Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Engineering viral vectors for high-throughput CRISPR genetic screens in plants (VISCREEN)

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: Belgium
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01, 2022)
Start date: 2023-04-01
End date: 2025-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 175920.0
EU funding (EUR): 175920.0
Participants: 2
Project status: TERMINATED

Tools based on CRISPR-Cas systems hold great potential both for fundamental plant genetics and precision crop breeding. Unlike traditional mutagenic approaches, CRISPR-Cas systems allow for the simultaneous delivery of thousands of unique guide RNAs, enabling the generation of collections of higher-order mutants for rapid functional screens and the discovery of genetic interactions. However, CRISPR technology suffers from a ‘transformation bottleneck’; relatively few crop genotypes can be transformed and often only a handful of mutant lines can be produced. In virus-induced genome editing (VIGE), plant viruses are engineered to deliver gRNAs into cells. Such a capability is highly attractive for CRISPR knock-out (KO) screens as it could simplify the delivery and generate large populations of mutant lines in a broader range of crop genotypes. However, the application of VIGE for CRISPR KO screens is hampered by the lack of a proper viral-based multiplex gRNA delivery vector. My host lab has pioneered the development of CRISPR KO screens in plants, and in VISCREEN I will combine this knowledge with my expertise on VIGE to scale up CRISPR-Cas-mediated manipulation of plant genomes. The main objectives of my project are: (i) to develop Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) for high-throughput CRISPR screens in wheat and maize; and (ii) to engineer and validate a set of viral vectors for VIGE in soybean. The viral vector-based, high-throughput editing systems developed in VISCREEN will expand CRISPR screens in a wider variety of crops and allow to test fundamental biological questions that are limited by functional redundancy. Overall, this innovative approach will make me a well-trained academic researcher with the capabilities to develop a professional career within the plant genome editing field.

Keywords: crispr cas,virus induced genome editing,knockout screen,multiplexing
Extreme Citizen Science Techniques And Tools In the Cloud (ECSTATIC)

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: France
Call: ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS (ERC-2023-POC, 2023)
Start date: 2024-08-01
End date: 2026-06-30
Duration (months): 23.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150000.0
EU funding (EUR): 150000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Over the past decade, the Extreme Citizen Science group has developed a methodology to engage low literate participants in the co-production of scientific knowledge, in an inclusive and ethical methodology that ensures community involvement and shared benefits. The methodology involved a set of technical tools, that are named Sapelli Collector, Sapelli Viewer, Sapelli Designer, and GeoKey. Prototypes of these tools were developed through the ERC-AdG-2015 ECSAnVis project and have been shown to be effective and useful in over twenty case studies in twelve countries in the Global South. Our research has thus demonstrated that any community with low technical literacy can play a part and collect data with smartphones in all the different landscapes of the planet, from rainforest to drylands and croplands. Enabling this has the potential of engaging 1 billion people, currently excluded from knowledge co-production. The ECSTATIC project is taking the next step in scaling up the use of this novel socio-technical approach to develop large scale community-led social-ecological services. The approach holds the potential of addressing a wide range of social and environmental issues - from protecting resources that are critical for Indigenous people, to mitigating climate change risks, and monitoring supply chains in remote locations through co-created citizen science. The aim of the project is to develop the next generation of Sapelli technology so it is streamlined and integrated, and therefore can be used more easily by third parties, as well as identify the necessary pathway for the development of a knowledge-based social business with Software as a Service and support services at its core. This way, the technology can remain free and open source, including guidelines and tutorials, while securing the necessary funding to develop it further. Collaborations with Non-Governmental Organisations in Cameroon and Ethiopia will ensure the efficacy and relevance of the project.

Keywords: citizen science,indigenous knowledge,participatory mapping,
Dissecting FOXO-mediated Transcription Noise to Stall Cellular Dysfunction in Ageing (FOX-mTN)

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: Portugal
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01, 2021)
Start date: 2022-06-01
End date: 2024-05-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 156778.56
EU funding (EUR): 156778.56
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Ageing is the result of accumulated cellular dysfunction and loss of tissue homeostasis, which often leads to the emergence of age-related pathologies such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders. The disruption of tissue homeostasis during ageing is particularly critical in the case of the vascular endothelium. The signaling interface and barrier to external factors is provided by a single layer of endothelial cells in a quiescent state. The maintenance of this quiescent state plays an important role in vascular aging and development of cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have shown that the FOXO1 is a critical driver of endothelial quiescence, where its loss and overexpression leads to vascular overgrowth and rarefaction, respectively. My preliminary analyses show that gene expression levels of FOXO family varies in aged-tissues and that FOXO1/3/4 mutant mice display significant vascular malformation in the retina. On the other hand, ageing is associated with an increase of transcriptional noise and accumulation of aberrant RNA, which if not eliminated, may lead to cellular dysfunction. My preliminary data shows that even healthy tissues have significant levels of transcriptional noise, while old individuals present higher levels of such aberrant transcription. However, transcription noise is an unexplored phenomenon impacting cell homeostasis. In addition, my analyses also show that FOXO1 overexpression in cultured human endothelial cells leads to higher levels of transcription noise. Given the accumulating evidence and my preliminary findings, I propose to explore how the dysregulation of FOXO transcription factors increases transcription noise, promoting functional decline of the vascular endothelium through ageing. Understanding the cascade events that drive this transcription aberrancy can have a significant impact on the prevention of cellular function decline and delay a wide range of ageing illnesses.

Keywords: transcription noise,ageing,foxo,vascular endothelium,bioinformatics
New corner in 3D gravity: non-Lorentzian sectors and their applications to condensed matter models (NRCG)

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: Physics
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-09-01
End date: 2028-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 236340.0
EU funding (EUR): 236340.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Gravity is the fundamental force that is an integral part of our daily lives. Despite its ubiquity, one of the most open questions in theoretical physics is whether gravity is a geometrical phenomenon, as Einstein proposed, or governed by the law of quantum mechanics. This question leads to the formulation of a still-unknown framework called quantum gravity. A predominant model to address this problem is 3D gravity, which contains the same conceptual features as 4D Einstein theory. For decades, it has been a concrete model of quantising gravity with applications to black hole mechanics, spacetime solutions and their relation to condensed matter models, and the most fertile scenario to apply the AdS/CFT correspondence. This project focuses on formulating an intriguing new corner of 3D gravity. The latest sector is called non-Lorentzian 3D gravity, and time and the other spatial dimensions are dealt with differently as relativistic theories. I will study the foundations and dynamics of this self-contained sector with applications to the quantum Hall effect. My knowledge of non-Lorentzian topics has been gained during my PhD at CECs (Chile) and Niels Bohr Insitute (Denmark) and my postdoctoral position at the University of Iceland (Iceland), where I collaborated with world experts in non-Lorentzian aspects of physical systems. Therefore, this background on non-Lorentzian limits of physical systems makes me excellently suited for exploring other new sectors in gravity, and MCSA-PF provides me with the support to make it. The skills of this cutting-edge research will be transferred to the host organisation, Nordita and Stockholm University, via my long-term collaborations with leading institutions in the EU and Latin America. The varied research spectrum within its faculty members and postdocs makes Nordita an excellent environment for this project. The host, the EU, and I will benefit from the collaboration between the scientific networks this project will bring.

Keywords: 3d einstein gravity,ads cft correspondence,asymptotic spacetime structure,non lorentzian gravity theories,quantum hall effect
European Produced sustaInable SODium-ion battEries for stationary applications (EPISODE)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness
Programme: Climate, Energy and Mobility
Theme: Energy
Destination: Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition
Action type: Innovation actions
Partnership: Batteries (co-programmed)
Countries involved: Italy,Germany,United Kingdom,Netherlands,France,Estonia,Spain
Call: Non-Li Sustainable Batteries with European Supply Chains for Stationary Storage (Batt4EU Partnership) (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01, 2024)
Start date: 2024-12-01
End date: 2028-09-30
Duration (months): 46.0
Total project cost (EUR): 7956312.27
EU funding (EUR): 6454214.89
Participants: 14
Project status: SIGNED

The main mission for EPISODE is to develop a non-lithium battery technology based on abundant available low-cost materials, with attractive energy density and power metrics (close to that of LFP-based Li-ion batteries counterparts), that are durable (> 15 years and > 5,000 cycles), have a high round-trip efficiency (>95%), are non-toxic, non-critical, intrinsically safe and recyclable. A further aspect of this mission is that the production processes for the anode, cathode, electrolyte solutions and binders as well as cell production will be sustainable, energy-efficient and demonstrated at industrial mass manufacturing scale. Combining all of this leads to a non-lithium modular battery system with favourable CAPEX (< 150 €/kW storage capacity), OPEX (approx. 0.03 €/kWh/cycle) and carbon footprint (<100kgCO2eq/kWh), enabling energy storage applications, ranging from domestic installations (multiple units of 6.2 kWh/unit to be demonstrated in the project with projections towards large utility installations of multiple MWh. As a consequence, this will establish a European-based, globally competitive battery supply- and value chain that supports economic prosperity and the net-zero transition. The integrated material-manufacturing and sustainability assessment approach in EPISODE will transform the existing (Li) battery manufacturing process into a sustainable one to meet the future needs of the sustainable and resilient EU battery industry. In EPISODE, the project objectives will be achieved by a strong alliance among physics, chemistry and materials science researchers from both academia and industry (ARK, UPC, ISE), academic battery cell producers (CID, WMG) and industrial module manufacturers (FAAM), end-users (EGP, EnelX, EnBW, Senec) as well as expertise in environmental assessments (UAH, KIT) and experts in project management and communication and dissemination activities (UNR).

Keywords: sodium ion,sustainable,energy efficient,industrial mass manufacturing scale
Peering at the micromechanics of the brittle-ductile transition and its effects on fluid flow (PERCOLATE)

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: Norway
Call: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01, 2024)
Start date: 2026-05-01
End date: 2028-04-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 251578.56
EU funding (EUR): 251578.56
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Supercritical geothermal energy is a new frontier in the pursuit of renewable, carbon-free energy. However, the extreme pressure and temperature conditions where supercritical reservoirs are found in Earth's crust coincide with the transition zone where rocks shift from brittle to ductile behaviour. Historically, this transition was believed to be a cut-off for fluid circulation, but recent findings have challenged this view, highlighting the urgent need to understand the mechanical and hydrological behaviours of rocks within this rheological domain. PERCOLATE proposes to investigate the mechanics of rock deformation and fluid flow at this brittle-ductile transition by integrating advanced rock deformation techniques, X-ray 4D imaging, machine learning-based image analysis and fluid flow modelling This project leverages my extensive experimental experience and enriches my expertise with valuable new skills in imaging and machine learning. Ultimately, PERCOLATE will contribute to the EU New Green Deal’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by advancing our comprehension of geothermal energy and deformation in the crust.

Keywords: experimental rock mechanics,rheology,x ray computed tomography,fluid flow
Revealing the functions of Pleistocene EXpedient OSseous TECHnology with an innovative approach that integrates tribology with AI (ExOsTech)

Framework: Horizon Europe — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Starting grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: The Study of the Human Past
Panel description: Archaeology and history
Countries involved: France
Call: ERC STARTING GRANTS (ERC-2024-STG, 2024)
Start date: 2025-01-01
End date: 2029-12-31
Duration (months): 60.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1743391.0
EU funding (EUR): 1743391.0
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Over the last two decades, growing evidence attests to the use of unmodified or partially modified bone fragments as tools by members of our lineage prior to the emergence of fully shaped, standardized bone tools. These simple tools, some of which date to 2.4 million years ago (Myr), were interpreted as items used for digging, piercing, cutting, or scraping but definitive conclusions are difficult to reach without comprehensive evidence owing to the lack of adequate research strategies for investigating them. Indeed, we critically need quantitative replicable methods to infer their role in past cultural systems, which, in turn, would allow us to document their evolution in relation to other aspects of Pleistocene material culture. ExOsTech aims to tackle this challenging task through the development and application of an innovative approach that integrates tribology with artificial intelligence to study use-wear patterns present on expedient osseous tools. This methodological breakthrough relies on discriminant analysis of surface textural data (ISO 25178) acquired by confocal microscopy as well as image recognitions and multi-class neural network algorithms to precisely establish the function of expedient osseous tools. This method will be applied to study assemblages from Europe, Southern Africa, and East Asia dated between 1.8 Ma and 60 thousand years ago (ka). Cross-cultural comparisons of regional trajectories will be performed to establish when expedient osseous tools became fully integrated in past cultural systems and when standardized behaviours guiding their selection and use emerged in our lineage. Ultimately, ExOsTech will offer a new perspective on Pleistocene cultural dynamics that can not otherwise be inferred solely from stone technology.

Keywords: pleistocene bone tools cultural evolution tribology
Does natural selection align with sexual selection to promote reproductive isolation in different environments? An experimental approach (SpeSex)

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: Environment and Geosciences
Countries involved: Sweden
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2020-09-01
End date: 2022-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 203852.16
EU funding (EUR): 203852.16
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Understanding the drivers of reproductive isolation between populations lies at the core of evolutionary biology and is central to understanding how speciation occurs. Natural selection has been traditionally considered a major force driving speciation, but other forces can hamper or reinforce the impact of natural selection on adaptation, including sexual selection. So far, theoretical and empirical studies have produced mixed findings about the extent to which natural and sexual selection act jointly or in opposition to drive reproductive isolation, and hence speciation. Experimental evolution is a powerful tool to test the combined effect of natural and sexual selection to drive population divergence. In this action, I will use seed beetle Acanthoscelides obtectus from long-term experimental evolution lines, which have differed in environmental condition and selective pressures, to explore reproductive isolation as driven by the interaction between local adaptation to a novel environment and sexual selection/conflict. In a novel framework combining phenotypic-level measurements with genomic tools, I will quantify (a) the extent of pre-zygotic reproductive isolation between populations under different environmental regimes; (b) the extent of post-zygotic reproductive isolation, by determining the extent to which hybrid eggs and offspring are of lower fitness than non-hybrids; and (c) gene expression and selection pressures associated with the novel environment at loci associated with natural and sexual selection, which are putative sources of reproductive isolation. This project represents a major advance in our understanding of the role of multiple selective forces in driving species diversity.

Keywords: a obtectus,natural selection,population genomics,reproductive isolation,sexual selection
LiquidEff: Algebraic Foundations for Liquid Effects (LiquidEff)

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: Slovenia
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018, 2018)
Start date: 2019-10-01
End date: 2021-09-30
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 150040.32
EU funding (EUR): 150040.32
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The goal of the LiquidEff project is to significantly advance the state of the art of type-based reasoning about the correctness of programs that can incorporate computational effects such as accessing memory, raising and handling exceptions, making nondeterministic and probabilistic choices, and communicating over a network---all integral features of modern mainstream programming languages. The timeliness and importance of this project is demonstrated by the staggering cost of software failure in our increasingly digital world---one recent study put the number at $1.7 trillion worldwide in 2017 alone. While there already exist different approaches to type-based reasoning about the correctness of effectful programs, they all have their notable shortcomings: the approaches might be tied to a specific typing discipline, the supported effects can be limited, and the kind of properties one can reason about may be restricted. In contrast, the LiquidEff project aims to develop a foundational, uniform, and widely applicable framework for type-based reasoning about effectful programs, based on the highly scalable and modular algebraic approach to modelling computational effects. Specifically, this project will 1) develop an expressive modal logic for reasoning about a wide range of computational effects; 2) show that this logic can express existing effect specification styles; 3) demonstrate that it can be used to design refinement type systems for lightweight type-based reasoning about effectful behaviour, thus giving a general account of the Liquid Effects effect-typing discipline that so far has been restricted to the state effect; 4) study the category-theoretic semantics of these foundations; 5) implement LiquidEff, an extension of the Eff language with a support for lightweight type-level reasoning about programs' behaviour; and 6) use LiquidEff to apply the developed theory in practice to case studies involving big data and asynchronous parallel programming.

Keywords: algebraic effects,effect handlers,refinement types,liquid types,liquid effects,algorithmic typechecking,denotational semantics,fibrations,monads,adjunctions,algebraic theories