households have personal networks with long weak ties and high, multi-layer clustering, that make adopting new childcare strategies unlikely. This project therefore examines how the childcare strategies present in work, family and neighbourhood networks influences the childcare strategies of low income households. Innovation & Impact - The analysis will draw on unprecedented, linked administrative and survey data to study the diffusion of childcare strategies. Network data are used in combination with multichannel sequence analysis and other longitudinal methods to identify the role of networks in shaping childcare strategies. The project will completely reframe our understanding of not only childcare strategies, but also parallel areas of social policy and the wider study of behaviour diffusion in

Keywords: childcare,fertility,female employment,networks
The interplay of neural networks enabling social interaction (INTERACT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Human Mind and Its Compl exity
Panel description: Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics
Countries involved: Germany
Call: ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS (ERC-2022-COG, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2028-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2000000.0
EU funding (EUR): 2000000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The quality and number of social interactions are among the best predictors of long-term health. So how do good social interactions arise? Social neuroscience has focused on a number of affective and cognitive functions as potential “building blocks” of social interaction. However, utilizing mainly simplistic and passive paradigms, we still fail at describing how actual, live social interactions emerge – and why they so often go awry, especially in people with mental disorders. Here, the concept of “building blocks” may have become an impediment to progress. Recent evidence suggests that in more complex experimental tasks, socio-affective and -cognitive processes are not simply stacked up, but are dynamically working together, just as the underlying neural networks seem to engage in lively interplay. INTERACT’s main objective is to understand how adaptive social interactions emerge, based on elucidating the interactions of networks and processes. INTERACT will take a major leap forward with a systematic and mechanistic, yet fully socially-interactive approach. Across six work packages, INTERACT will move from the comprehensive investigation of behavioral and neural interaction patterns of social affect and cognition in controlled lab settings to completely free social interactions in people’s everyday lives. Combining a novel experimental approach with dual neuroimaging (hyperscanning) and multisite neurostimulation, neuroeconomics, and multi-agent ecological ambulatory assessment, INTERACT will shift from a modular to a complex systems study of actual social interaction. It also provides steps towards specific and targeted interventions in people with social interaction difficulties. INTERACT aspires to bridge the gap between basic and applied research, developing an interdisciplinary model of social interactions that expands our knowledge and applies it to real-world settings.

Keywords: social neuroscience empathy theory of mind perspective taking prosocial behavior functional magnetic resonance imaging fmri ecological momentary assessment ema second person neuroscience transcranial magnetic stimulation tms mental training
Disrupting Noxious Synergies of Indoor Air Pollutants and their Impact in Childhood Health and Wellbeing, using Advanced Intelligent Multisensing and Green Interventions (SynAir-G)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Health
Theme: Health
Destination: Living and working in a health promoting environment
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Greece,France,Germany,Sweden,Belgium,Finland,Cyprus,Italy,Switzerland,United Kingdom,Georgia
Call: Indoor air quality and health (HORIZON-HLTH-2021-ENVHLTH-02, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2026-08-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6662223.76
EU funding (EUR): 6662223.0
Participants: 23
Project status: SIGNED

While the number and types of indoor air pollutants is rising, much is suspected but little is known about the impact of their potentially synergistic interactions, upon human health. Highly susceptible populations include children, allergy and asthma sufferers, and a low socioeconomic background, however no specific guidance is available. SynAir-G aims to reveal and quantify synergistic interactions between different pollutants affecting health, from mechanisms to real-life, focusing on the school setting. We will develop a comprehensive and responsive multipollutant monitoring system, advance environmentally friendly interventions, and disseminate the generated knowledge to relevant stakeholders in accessible and actionable formats. To achieve these objectives, SynAir-G will construct and deploy novel and improved sensors of chemical and biological (allergens, microbes) pollutants. These will be tested in a real-world setting, in participating schools of 5 countries around Europe and eventually combined into a multisensing platform. In the same setting, pollutants will be linked to their sources and two eco-friendly air-purifying devices will be assessed. Health outcome data will be obtained from children using a gamified app and prospective monitoring, respecting privacy. Highly susceptible children, such as those with allergy or asthma, will act as sentinels to increase sensitivity of the system, that will be able to provide stratified (susceptibility-specific) alerts. Explainable AI will support the near-real time analysis and response. In parallel, cell and mouse models will evaluate the mechanisms and complex dose-responses of the synergistic parameters. SynAir-G will thus provide FAIR data on air pollutants and their sources, a comprehensive and personalized user-friendly solution to monitoring indoor air quality, and proposals for possible interventions and an improved regulatory framework, robustly supporting the Zero Pollution Action Plan. SynAir-G is part of the Indoor air and health cluster.

Keywords: school,children,asthma,allergy,rhinovirus,epithelial barrier,instrument automation,biosensors,internet of things,artificial intelligence,aerosols,volatile organic compounds,aerobiology
Machine Learning-Enhanced Design of Homogeneous Bifunctional Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation (BIFUCCO2)

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: Norway,Switzerland
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-05-01
End date: 2027-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 251578.56
EU funding (EUR): 251578.56
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

As a global society, we face the urgent challenge of reducing CO2 emissions. In response, governmental organisations, such as the European Union, have introduced policies promoting sustainable practices and renewable energy sources. One initiative is the conversion of CO2 into valuable products, with CO2-based methanol synthesis emerging as a promising approach. Methanol serves both as a low-density fuel and a feedstock for essential chemicals. While heterogeneous catalysts are commonly used in this reaction, they necessitate harsh conditions and exhibit low selectivity. Homogeneous catalysts, in contrast, operate at milder conditions and allow for fine-tuned active sites, potentially enhancing performance. Nevertheless, conventional methods for discovering new efficient catalysts are time-consuming and costly. BIFUCCO2 aims to overcome these limitations by leveraging computational techniques to pinpoint the most promising homogeneous bifunctional catalysts for this reaction from over a million in silico designed candidates. By implementing a machine learning (ML) workflow, the identification of the most efficient catalysts for this process will be achieved, enabling our experimental collaborators to validate the findings. The project merges the applicant’s knowledge in data-driven techniques, the proficiency of Res. Prof. Nova’s group in catalytic mechanisms (University of Oslo), the experience of Res. Prof. Balcells in ML applications (University of Oslo), and the expertise of Prof. Dr. Reiher (ETH Zürich, secondment) in chemical reaction networks, alongside contributions from experimental collaborators (Prof. Beller, LIKAT). BIFUCCO2 provides a framework for enhancing my existing research skills and acquiring novel insights from domain experts across various disciplines. The training activities during the grant period will significantly advance my professional career, consolidating my ability to lead a research group in the field of computational chemistry.

Keywords: bifunctional catalysts,co2 hydrogenation
Controlling Colloidal Gels for Novel Sustainable Materials (CoCoGel)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Destination: Doctoral Networks
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Panel: Physics
Countries involved: Greece,France,United Kingdom,United States,Switzerland,Austria,Germany,Spain,Belgium,Netherlands
Call: MSCA Doctoral Networks 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN-01, 2022)
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2027-12-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 3977114.4
EU funding (EUR): 3409898.4
Participants: 22
Project status: SIGNED

Transformative advances in product formulation are required to meet the demand for sustainability across a wide range of EU-priority industrial areas. Colloidal gels – complex, out-of-equilibrium soft matter systems – are core components in many of the formulations encountered therein, including building materials (e.g., cement), energy materials (e.g., batteries and fuel cells), consumer care and food products, and medicine. Current industrial practice requires delicate balancing between thermodynamic parameters (composition and interactions), quenching kinetics, and processing conditions to achieve gel structures with the desired material performance (e.g., mechanical, thermal, or electrical properties). Without a robust physical understanding of how the microstructure can be controlled and how this links to material properties, this balancing remains limited to trial and error. Recent advances in colloidal-gel physics strongly imply that the rational design of colloidal gel properties is within reach. This design is based on tuning gel microstructure via external stimuli, such as shear, ultrasound, and (magnetic/electric) fields, and the addition of non-Brownian inclusions. The CoCoGel doctoral network will enable the translation from the current academic state of the art to industrial practice, focusing on these routes to controlling microstructure. We will bring together 6 academic and 6 industrial partners – experts in a range of experimental, computational, and theoretical techniques – who can realize the creation of new sustainable materials and production processes via these routes. Key to the success of our industrial doctoral training network is a deepening and extending of existing collaborations, as well as the training of a new generation of researchers with both multi-disciplinary expertise in soft materials and practical experience engaging with industry. These will drive further sustainable development over a wide range of European industries.

Keywords: colloids,soft matter,colloidal gels,metastable out of equilibrium systems