Project acronym 4D-GENOME
Project Dynamics of human genome architecture in stable and transient gene expression changes
Researcher (PI) Thomas Graf
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO CENTRE DE REGULACIO GENOMICA
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2013-SyG
Summary The classical view of genomes as linear sequences has been replaced by a vision of nuclear organization that is both dynamic and complex, with chromosomes and genes non-randomly positioned in the nucleus. Process compartmentalization and spatial location of genes modulate the transcriptional output of the genomes. However, how the interplay between genome structure and gene regulation is established and maintained is still unclear. The aim of this project is to explore whether the genome 3D structure acts as an information source for modulating transcription in response to external stimuli. With a genuine interdisciplinary team effort, we will study the conformation of the genome at various integrated levels, from the nucleosome fiber to the distribution of chromosomes territories in the nuclear space. We will generate high-resolution 3D models of the spatial organization of the genomes of distinct eukaryotic cell types in interphase to identify differences in the chromatin landscape. We will follow the time course of structural changes in response to cues that affect gene expression either permanently or transiently. We will analyze the changes in genome structure during the stable trans-differentiation of immortalized B cells to macrophages and during the transient hormonal responses of differentiated cells. We plan to establish novel functional strategies, based on targeted and high-throughput reporter assays, to assess the relevance of the spatial environment on gene regulation. Using sophisticated modeling and computational approaches, we will combine high-resolution data from chromosome interactions, super-resolution images and omics information. Our long-term plan is to implement a 3D browser for the comprehensive mapping of chromatin properties and genomic features, to better understand how external signals are integrated at the genomic, epigenetic and structural level to orchestrate changes in gene expression that are cell specific and dynamic.
Summary
The classical view of genomes as linear sequences has been replaced by a vision of nuclear organization that is both dynamic and complex, with chromosomes and genes non-randomly positioned in the nucleus. Process compartmentalization and spatial location of genes modulate the transcriptional output of the genomes. However, how the interplay between genome structure and gene regulation is established and maintained is still unclear. The aim of this project is to explore whether the genome 3D structure acts as an information source for modulating transcription in response to external stimuli. With a genuine interdisciplinary team effort, we will study the conformation of the genome at various integrated levels, from the nucleosome fiber to the distribution of chromosomes territories in the nuclear space. We will generate high-resolution 3D models of the spatial organization of the genomes of distinct eukaryotic cell types in interphase to identify differences in the chromatin landscape. We will follow the time course of structural changes in response to cues that affect gene expression either permanently or transiently. We will analyze the changes in genome structure during the stable trans-differentiation of immortalized B cells to macrophages and during the transient hormonal responses of differentiated cells. We plan to establish novel functional strategies, based on targeted and high-throughput reporter assays, to assess the relevance of the spatial environment on gene regulation. Using sophisticated modeling and computational approaches, we will combine high-resolution data from chromosome interactions, super-resolution images and omics information. Our long-term plan is to implement a 3D browser for the comprehensive mapping of chromatin properties and genomic features, to better understand how external signals are integrated at the genomic, epigenetic and structural level to orchestrate changes in gene expression that are cell specific and dynamic.
Max ERC Funding
12 272 645 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-06-01, End date: 2019-05-31
Project acronym BCLLatlas
Project Single-cell genomics to comprehensively understand healthy B-cell maturation and transformation to chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Researcher (PI) Ivo Gut
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACIO CENTRE DE REGULACIO GENOMICA
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SyG3LSb, ERC-2018-SyG
Summary Unbiased analyses of the molecular make up of single cells are revolutionizing our understanding of cell differentiation and cancer. Over the last years, our groups have characterized the molecular features of normal B-cell subpopulations and of pools of leukemic cells from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most frequent leukemia in the Western world. These analyses have revealed that CLL subtypes are related to different B-cell maturation stages, and that they can show a complex subclonal architecture. Such subclonality is dynamically modulated during the course of the disease, and has deep implications in CLL biology, clinical aggressiveness and treatment responses. In this scenario, BCLL@las aims at deciphering the origin and molecular anatomy of CLL during the entire life history of the disease by generating genetic, transcriptional and epigenetic maps of hundred-thousands of single cells across locations, time points and individuals. We plan to fulfill four major objectives: 1) To generate a comprehensive atlas of normal B-cell maturation, 2) To understand the initial steps of neoplastic transformation through the analysis of minute B-cell monoclonal proliferations in healthy individuals, 3) To decipher the cellular diversity and clonal architecture of CLL at diagnosis, and 4) To characterize the single-cell subclonal dynamics of CLL during disease evolution and treatment response. To reach these goals, BCLL@las gathers together four teams with complementary expertise in B-cell biology, clinics and pathology of CLL, genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, sequencing technologies, single-cell profiling and computational biology. This, together with the richness of the available CLL samples and the technical and analytical depth of BCLL@las shall lead to unprecedented insights into the origin and evolution of cancer in the precision medicine era.
Summary
Unbiased analyses of the molecular make up of single cells are revolutionizing our understanding of cell differentiation and cancer. Over the last years, our groups have characterized the molecular features of normal B-cell subpopulations and of pools of leukemic cells from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most frequent leukemia in the Western world. These analyses have revealed that CLL subtypes are related to different B-cell maturation stages, and that they can show a complex subclonal architecture. Such subclonality is dynamically modulated during the course of the disease, and has deep implications in CLL biology, clinical aggressiveness and treatment responses. In this scenario, BCLL@las aims at deciphering the origin and molecular anatomy of CLL during the entire life history of the disease by generating genetic, transcriptional and epigenetic maps of hundred-thousands of single cells across locations, time points and individuals. We plan to fulfill four major objectives: 1) To generate a comprehensive atlas of normal B-cell maturation, 2) To understand the initial steps of neoplastic transformation through the analysis of minute B-cell monoclonal proliferations in healthy individuals, 3) To decipher the cellular diversity and clonal architecture of CLL at diagnosis, and 4) To characterize the single-cell subclonal dynamics of CLL during disease evolution and treatment response. To reach these goals, BCLL@las gathers together four teams with complementary expertise in B-cell biology, clinics and pathology of CLL, genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, sequencing technologies, single-cell profiling and computational biology. This, together with the richness of the available CLL samples and the technical and analytical depth of BCLL@las shall lead to unprecedented insights into the origin and evolution of cancer in the precision medicine era.
Max ERC Funding
8 333 331 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-04-01, End date: 2024-03-31
Project acronym BLACKHOLECAM
Project Imaging the Event Horizon of Black Holes
Researcher (PI) Michael Kramer
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2013-SyG
Summary Gravity is successfully described by Einstein’s theory of general relativity (GR), governing the structure of our entire universe. Yet it remains the least understood of all forces in nature, resisting unification with quantum physics. One of the most fundamental predictions of GR are black holes (BHs). Their defining feature is the event horizon, the surface that light cannot escape and where time and space exchange their nature. However, while there are many convincing BH candidates in the universe, there is no experimental proof for the existence of an event horizon yet. So, does GR really hold in its most extreme limit? Do BHs exist or are alternatives needed? Here we propose to build a Black Hole Camera that for the first time will take an actual picture of a BH and image the shadow of its event horizon. We will do this by providing the equipment and software needed to turn a network of existing mm-wave radio telescopes into a global interferometer. This virtual telescope, when supplemented with the new Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA), has the power to finally resolve the supermassive BH in the centre of our Milky Way – the best-measured BH candidate we know of. In order to compare the image with the theoretical predictions we will need to perform numerical modelling and ray tracing in GR and alternative theories. In addition, we will need to determine accurately the two basic parameters of the BH: its mass and spin. This will become possible by precisely measuring orbits of stars with optical interferometry on ESO’s VLTI. Moreover, our equipment at ALMA will allow for the first detection of pulsars around the BH. Already a single pulsar will independently determine the BH’s mass to one part in a million and its spin to a few per cent. This unique combination will not only produce the first-ever image of a BH, but also turn our Galactic Centre into a fundamental-physics laboratory to measure the fabric of space and time with unprecedented precision.
Summary
Gravity is successfully described by Einstein’s theory of general relativity (GR), governing the structure of our entire universe. Yet it remains the least understood of all forces in nature, resisting unification with quantum physics. One of the most fundamental predictions of GR are black holes (BHs). Their defining feature is the event horizon, the surface that light cannot escape and where time and space exchange their nature. However, while there are many convincing BH candidates in the universe, there is no experimental proof for the existence of an event horizon yet. So, does GR really hold in its most extreme limit? Do BHs exist or are alternatives needed? Here we propose to build a Black Hole Camera that for the first time will take an actual picture of a BH and image the shadow of its event horizon. We will do this by providing the equipment and software needed to turn a network of existing mm-wave radio telescopes into a global interferometer. This virtual telescope, when supplemented with the new Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA), has the power to finally resolve the supermassive BH in the centre of our Milky Way – the best-measured BH candidate we know of. In order to compare the image with the theoretical predictions we will need to perform numerical modelling and ray tracing in GR and alternative theories. In addition, we will need to determine accurately the two basic parameters of the BH: its mass and spin. This will become possible by precisely measuring orbits of stars with optical interferometry on ESO’s VLTI. Moreover, our equipment at ALMA will allow for the first detection of pulsars around the BH. Already a single pulsar will independently determine the BH’s mass to one part in a million and its spin to a few per cent. This unique combination will not only produce the first-ever image of a BH, but also turn our Galactic Centre into a fundamental-physics laboratory to measure the fabric of space and time with unprecedented precision.
Max ERC Funding
13 975 744 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-10-01, End date: 2020-09-30
Project acronym COMBATCANCER
Project Combination therapies for personalized cancer medicine
Researcher (PI) Michael Rudolf Stratton
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING HET NEDERLANDS KANKER INSTITUUT-ANTONI VAN LEEUWENHOEK ZIEKENHUIS
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2012-SyG
Summary All cancers arise due to alterations in their genomes. Although insight into the genetic lesions in tumours by genome sequencing does already assist in selecting some drug regimens, it rarely results in disease eradication due to the emergence of drug-resistant clones. More sophisticated combination therapies in which several oncogenic pathways are targeted simultaneously or in a particular sequence are believed to hold more promise. However, at present we are unable to extract and interpret the necessary information from tumours to predict which drug regimen will be most adequate. The genetic make-up of the individual, the heterogeneity of the tumour, epigenetic alterations, cell-of-origin of the tumour, and complex interactions between tumour cells and stromal cells appear important confounding factors influencing response. In addition, we are still ignorant of many of the intricate complexities of signalling networks in cells and how tumours exploit these to acquire drug resistance.
It is the ambition of the team formed by members of the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) to unravel the genomic and phenotypic complexity of human cancers in order to identify optimal drug combinations for personalized cancer therapy. Our integrated approach will entail (i) deep sequencing of human tumours and cognate mouse tumours; (ii) drug screens in a 1000+ fully characterized tumour cell line panel; (iii) high-throughput in vitro and in vivo shRNA and cDNA drug resistance and enhancement screens; (iv) computational analysis of the acquired data, leading to significant response predictions; (v) rigorous validation of these predictions in genetically engineered mouse models and patient-derived xenografts. This integrated effort is expected to yield a number of combination therapies and companion-diagnostics biomarkers that will be further explored in our existing clinical trial networks.
Summary
All cancers arise due to alterations in their genomes. Although insight into the genetic lesions in tumours by genome sequencing does already assist in selecting some drug regimens, it rarely results in disease eradication due to the emergence of drug-resistant clones. More sophisticated combination therapies in which several oncogenic pathways are targeted simultaneously or in a particular sequence are believed to hold more promise. However, at present we are unable to extract and interpret the necessary information from tumours to predict which drug regimen will be most adequate. The genetic make-up of the individual, the heterogeneity of the tumour, epigenetic alterations, cell-of-origin of the tumour, and complex interactions between tumour cells and stromal cells appear important confounding factors influencing response. In addition, we are still ignorant of many of the intricate complexities of signalling networks in cells and how tumours exploit these to acquire drug resistance.
It is the ambition of the team formed by members of the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI) to unravel the genomic and phenotypic complexity of human cancers in order to identify optimal drug combinations for personalized cancer therapy. Our integrated approach will entail (i) deep sequencing of human tumours and cognate mouse tumours; (ii) drug screens in a 1000+ fully characterized tumour cell line panel; (iii) high-throughput in vitro and in vivo shRNA and cDNA drug resistance and enhancement screens; (iv) computational analysis of the acquired data, leading to significant response predictions; (v) rigorous validation of these predictions in genetically engineered mouse models and patient-derived xenografts. This integrated effort is expected to yield a number of combination therapies and companion-diagnostics biomarkers that will be further explored in our existing clinical trial networks.
Max ERC Funding
14 580 558 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30
Project acronym EuQu
Project The European Qur'an. Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion 1150-1850
Researcher (PI) mercedes GARCIA-ARENAL
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SyG3SH, ERC-2018-SyG
Summary “The European Qur’an” (EuQu) will study the place of the Muslim holy book in European cultural and religious history (c.1150-1850), situating European perceptions of the Qur’an and of Islam in the fractured religious, political, and intellectual landscape of this long period. The Qur’an plays a key role not only in polemical interactions with Islam, but also in debates between Christians of different persuasions and is central to the epistemological reconfigurations that are at the basis of modernity in Europe, from Iberia to Hungary. The Qur’an is deeply imbedded in the political and religious thought of Europe and part of the intellectual repertoire of Medieval and Early Modern Europeans of different Christian denominations, of European Jews, freethinkers, atheists and of course of European Muslims. We will study how the European Qur’an is interpreted, adapted, used, and formed in Christian European contexts – often in close interaction with the Islamic world.
EuQu will produce, over a six-year period:
1. A GIS-mapped database of the European Qur’an, containing extensive information about Qur’an manuscripts and printed editions (in Arabic, Greek, Latin, and European vernaculars) produced between 1143 and 1800 as well as prosopographical data about the principal actors involved in these endeavours (copyists, translators, publishers).
2. A series of publications: PhDs, monographs written by postdocs and PIs, special issues of academic journals, and animated digital publications for a wider audience and educational uses. They will make key breakthroughs in their fields, dealing with aspects of the transmission, translation and study of the Qur’an in Europe, on the role the Qur’an played in debates about European cultural and religious identities, and more broadly about the place of the Qur’an in European culture.
3. A major exhibition during the final year of the project, “The European Qur’an” to be held at museums in Nantes, London, Budapest and Madrid.
Summary
“The European Qur’an” (EuQu) will study the place of the Muslim holy book in European cultural and religious history (c.1150-1850), situating European perceptions of the Qur’an and of Islam in the fractured religious, political, and intellectual landscape of this long period. The Qur’an plays a key role not only in polemical interactions with Islam, but also in debates between Christians of different persuasions and is central to the epistemological reconfigurations that are at the basis of modernity in Europe, from Iberia to Hungary. The Qur’an is deeply imbedded in the political and religious thought of Europe and part of the intellectual repertoire of Medieval and Early Modern Europeans of different Christian denominations, of European Jews, freethinkers, atheists and of course of European Muslims. We will study how the European Qur’an is interpreted, adapted, used, and formed in Christian European contexts – often in close interaction with the Islamic world.
EuQu will produce, over a six-year period:
1. A GIS-mapped database of the European Qur’an, containing extensive information about Qur’an manuscripts and printed editions (in Arabic, Greek, Latin, and European vernaculars) produced between 1143 and 1800 as well as prosopographical data about the principal actors involved in these endeavours (copyists, translators, publishers).
2. A series of publications: PhDs, monographs written by postdocs and PIs, special issues of academic journals, and animated digital publications for a wider audience and educational uses. They will make key breakthroughs in their fields, dealing with aspects of the transmission, translation and study of the Qur’an in Europe, on the role the Qur’an played in debates about European cultural and religious identities, and more broadly about the place of the Qur’an in European culture.
3. A major exhibition during the final year of the project, “The European Qur’an” to be held at museums in Nantes, London, Budapest and Madrid.
Max ERC Funding
9 842 534 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-04-01, End date: 2025-03-31
Project acronym IMBALANCE-P
Project Effects of phosphorus limitations on Life, Earth system and Society
Researcher (PI) Michael Obersteiner
Host Institution (HI) CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION ECOLOGICA Y APLICACIONES FORESTALES
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2013-SyG
Summary P is an earthbound and finite element and the prospect of constrained access to mineable P resources has already triggered geopolitical disputes. In contrast to P, availabilities of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to ecosystems are rapidly increasing in most areas of the globe. The resulting imminent change in the stoichiometry of available elements will have no equivalent in the Earth’s history and will bear profound, yet, unknown consequences for life, the Earth System and human society. The ongoing shifts in C:N:P balances in ecosystems will necessarily affect the structure, function and diversity of the Earth system. P-market crises might put pressure on the global food system and create environmental ripple effects ranging from expansion of agricultural land to P-price-induced changes in land management exacerbating the stoichiometric resource imbalance. Yet, the impacts of this unprecedented human disturbance of elemental stoichiometry remain a research enigma. The IMBALANCE-P-team, that gathers four leading researchers in the fields of ecosystem diversity and ecology, biogeochemistry, Earth System modelling, and global agricultural and resource economics, is formidably positioned to address this Earth System management challenge by providing improved understanding and quantitative foresight needed to formulate a range of policy options that will contain the risks and mitigate the consequences of stoichiometric imbalances. IMBALANCE-P will integrate some of Europe's leading integrated assessment and Earth system models, calibrated using ecosystem nutrient limitation data obtained from field experiments. The project will establish an international process of science-based P-diplomacy.
Summary
P is an earthbound and finite element and the prospect of constrained access to mineable P resources has already triggered geopolitical disputes. In contrast to P, availabilities of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) to ecosystems are rapidly increasing in most areas of the globe. The resulting imminent change in the stoichiometry of available elements will have no equivalent in the Earth’s history and will bear profound, yet, unknown consequences for life, the Earth System and human society. The ongoing shifts in C:N:P balances in ecosystems will necessarily affect the structure, function and diversity of the Earth system. P-market crises might put pressure on the global food system and create environmental ripple effects ranging from expansion of agricultural land to P-price-induced changes in land management exacerbating the stoichiometric resource imbalance. Yet, the impacts of this unprecedented human disturbance of elemental stoichiometry remain a research enigma. The IMBALANCE-P-team, that gathers four leading researchers in the fields of ecosystem diversity and ecology, biogeochemistry, Earth System modelling, and global agricultural and resource economics, is formidably positioned to address this Earth System management challenge by providing improved understanding and quantitative foresight needed to formulate a range of policy options that will contain the risks and mitigate the consequences of stoichiometric imbalances. IMBALANCE-P will integrate some of Europe's leading integrated assessment and Earth system models, calibrated using ecosystem nutrient limitation data obtained from field experiments. The project will establish an international process of science-based P-diplomacy.
Max ERC Funding
13 600 580 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym MODELCELL
Project Building a Model Cell to Achieve Control of Cellular Organization
Researcher (PI) Anna Sergeevna Akhmanova
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2013-SyG
Summary A hallmark of profound understanding of the organization of a living cell is the ability to reconstitute essential cellular functionalities from minimal components. To achieve this breakthrough a concerted effort of cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics is required. Our project brings together this expertise to reconstitute the cell’s ability to control the organization of cytoskeletal networks in an artificial ‘Model’ Cell.
To achieve a mechanistic understanding of how cell organization is regulated, we will develop methods to manipulate cytoskeletal interactions in space and time and study the effects of such manipulation on functional cytoskeletal organization in the confinement of both artificial systems and cells. We will focus on regulatory interactions at dynamic microtubule plus ends, which play an essential role in cell division, polarization, and migration. Using a combination of in vitro, in vivo, and theoretical approaches, we aim at the following goals:
1. Achieve a molecular scale understanding of cooperative and competitive relationships between regulators at microtubule ends, and their effect on microtubule dynamics, microtubule behavior at the cell boundary, and interactions with actin filaments.
2. Generate a quantitative understanding of symmetric and polarized positioning of the microtubule cytoskeleton by microtubule-cell boundary interactions during cell division and cell migration.
3. Obtain a mechanistic view of microtubule-actin co-organization driven by regulatory effects at microtubule ends, with and without the additional contribution of microtubule-cell boundary interactions, and apply this knowledge to manipulate cell polarization and migration.
Synergy between our complementary expertise, tools, infrastructure and local collaboration networks is key to achieving these goals. Our groups are located within short travel distance from each other, allowing the coupling of infrastructure and resources on a daily basis.
Summary
A hallmark of profound understanding of the organization of a living cell is the ability to reconstitute essential cellular functionalities from minimal components. To achieve this breakthrough a concerted effort of cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics is required. Our project brings together this expertise to reconstitute the cell’s ability to control the organization of cytoskeletal networks in an artificial ‘Model’ Cell.
To achieve a mechanistic understanding of how cell organization is regulated, we will develop methods to manipulate cytoskeletal interactions in space and time and study the effects of such manipulation on functional cytoskeletal organization in the confinement of both artificial systems and cells. We will focus on regulatory interactions at dynamic microtubule plus ends, which play an essential role in cell division, polarization, and migration. Using a combination of in vitro, in vivo, and theoretical approaches, we aim at the following goals:
1. Achieve a molecular scale understanding of cooperative and competitive relationships between regulators at microtubule ends, and their effect on microtubule dynamics, microtubule behavior at the cell boundary, and interactions with actin filaments.
2. Generate a quantitative understanding of symmetric and polarized positioning of the microtubule cytoskeleton by microtubule-cell boundary interactions during cell division and cell migration.
3. Obtain a mechanistic view of microtubule-actin co-organization driven by regulatory effects at microtubule ends, with and without the additional contribution of microtubule-cell boundary interactions, and apply this knowledge to manipulate cell polarization and migration.
Synergy between our complementary expertise, tools, infrastructure and local collaboration networks is key to achieving these goals. Our groups are located within short travel distance from each other, allowing the coupling of infrastructure and resources on a daily basis.
Max ERC Funding
7 150 812 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-07-01, End date: 2020-06-30
Project acronym NANOCOSMOS
Project Gas and Dust from the Stars to the Laboratory: Exploring the NanoCosmos
Researcher (PI) José Cernicharo Quintanilla
Host Institution (HI) AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2013-SyG
Summary Evolved stars are the factories of interstellar dust. This dust is injected into the interstellar medium and plays a key role in the evolution of astronomical objects from galaxies to the embryos of planets. However, the processes involved in dust formation and evolution are still a mystery. The increased angular resolution of new generation telescopes, will provide for the first time a detailed view of the conditions in the dust formation zone of evolved stars, as shown by our first observations with ALMA.
We propose to combine astronomical observations, modelling, and top-level experiments to produce star dust analogues in the laboratory and identify the key species and steps that govern their formation. We will build two innovative setups: the Stardust chamber to simulate the atmosphere of evolved stars, and the gas evolution chamber to identify novel molecules in the dust formation zone. We will also improve existing laboratory setups and combine different techniques to achieve original studies on individual dust grains, their processing to produce complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the chemical evolution of grain precursors and how dust grains interact with abundant astronomical molecules. Our simulation chambers will be equipped with state-of-the-art in situ and ex situ diagnostics.
Our astrophysical models, improved by the interplay between observations and laboratory studies, will provide powerful tools for the analysis of the wealth of data provided by the new generation of telescopes. In addition, new broad-band state-of-the-art High Electron Mobility Transistor receivers will be built, allowing us to perform an unprecedented astronomical survey of evolved stars and providing an invaluable legacy for any scientist in the field. The synergy between astronomers, vacuum and microwave engineers, molecular and plasma physicists, surface scientists, and theoreticians in NANOCOSMOS is the key to provide a cutting-edge view of cosmic dust.
Summary
Evolved stars are the factories of interstellar dust. This dust is injected into the interstellar medium and plays a key role in the evolution of astronomical objects from galaxies to the embryos of planets. However, the processes involved in dust formation and evolution are still a mystery. The increased angular resolution of new generation telescopes, will provide for the first time a detailed view of the conditions in the dust formation zone of evolved stars, as shown by our first observations with ALMA.
We propose to combine astronomical observations, modelling, and top-level experiments to produce star dust analogues in the laboratory and identify the key species and steps that govern their formation. We will build two innovative setups: the Stardust chamber to simulate the atmosphere of evolved stars, and the gas evolution chamber to identify novel molecules in the dust formation zone. We will also improve existing laboratory setups and combine different techniques to achieve original studies on individual dust grains, their processing to produce complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the chemical evolution of grain precursors and how dust grains interact with abundant astronomical molecules. Our simulation chambers will be equipped with state-of-the-art in situ and ex situ diagnostics.
Our astrophysical models, improved by the interplay between observations and laboratory studies, will provide powerful tools for the analysis of the wealth of data provided by the new generation of telescopes. In addition, new broad-band state-of-the-art High Electron Mobility Transistor receivers will be built, allowing us to perform an unprecedented astronomical survey of evolved stars and providing an invaluable legacy for any scientist in the field. The synergy between astronomers, vacuum and microwave engineers, molecular and plasma physicists, surface scientists, and theoreticians in NANOCOSMOS is the key to provide a cutting-edge view of cosmic dust.
Max ERC Funding
14 983 261 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-08-01, End date: 2020-07-31
Project acronym NEXUS1492
Project NEXUS 1492. New World Encounters in a Globalising World
Researcher (PI) Gareth Rees Davies
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT LEIDEN
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2012-SyG
Summary NEXUS1492 investigates the impacts of colonial encounters in the Caribbean, the nexus of the first interactions between the New and the Old World. This Synergy Programme intends to rewrite a crucial and neglected chapter in global history initiated by European colonisation by focussing on transformations to indigenous, Amerindian cultures and societies. NEXUS1492 will address intercultural Amerindian-European-African dynamics at multiple temporal and spatial scales across the historical divide of 1492. The unique trans-disciplinary synergy of four PIs and their teams of archaeologists, social, natural and computer scientists, and heritage experts will pioneer new analytical tools, and apply multi-disciplinary cutting-edge techniques, theoretical frameworks and skill sets to provide a novel perspective on New World encounters in a globalising world. NEXUS1492 will work with local experts to develop sustainable heritage management strategies, creating a future for the past. This past is under threat from looting and illegal trade, construction development and natural disasters (e.g., climate change, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions). By placing the Caribbean’s indigenous past within a contemporary heritage agenda, this programme strives to increase the awareness and protection of heritage resources. The innovative approach and outcomes of NEXUS1492 will be of global scientific significance and high societal relevance.
Four interlocking projects will address:
1. Transformations of lifeways and deathways, landscapes, and material culture through archaeological investigations.
2. Human mobility and the circulation of materials and objects through isotope geochemistry and archaeometry.
3.Socio-cultural relationships and interactions through the reconstruction of archaeological networks.
4. Heritage preservation through investigation of regulatory, legislative, and curatorial standards and community engagement efforts.
Summary
NEXUS1492 investigates the impacts of colonial encounters in the Caribbean, the nexus of the first interactions between the New and the Old World. This Synergy Programme intends to rewrite a crucial and neglected chapter in global history initiated by European colonisation by focussing on transformations to indigenous, Amerindian cultures and societies. NEXUS1492 will address intercultural Amerindian-European-African dynamics at multiple temporal and spatial scales across the historical divide of 1492. The unique trans-disciplinary synergy of four PIs and their teams of archaeologists, social, natural and computer scientists, and heritage experts will pioneer new analytical tools, and apply multi-disciplinary cutting-edge techniques, theoretical frameworks and skill sets to provide a novel perspective on New World encounters in a globalising world. NEXUS1492 will work with local experts to develop sustainable heritage management strategies, creating a future for the past. This past is under threat from looting and illegal trade, construction development and natural disasters (e.g., climate change, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions). By placing the Caribbean’s indigenous past within a contemporary heritage agenda, this programme strives to increase the awareness and protection of heritage resources. The innovative approach and outcomes of NEXUS1492 will be of global scientific significance and high societal relevance.
Four interlocking projects will address:
1. Transformations of lifeways and deathways, landscapes, and material culture through archaeological investigations.
2. Human mobility and the circulation of materials and objects through isotope geochemistry and archaeometry.
3.Socio-cultural relationships and interactions through the reconstruction of archaeological networks.
4. Heritage preservation through investigation of regulatory, legislative, and curatorial standards and community engagement efforts.
Max ERC Funding
14 826 037 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-09-01, End date: 2019-08-31
Project acronym QC-LAB
Project Quantum Computer Lab
Researcher (PI) Carlo Willem Joannes Beenakker
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Call Details Synergy Grants (SyG), SYG6, ERC-2012-SyG
Summary The world of atoms is governed by the rules of quantum mechanics. Over the past century, quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement have been observed and studied with great precision. Today, we are entering a new era in which we can hope to explore quantum mechanics in larger objects. The science of quantum mechanics in more complex objects is barely known and as a result quantum mechanics is rarely explicitly used in technology. Theoretically, superposition and entanglement could be exploited as a new resource in a wide variety of future applications. We focus on information science and investigate the use of quantum mechanics in computing, i.e. a quantum computer (QC). If information is encoded in quantum superpositions and processed by exploiting entanglement, a QC can solve computational problems that are beyond the reach of conventional computers. Building a QC is, however, an enormous scientific challenge because the fragile quantum bits need to be protected from and corrected for even the smallest disturbances by the environment. Meeting this challenge requires a synergetic effort combining the best of quantum theory, electrical engineering, materials science, applied physics and computer science. This proposal aims to achieve a robust, exemplary QC. We propose a circuit containing processor qubits (two types: superconducting transmon qubits and spin qubits in silicon quantum dots), memory qubits (two types: topological qubits with nanowires and donor qubits), and a quantum databus (superconducting striplines). Our goal is to demonstrate a 13-qubit circuit that incorporates fault-tolerance through implementation of a surface code. We will demonstrate back-and-forth quantum state transfer between processor and memory qubits. Our team brings together the required expertise into a single “QC-lab” enabling us to bring our understanding of quantum mechanics to the next level and push QC to the tipping point from science to engineering.
Summary
The world of atoms is governed by the rules of quantum mechanics. Over the past century, quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement have been observed and studied with great precision. Today, we are entering a new era in which we can hope to explore quantum mechanics in larger objects. The science of quantum mechanics in more complex objects is barely known and as a result quantum mechanics is rarely explicitly used in technology. Theoretically, superposition and entanglement could be exploited as a new resource in a wide variety of future applications. We focus on information science and investigate the use of quantum mechanics in computing, i.e. a quantum computer (QC). If information is encoded in quantum superpositions and processed by exploiting entanglement, a QC can solve computational problems that are beyond the reach of conventional computers. Building a QC is, however, an enormous scientific challenge because the fragile quantum bits need to be protected from and corrected for even the smallest disturbances by the environment. Meeting this challenge requires a synergetic effort combining the best of quantum theory, electrical engineering, materials science, applied physics and computer science. This proposal aims to achieve a robust, exemplary QC. We propose a circuit containing processor qubits (two types: superconducting transmon qubits and spin qubits in silicon quantum dots), memory qubits (two types: topological qubits with nanowires and donor qubits), and a quantum databus (superconducting striplines). Our goal is to demonstrate a 13-qubit circuit that incorporates fault-tolerance through implementation of a surface code. We will demonstrate back-and-forth quantum state transfer between processor and memory qubits. Our team brings together the required expertise into a single “QC-lab” enabling us to bring our understanding of quantum mechanics to the next level and push QC to the tipping point from science to engineering.
Max ERC Funding
15 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-11-01, End date: 2019-10-31
