Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-informations-sur-les-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Functional role of neuronal spontaneous activity for sensory processing (Spontaneous activity)

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: Portugal
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2018-09-01
End date: 2020-08-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 148635.6
EU funding (EUR): 148635.6
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Understanding how the brain processes sensory stimuli to guide behavior is still an unresolved mystery in neuroscience. The view that behavior may be passively guided by the senses is challenged by the observation that the brain is always spontaneous active. Even cortical areas that are supposed to represent features of the sensory environment manifest spontaneous activity (SA) in the absence of external inputs. The similarity between SA and sensory-evoked activity (EA) has been interpreted as learning of features of the external world by cortical circuits. However, the mechanism by which SA affects brain computation is largely unknown. In this proposal we aim at elucidating the functional role of SA for processing of sensory information in the auditory modality. We will take advantage of state-of-the-art tools available in mice to modulate and record the activity of large populations of neurons across cortical layers. Mice will be trained to perform frequency (or location) discrimination tasks and expectation will be generated by using trials in blocks in which the sound location (or frequency) probability will vary. We hypothesize that the induced expectation will facilitate sensory discrimination and manifest as specific patterns of SA before stimulus presentation. We will then manipulate optogenetically auditory cortex to causally test the role of SA in the task. Finally, we will record the simultaneous activity of a large number of neurons to understand mechanistically how SA may affects the processing of incoming sensory stimuli. Our study has the potential to uncover new neuronal mechanisms underlying sensory processing.

Keywords: spontaneous activity,evoked activity,auditory cortex,predictive coding,optogenetics,electrophysiology,behavior,mouse
A microfluidic high throughput approach to helicase biophysics (MUTAnTS)

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: Physics
Countries involved: France
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): 173076.0
EU funding (EUR): 173076.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

We propose a novel high-throughput method to study the chemo-mechanical coupling in molecular motors using helicases, enzymes that couple ATP hydrolysis to unwinding of the double helix, as a model system. The method combines a cell-free expression system, droplet microfluidics and fluorescent assays with next generation sequencing to test large (up to millions of elements) libraries of helicase mutants for both unwinding and ATPase activity. The aim is to identify all sequence positions that, if mutated, lead to uncoupling, i.e. abolish unwinding while preserving ATPase activity. Once these positions are identified, their distribution on the enzyme sequence and structure will be analysed to obtain insight into the coupling mechanism. Notably the methodology could be applied to systems where the classical, structure-based analysis of the chemo-mechanical coupling is not possible. We will demonstrate our method on the RecQ helicase from e. coli using existing information on this system as a means of validation. Any further insight will be a demonstration of the power of our approach. When fully developed, our method will serve as a discovery tool for the interdisciplinary community working on helicases that includes medical, biological and physical sciences. It may be applied to aspects of helicase biophysics beyond the chemo-mechanical coupling, to other enzyme families and to screen for helicase inhibitors with higher throughput and lower cost when compared to robotic mictotitre-plate techniques. The proposed work will be carried out at the Griffiths Lab (ESPCI Paris) with a secondment at the Crick Institute (London). This project integrates the training in biophysics of the Experienced Researcher with the expertise of the Host Institution on high-throughput methods and the experience of the Secondment Institution on helicases. The Experienced Researcher will be trained in next generation sequencing and fluorescence-based approaches to molecular motors.

Keywords: helicases,microfluidics,next generation sequencing,molecular motors,mechano chemical coupling,high throughput methods,deep mutational scanning
Mobile augmented reality platform for educative products (MOBILE AUGMENTER)

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: 2016-06-01
End date: 2016-11-30
Duration (months): 6.0
Total project cost (EUR): 71429.0
EU funding (EUR): 50000.0
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

The term Augmented Reality (AR) comprises several approaches and disciplines which have in common the enrichment of the human perception of reality with additional data aided by electronic devices. MAHEI TECHNOLOGY is an engine for the development and execution of augmented reality contents and games for educative purposes in mobile devices. As reference of its relevance, the Wikipedia, under de chapter “Education” of the term “Augmented Reality”, remarks as example the iSkull App, one of the developments of MAHEI for the learning of anatomy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality#Education). Sound research in the last decade, demonstrates the effectiveness of AR approach to improve learning over the traditional methods; up to 37% improvement according to several authors (see annex). These results are particularly relevant in the case of children with learning performance under the average. On the other hand, Generation X, and in a greater extent, Generation Y, also known as the Millennials, are already generations of young adults who grew and learnt in an electronic gaming environment. Parents of the new children recognize the benefits of the use of technology in learning and are familiar to the use of these technologies. Finally, children spend on average 50 minutes playing mobile and tablet games each day. Game players regularly exhibit persistence, attention to detail and problem solving, all behaviors that ideally would be regularly demonstrated in school (see annex). These three mainstreams, an academic community increasingly enthusiastic in this field, a consumer demography based on digital natives and the overwhelming implantation of mobile devices in children’s life, depict a near future scenario of widespread introduction of ICT aided mobile learning tools.

Keywords: augmented reality,education,mobile
Utilizing Natural Dynamics for Reliable Legged Locomotion (NatDyReL)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: European Research Council (ERC)
Theme: European research council
Destination: Consolidator grants
Action type: ERC actions
Panel: Systems and communication engineering
Panel description: Electrical, electronic, communication, optical and systems engineering
Countries involved: Austria,Germany
Call: ERC Consolidator Grant (ERC-2018-COG, 2018)
Start date: 2019-04-01
End date: 2024-09-30
Duration (months): 66.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1981500.0
EU funding (EUR): 413797.46
Participants: 2
Project status: SIGNED

Despite the significant progress made in the field of humanoid robotics over the last 10-15 years, bipedal locomotion in robotics is still far from human performance in terms of speed, versatility, and robustness. The design of most humanoid robots nowadays is dominated by the aim at high rigidity and position accuracy in the motor units. In contrast, the NatDyReL project aims at a fundamental shift of paradigm in the design and control of humanoid robots, towards a new generation of intrinsically compliant robots that can adjust their open loop actuator impedance in real-time to the task. We believe that the maturing technology of variable impedance actuators in combination with novel control approaches for the intrinsically elastic dynamics has the potential of bringing humanoid locomotion and multi-contact motions to a new level in terms of energy-efficiency and execution speeds more similar to the human archetype. However, to fully utilize the ultimate benefits promised by variable impedance actuators, i.e. to store and release energy as well as to provide physical protection against shocks caused by impacts, it is necessary to exploit the natural compliant whole body dynamics on all levels of the system design, planning and control hierarchies. This project follows two scientific tracks for achieving (a) energetically efficient and high performant legged locomotion and (b) robust and dynamic contact transitions and in-contact motions for whole body locomotion in uncertain and confined spaces. As a strong basis to the mentioned application oriented objectives, we also aim at fundamental contributions on the control challenges related to novel variable impedance actuator technologies. The project is expected to make a strong impact on bipedal humanoid locomotion. Moreover, the developed methods will be sufficiently general such that they can also be transferred to other morphologies such as e.g. multi-limbed walking or climbing robots.

Keywords: humanoid robots,locomotion,walking machines,natural dynamics
AGILE 4.0: Towards cyber-physical collaborative aircraft development (AGILE 4.0)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Smart, green and integrated transport
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Germany,Italy,Italy,Germany,Italy,Germany,Russian Federation,Switzerland,France,France,Netherlands,Netherlands,Netherlands,Canada,Brazil
Call: Multidisciplinary and collaborative aircraft design tools and processes (H2020-MG-2018-TwoStages, 2018)
Start date: 2019-09-01
End date: 2023-02-28
Duration (months): 42.0
Total project cost (EUR): 6098407.93
EU funding (EUR): 4499670.43
Participants: 18
Project status: SIGNED

A major challenge in the transport sector is to make economic growth compatible with sustainability and environmental constraints, while remaining competitive and innovative. The development of aeronautical products is a complex multidisciplinary process with requirements and constraints on the air transport system as a whole, the aircraft, and all the individual components to be produced. A major challenge impeding an efficient and cost-effective design processes is the integration of the various levels of the aeronautical supply chain. Therefore, the aeronautical industry needs to connect all the people, skills and technologies involved in its collaborative, multi-national and cross organizational processes, by means of a digital representation of production systems, supply chains, and seamless operations across diverse disciplines, during the entire life-cycle of the product. The high level objective of AGILE 4.0 is to bring significant reductions in aircraft development costs and time-to-market through the implementation of an integrated cyber-physical aeronautical supply chain, thereby increasing the competitiveness of the European aircraft industry, from integrators and high-tiers suppliers to SMEs, leading to innovative and more sustainable aircraft products. AGILE 4.0 targets the digital transformation of main main pillars of the aeronautical supply-chain: design, production and certification and manufacturing.The composition of the AGILE 4.0 consortium and capabilities available enable to address realistic development scenarios integrating multiple stakeholders and covering all the aspects of the development of complex aeronautical systems. AGILE 4.0 will provide the aircraft industry with a way to model, assess, and optimize complex systems addressing the entire life cycle. The technologies developed will enable stake-holders and actors of the aeronautical supply chain to perform trade-off which have never been possible to model before.

Keywords: industry 4 0,multidisciplinary design optimization,concurrent development,model based systems engineering,systems architecture,virtual aircraft design and certification
STEam And Management Under Pressure (STEAM-UP)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Societal Challenges
Programme: Secure, clean and efficient energy
Theme: Market uptake of energy innovation
Action type: Coordination and support actions
Countries involved: Austria,Italy,Italy,Spain,Germany,Greece,Czechia,Netherlands,Netherlands,Denmark
Call: Organisational innovation to increase energy efficiency in industry (H2020-EE-2014-3-MarketUptake, 2014)
Start date: 2015-03-01
End date: 2018-02-28
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 1528655.0
EU funding (EUR): 1528654.5
Participants: 11
Project status: CLOSED

The industrial sector could reduce its energy use by at least 13%. 75% of the potential savings can be found in steam and electric motor systems. Actions to tap the full potential in steam systems have been taken in the past but without success since findings from energy audits were not, or partly, implemented. The following barriers have been identified:  There is no business case for steam saving measures for enterprise decision makers;  There is a lack of technical (steam) expertise of energy auditors and within enterprises generally;  There is no formal organisational structure for dealing with energy efficiency (energy management). The objectives and goals of the STEAM-UP proposal are: • Bridging the gap between audit results and implementation by developing an in-depth steam audit covering:  state of the art steam expertise;  involvement of all stakeholders in the enterprise;  identification of non-energy benefits to strengthen business cases;  energy management to secure prolongation. • Reducing the effort for measure implementation by developing an integrated solution for business case reporting and energy management implementation. • Achieve energy savings during this action of 55,6 GWh/a through piloting 75 of the in-depth steam audits. • Building capacity amongst 400 energy auditors for the use of the in-depth steam audit methodology in their daily practise. • Building capacity amongst stakeholders in 75 enterprises on steam and the business benefits to increase steam efficiency. • Building capacity amongst 40 energy management training providers to enable integration of the in-depth steam audit methodology in regular energy training programmes. • Promote knowledge transfer on steam and the benefits to increase steam efficiency. This project focuses on the large, energy-intensive industry but the methodology will also be applicable for SMEs. The developed methodology can be made applicable for a wide range of utilities and processes.

Keywords: steam audit,steam benchmark,energy management,energy saving
The EU Migration/Refugee crisis and border security: a contribution to theory and practice through the case of Hungarian-Serb border policing practices (SECURE BORDERS)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Excellent Science
Programme: Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions
Theme: Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Action type: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions
Countries involved: United Kingdom
Call: MSCA Special Needs Allowance (H2020-IBA-MSCA-SNLS-2020, 2020)
Start date: 2020-11-03
End date: 2023-09-02
Duration (months): 34.0
Total project cost (EUR): 35421.0
EU funding (EUR): 35421.0
Participants: 1
Project status: SIGNED

Request of financial support to cover the additional costs that researchers/staff members with disabilities face due to the increased costs of their mobility and/or to ensure necessary assistance by third persons or for adapting their work environment.

Keywords: ir theory,practice theory,hungarian serb border,border police,eu migration,refugee crisis,transit countries,ethnography
Science Transformation in EuroPe through Citizens involvement in HeAlth, coNservation and enerGy rEsearch (STEP CHANGE)

Framework: Horizon 2020 — Science with and for Society
Action type: Research and Innovation actions
Countries involved: Austria,Germany,Uganda,Italy,Germany,Spain,Slovenia,Denmark,United Kingdom
Call: Hands-on citizen science and frugal innovation (H2020-SwafS-2020-1, 2020)
Start date: 2021-03-01
End date: 2024-02-29
Duration (months): 36.0
Total project cost (EUR): 2195836.25
EU funding (EUR): 2195836.25
Participants: 11
Project status: SIGNED

STEP CHANGE (Science Transformation in EuroPe through Citizens involvement in HeAlth, coNservation and enerGy rEsearch) replies to the H2020 Topic SwafS 27 on “Hands-on citizen science and frugal innovation”, Sub-topic A, citizen science. The project, coordinated by the University of Primorska, is based on the assumption that citizen science (CS) can play an even broader societal and scientific role than it is generally acknowledged, particularly in those critical fields of research (like Energy, Health and the Environment) where human and non-human factors are deeply entangled. In these areas, a set of highly-contested, socially relevant research fields is emerging where CS can play a pivotal role by making science more socially robust, inclusive and democratic while strengthening the capacity of scientific investigation over emerging phenomena that cannot be easily caught within narrow disciplinary boundaries. Then, STEP CHANGE was designed to contribute to making the most of CS potentialities, while at the same time identifying, analysing, and tackling such limitations and risks. In this regard, STEP-CHANGE is based on the implementation of five Citizen Science Initiatives (CSIs) in the areas of Energy, Environment, Health and Infectious Diseases, through the participatory and self-reflexive analysis and evaluation of their collaborative research processes, scientific outcomes and societal impacts. The CSIs regard: 1) wildlife conservation in Slovenia (UP); 2) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the UK (NIHR); 3); energy communities in Germany (WECF); 4) infectious disease outbreak preparedness in Italy (UNITOV); 5) off-grid renewable energy in agriculture in Uganda (ARUWE). Horizontal activities are also foreseen: Scoping process (SfC), Participatory evaluation (K&I, AU), Mutual learning and training (ZSI), Stocktaking (ECSA) and Communication (EUSEA). The consortium is geographically balanced and formed by 11 partners from 7 European countries and Uganda.

Keywords: citizen science,interdisciplinary research,transdisciplinary research,responsible research and innovation,gender and science,participatory evaluation,science and society
Photonic-assisted Neuromorphic Computing system (PHOTON-NeuroCom)

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: Denmark
Call: Individual Fellowships (H2020-MSCA-IF-2016, 2016)
Start date: 2017-08-01
End date: 2019-07-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 212194.8
EU funding (EUR): 212194.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Neuromorphic computing has emerged as a promising approach to mimic the brain by overcoming the limitation of the conventional computers. The current implementation of neuromorphic computing systems (NCSs) has been done in CMOS technology, which comes with area and power-inefficiency. Enormous effort has been devoted to optimize the area and power-efficiency of such NCSs. One of the most promising approaches is the implementation of NCSs using spin-based devices combined with electronics (i.e. spintronics). Although, power-density is improved by spintronics-based NCSs, they are still far from the power-density of the brain that is attributed to the traditional way of changing the state of magnetic moment using a bias current that contributes to 90% of the total power consumed by such NCSs. Given a technique eliminating or decreasing this bias current, the power density of NCSs can be improved by orders of magnitude. PHOTON-NeuroCom proposes a novel approach that adds the benefits from photonics to the current spintronics-based NCSs by replacing the large bias current of the state of the art NCSs with a short polarized laser pulse. This will lead to at least two and three orders of magnitude lower energy consumption and higher speed in comparison with the state-of-the-art spintronics-based NCSs. This is a major step towards filling the huge gap between the power density of human brains and computers. The main objectives of this project are to model magnetic-photonic interaction, design and simulate a NCS through extracted model and fabrication of photonic-assisted STNO. My previous experience with spintronics and mixed signal IC design has put me in a unique position to run such a promising project. On the other hand, I will benefit from a supervision team from host and partner organization with more than 15 years of experience in photonic integrated circuits and IC design. Moreover, the running FET-OPEN project at Aarhus University will speed up my fellowship.

Keywords: spin torque nano oscillator,neuromorphic computing systems,photonics,spintronics,cmos
Forecasting Change in Vegetation Dependant Ecosystem Functions. (EcoFunc4Cast)

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: Denmark
Call: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015, 2015)
Start date: 2017-04-01
End date: 2019-03-31
Duration (months): 24.0
Total project cost (EUR): 200194.8
EU funding (EUR): 200194.8
Participants: 1
Project status: CLOSED

Patterns observed among twenty first century climate change imply a warmer and wetter climatic environment in the near to mid-term (50-150 years). Changes in climate results in changes in vegetation patterns as plant species shift there respective range. Subsequently, large-scale shifts in vegetation composition in response to climate change will impact upon vegetation dependent ecosystem functioning (structure and dynamics) and in-turn on the ecosystem services on which human societies depend. Understanding therefore how ecosystem functions respond to changing climate is extremely relevant for the development and implementation of successful European policy on climate change mitigation. This project will develop novel hybrid species distribution models (SDM) at national and European scales. The models will circumvent several limitations renowned with SDMs, through incorporating mechanistic simulations of species dispersal and establishment probabilities among a changing climate. Furthermore, these hybrid models will be validated, not by using the same spatial-temporal data but using an independent fine-scale temporal data-set. This unique and independent data originates from experimental field studies investigating impacts of warming and precipitation on Norwegian alpine vegetation. The model parametrization and validation phase of this project will result in a modeling framework that can be used to accurately forecast species range patterns and in-turn evaluate climate change impacts on ecosystems functions at the European-wide scale. .

Keywords: species distribution modelling,hybrid modelling,functional traits,europe