Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Prediction + Optimisation for scheduling and rostering with CMPpy (PO-CPMpy)

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-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2024-03-01
End date: 2025-08-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

In today’s world, organizations across various industries face the challenge of efficiently scheduling their production processes and rostering their workforce optimally. However, despite consistent improvements in combinatorial optimization software for scheduling and rostering, the complexity of this task continues to grow due to uncertainty about multiple factors such as employee availability, demand fluctuations, supplier variability, variable prices, the impact of weather and the increasing need for energy efficiency. Machine learning can be used to make estimates about these uncertain factors, but the real challenge is in integrating predictions and the optimization of scheduling and rostering problems. Or more precisely *that predictions and optimization over these predictions need to be developed and evaluated together*. While many combinatorial optimisation solvers for solving scheduling and rostering exists, including Constraint Programming and Mixed Integer Programming solvers; few of these solvers can be easily integrated with machine learning libraries. Futhermore, in a machine learning pipeline, the requirements for the solver change. What is needed is a framework for solving prediction + optimization problems that bridges the machine learning and combinatorial optimization solving tools. It should allow actors to discover what a data-driven approach can signifigy to their scheduling and rostering problem, by allowing them to easily experiment and prototype, both on the learning side, the solving side and the combination of the two. In my ERC Consolidator project 'Conversational Human-Aware Technology for Optimisation', we started building such a library: CPMpy. We notice an increasing industrial interest in solving Prediction + Optimisation problems, but a lack of unified tools to do so. This proposal sets out to increase the Technological Readiness Level of CPMpy from TRL 4 to 6; and to demonstrate its potential and align it with industry needs.

Keywords: constraint programming,prediction optimisation,combinatorial optimisation
Advancing Aeronautics and Aerosol research to Accelerate Climate neutral aviation (A4Climate)

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
Countries involved: Germany,Romania,United Kingdom,Austria,Netherlands,France,United States,Belgium,Switzerland
Call: Accelerating climate neutral aviation, minimising non-CO2 emissions (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D5-01, 2024)
Start date: 2025-02-01
End date: 2029-01-31
Duration (months): 48.0
Total project cost (EUR): 4831975.5
EU funding (EUR): 4831975.5
Participants: 17
Project status: SIGNED

The mitigation of aviation non-CO2 effects, in particular contrails, could cut the radiative forcing from aviation by half in the next decade. Furthermore, the European Commission requires the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of non-CO2 forcing agents by 2027. However, large uncertainties currently prevent the implementation of dedicated mitigation measures. A4Climate directly targets the complex challenge of reducing aviation non-CO2 effects by advancing knowledge on engine particle emissions, contrails and their climate impact. Specifically, A4Climate improves weather and contrail predictions and integrates new information on contrail predictability, accuracy, climate impact and cost in a real time software. The contrail prediction tool will be validated on 400 contrail avoidance flights, thereby leveraging the consortium’s expertise in the air transport system, weather and climate research. A4Climate creates further knowledge on contrail formation in the “low-soot regime” through dedicated lab measurements and models, filling gaps towards the assessment of the climate impact of modern lean burn and future hydrogen-based propulsion systems. Ultimately, A4Climate provides unique new atmospheric data on humidity, aerosols and contrails from an exceptional campaign with a research aircraft to improve process and climate models and to investigate fuel sulfur effects on contrails and low clouds. Engaging policy and stakeholders early in the process, A4Climate will accelerate the evidence-based implementation of measures to reduce aviation non-CO2 effects. The 17 partners across academia, authorities and industry from 9 countries will collaborate over 4 years to ensure the success of the project with an overall budget of 8.1M € including 4.8M € EC contribution.

Keywords: aviation non co2 effects,aerosol,contrails,climate,prediction,software,aircraft measurements,atmospheric data,climate optimized flight routing,operations,atm,saf,engine technology
Preparing a Pre-Commercial Procurement for end-user services based on environmental observation in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation - PROTECT (PROTECT)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Theme: Bio-Environment
Destination: Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green Deal
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: France,Netherlands,Germany,Belgium,Italy,Slovakia,Greece
Call: Preparing for pre-commercial procurement (PCP) for end-user services based on environmental observation in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation (HORIZON-CL6-2021-GOVERNANCE-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-06-01
End date: 2024-06-30
Duration (months): 25.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1953528.8
EU funding (EUR): 1953526.25
Participants: 11
Project status: CLOSED

PROTECT aims at levering innovation procurement to unlock the climate service (CS) market’s potential to support urgent climate adaptation and mitigation. The project will allow public and private organisations to build up and integrate their knowledge and skills about climate change, environmental observation (EO) and innovation procurement, notably enabling public authorities to shift to a proactive governance model, using innovative public procurement approaches to increase value and climate impact for money. It shall increase access of CS SME providers across Europe to public procurement markets and shape solutions that best address public demand, both specific and systemic. The initial focus will be on five encompassing application domains (Utilities, Green cities, Health, Land use & Marine environment, Security) and their contributions to the areas of sustainability in Horizon Europe’s Cluster 6. The project will source and assess existing and high-potential CS solutions and technologies that use EO data. It will engage with an extensive and varied community of procurers, inform the definition and aggregation of their needs and functional requirements for CS, explaining, fostering and supporting a ‘buying with impact’ approach. Clearer, less fragmented demand shall guide and support R&D for future CS. PROTECT will prepare the operational ground for one or more joint, cross-border or coordinated pre-commercial procurement (PCP) processes and identify short-term actions so that Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI) can be activated towards or right after the project’s end. At policy level, it will provide decision-makers for procurement, climate and policy, at EU, national, regional and local levels, with practical recommendations and guidelines to boost the use of innovation procurement for climate action.

Keywords: pre commercial procurement public procurement of innovative solutions environmental observation climate services innovation procurement
The Role of Microbial Dormancy as an Ecological and Biogeochemical Regulator on Earth (SIESTA)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Earth System Science
Panel description: Physical geography, geo logy, geophysics, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, climatology, cryology, ecology, global environmental change, biogeochemical cycles, natural resources management
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2023-STG, 2023)
Start date: 2024-09-01
End date: 2029-08-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2089972.0
EU funding (EUR): 2089972.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Dramatic shifts in Earth’s climate and geography have profoundly influenced biological innovation and biogeochemical cycles. Despite widespread and extreme environmental change including global glaciations lasting millions of years, microbial life has thrived: accruing distinct phylogenies, morphologies, physiologies, and functions over geological time. Microorganisms use dormancy as a survival strategy to persist throughout unfavorable changes in their environment. Dormant organisms withdraw from the present environment and become part of a seed-bank, investing instead in contributing to the diversity and function of future ecosystems. This leads to the rousing proposition that a shift in the active/dormant fraction of a microbial population may profoundly affect ecological functioning and elemental cycling. Despite this intriguing connection, we lack fundamental knowledge on the prevalence, triggers and timescales of dormancy, and how these factors affect ecosystems and elemental budgets. I will address this by elucidating the role of microbial dormancy as an ecological and biogeochemical regulator on Earth. The cryosphere provides a unique testing ground to meet my goals. Here, microbes contend with dramatic variations in environmental extremes on timescales ranging from days to thousands of years. Through an innovative data-driven approach involving experiments and modelling, I will: 1) quantify the prevalence of dormancy among taxonomically and functionally diverse microbial communities, 2) identify the triggers and timescales of dormancy, 3) link dormancy to the emergence, survival and evolution of microbial populations and 4) elucidate the role of dormancy as a regulator of biogeochemical cycles. Understanding the interplay between microbial dormancy, ecological processes and biogeochemical cycles holds the key to understanding the co-evolution of life and our planet, and how life excels throughout glacial-interglacial cycles and other global changes.

Keywords: geobiology,biogeochemical cycles,environmental microbiology
Hybrid Encapsulated Advanced Thermometers for CAncer Mapping and thERApy (HEAT-CAMERA)

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-2025-POC, 2025)
Start date: 2025-10-01
End date: 2027-03-31
Duration (months): 18.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Early cancer diagnosis gives best chance for successful treatment. However, the currently available imaging techniques (CT, MRI, ultrasound) are limited in detecting very small cancerous lesions. Also, the location of the tumor may play a role in how big it must grow before it is visible. This is resulting in a rising interest from the medical community in new diagnostic tools. Luminescent thermometers could be an excellent new approach for early cancer detection. However, diagnosis alone is not enough. Immediate, minimally invasive treatment is needed to attack the cancer cells. It is ideal if these two modalities (diagnosis and therapy) can be combined in one technology. The concept of theranostics concerns the combination of both diagnostics and therapeutics in one “package” and is unquestionably a great option for an early stage and minimally invasive approach to cancer. Project HEAT-CAMERA aims at the design and development of theranostic nanoplatforms combining diagnosis through temperature and an on-demand drug release. Anti-cancer drugs are highly toxic and therefore it is desired that the drug is released directly to the diseased cells to reduce the overall toxicity to the body. This technology building on the best of currently available knowledge – merging the excellent thermometric properties of well-established Ag2S thermometers, with biocompatible, highly tuneable periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials. The porous PMO shell allows for incorporating photoswitching moieties. Once the nanoplatforms are loaded with an anti-cancer drug the photoswitching moieties yield controlled, on-demand drug release after near infrared (NIR) light irradiation. These Ag2S@HPMO-azo NIR light-controlled thermometry-drug delivery systems will open new avenues for clinical applications.
Dynamics of communities and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater (DEAR-Waste)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Spain
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2024-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 181152.96
EU funding (EUR): 181152.96
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Environmental antibiotic resistance is a major threat to human and veterinary health and a key issue addressed by the European One Health Action Plan Against Antimicrobial Resistance. City sewers shelter rich and diverse bacterial communities that are continuously exposed to antibiotic residues from human excreta, thus becoming a reservoir of resistance. Predicting the risk of antibiotic resistance evolution in city sewers requires a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and evolution of wastewater bacterial communities faced to such exposition. However, sewers are complex environments and contain multiple abiotic factors, which may act in non-additive ways. In addition, interactions between species within communities affect growth and consequently competition, through both density- and frequency-dependent processes. By changing the competitive ability of variants, such as antibiotic resistant phenotypes, interspecies interactions also change evolutionary processes. DEAR-Waste aims at understanding the dynamics of communities and antibiotic resistance evolution in city sewers, together with establishing wastewater as a model system for fundamental studies on community dynamics and evolution. DEAR-Waste adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combining high-throughput sequencing technologies, environmental chemistry, microbial ecology and evolution, time-series statistical analysis, and formal modelling. Data from synthetic mesocosms will parametrize the Hutchinsonian niche for population in communities: a tolerance curve mapping species performance onto a complex environmental space defined by the multidimensional abiotic environment and species interactions. Predictions from these curves will be tested against field measurements of microbial and chemical dynamics sampled in city sewers. An evolutionary experiment in similar mesocosms will finally quantify how environmental complexity and interspecies interactions modulate the evolution of antibiotic resistance.

Keywords: flow cytometry,lc ms ms
Parallel epigenomic and apoptotic profiling to identify targetable sensitivities in Multiple Myeloma (MM_BH3_CutTag)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: Ireland,United Kingdom
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-09-01
End date: 2024-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 215534.4
EU funding (EUR): 215534.4
Participants: 2
Project status: CLOSED

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable cancer caused by uncontrolled growth of the plasma cells. A major challenge is drug resistance, which is caused by increased reliance on the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins and altered epigenetic landscapes. Dependence is highly variable, with distinct dependencies on BCL-2 family members (MCL-1, BCL-2 & BCL-XL) across patient samples. It is currently not understood what causes heterogeneity of BCL2 dependence in MM, and thus exploiting this reliance for treatment has proved difficult. Epigenetic modifiers regulate apoptotic pathways and therefore represent a therapeutic avenue through which cells can be sensitized to BCL2-family inhibitor treatment. I will use the cutting-edge technology CUT&Tag to assess the epigenetic landscape of MM patient samples with diverse anti-apoptotic dependence. The key aim is to identify targetable epigenetic modifiers that can be combined with BCL2 inhibitors for more effective MM therapy. I have 3 main objectives for this proposal: 1) establish parallel CUT&Tag with BH3 profiling to understand the basal epigenetic profile of MCL-1/BCL-2/BCL-XL-dependent MM; 2) to identify inter- & intra-patient epigenetic profiles characteristic of sensitive/insensitive patient samples; 3) to assess MM sensitivity to epigenetic inhibitors, and I will apply this basic research to drug development during a 6-week secondment in Almac Discovery. This project will deliver vital information on mechanisms of drug insensitivity & therapeutic avenues to target epigenetic sensitivities in MM tumors. At this critical stage in my career, it is crucial that I further diversify my skillset and apply interdisciplinary tactics to my research questions. Winning the prestigious MSCA-PF will allow me to expand my skillset, gain inter-sectoral experience during secondment and foster key collaborations in clinical research. This is crucial to reach my ultimate career goal as an independent research expert in cancer epigenetics.

Keywords: cutandtag bh3 profiling multiple myeloma
Evolutionary origin of cell adhesion: the basis of multicellularity in the choanoflagellate Choanoeca flexa (FlexAggon)

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: Life Sciences
Countries involved: France
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-05-01
End date: 2025-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 195914.88
EU funding (EUR): 195914.88
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

How animal multicellularity evolved from unicellular ancestors remains an open evolutionary question. One key pre-requisite for the evolution of animal multicellularity was the evolution of cell adhesion. However, little is known about how cell adhesion evolved in the animal stem. In the last decades, considerable advances to reconstruct early animal evolution have come from investigations of the closest living unicellular relatives of animals, notably the choanoflagellates. These microeukaryotes have become powerful models to address the evolution of animals, for several reasons: (1) they are the sister group to all animals; (2) their genomes encode homologs of genes that can inform about animal origins, including an animal-like “cell-adhesion toolkit”; (3) they can temporarily adhere to each other and form multicellular colonies; and (4) they are amenable to functional genetics. Therefore, studies on choanoflagellate molecular and cell biology can inform the mechanisms of the emergence of multicellularity in animals. Here, I will investigate the cell adhesion mechanisms governing multicellularity in the recently discovered choanoflagellate Choanoeca flexa. C. flexa has direct cell-cell adhesion and aggregative multicellularity (unique in choanoflagellates) and also undergoes light-controlled collective contractility of colonies (unique in unicellular relatives of animals), making it a powerful model to study the emergence of collective behaviors. I will perform a systematic characterization of the environmental and endogenous factors regulating cell adhesion during colony formation in C. flexa using a combination of genetic engineering, biochemistry, proteomics, molecular and cell biology approaches, and functional genomics. The data generated here will contribute to converting C. flexa into an experimentally tractable species and has the potential to shed light on the pre-metazoan function of cell adhesion genes.

Keywords: evolution,multicellularity,origin of multicellularity,cell adhesion,choanoeca flexa,choanoflagellates,holozoa,aggregation,evo devo,evolutionary cell biology,protistology
Polish presidency conference: EU Innovation Journey'25 (EUInnovationJourney)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Innovative Europe
Programme: The European Innovation Council (EIC)
Theme: other EIC
Destination: Other destinations
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Poland
Call: Polish Presidency Conference (HORIZON-EIC-2025-POLPRES-IBA, 2025)
Start date: 2025-04-01
End date: 2025-09-30
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 300010.0
EU funding (EUR): 300000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

The EU Innovation Journey’25 conference, organized under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, aims to foster an integrated and well-connected deep tech innovation ecosystem in Europe. The event will focus on best practices in supporting deep-tech startups, addressing gaps in technology, business, and investment readiness, and strengthening collaboration between key stakeholders to drive innovation-driven growth. Building upon the New European Innovation Agenda, the conference aligns with the Competitiveness Compass for the EU, reinforcing the strategic direction set by the European Commission to enhance Europe's innovation landscape. The Compass outlines a framework for closing innovation gaps, reducing regulatory barriers, and fostering a more integrated Single Market. It emphasizes access to venture capital, regulatory streamlining, and skills development, essential for enabling startups and scale-ups to thrive. The conference will identify and promote best practices in supporting deep-tech startups from innovation ecosystems of varying maturity, addressing critical barriers, including: -Lack of specialized support for deep-tech companies at national and regional levels. -Limited access to investors, peer networks, and potential clients in less developed innovation ecosystems. -Fragmented policy approaches that hinder scaling efforts across Europe. The conference will provide a structured dialogue between technology transfer offices, academia, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders to shape a cohesive deep-tech support framework. Key deliverables will include: -Best practice case studies showcasing successful models of collaboration. -Strategic insights for integrating deep-tech support mechanisms into national and EU-level programs. -A comprehensive report, “How to Bridge the Innovation Gap”, providing concrete recommendations on closing the deep-tech innovation divide between Western and CEE region of Europe.

Keywords: innovation support ecosystem,central and eastern europe,innovation gap,deep tech,investment,technology transfer,synergies,alignment of national and eu funding schemes