Project acronym AAREA
Project The Archaeology of Agricultural Resilience in Eastern Africa
Researcher (PI) Daryl Stump
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF YORK
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2013-StG
Summary "The twin concepts of sustainability and conservation that are so pivotal within current debates regarding economic development and biodiversity protection both contain an inherent temporal dimension, since both refer to the need to balance short-term gains with long-term resource maintenance. Proponents of resilience theory and of development based on ‘indigenous knowledge’ have thus argued for the necessity of including archaeological, historical and palaeoenvironmental components within development project design. Indeed, some have argued that archaeology should lead these interdisciplinary projects on the grounds that it provides the necessary time depth and bridges the social and natural sciences. The project proposed here accepts this logic and endorses this renewed contemporary relevance of archaeological research. However, it also needs to be admitted that moving beyond critiques of the misuse of historical data presents significant hurdles. When presenting results outside the discipline, for example, archaeological projects tend to downplay the poor archaeological visibility of certain agricultural practices, and computer models designed to test sustainability struggle to adequately account for local cultural preferences. This field will therefore not progress unless there is a frank appraisal of archaeology’s strengths and weaknesses. This project will provide this assessment by employing a range of established and groundbreaking archaeological and modelling techniques to examine the development of two east Africa agricultural systems: one at the abandoned site of Engaruka in Tanzania, commonly seen as an example of resource mismanagement and ecological collapse; and another at the current agricultural landscape in Konso, Ethiopia, described by the UN FAO as one of a select few African “lessons from the past”. The project thus aims to assess the sustainability of these systems, but will also assess the role archaeology can play in such debates worldwide."
Summary
"The twin concepts of sustainability and conservation that are so pivotal within current debates regarding economic development and biodiversity protection both contain an inherent temporal dimension, since both refer to the need to balance short-term gains with long-term resource maintenance. Proponents of resilience theory and of development based on ‘indigenous knowledge’ have thus argued for the necessity of including archaeological, historical and palaeoenvironmental components within development project design. Indeed, some have argued that archaeology should lead these interdisciplinary projects on the grounds that it provides the necessary time depth and bridges the social and natural sciences. The project proposed here accepts this logic and endorses this renewed contemporary relevance of archaeological research. However, it also needs to be admitted that moving beyond critiques of the misuse of historical data presents significant hurdles. When presenting results outside the discipline, for example, archaeological projects tend to downplay the poor archaeological visibility of certain agricultural practices, and computer models designed to test sustainability struggle to adequately account for local cultural preferences. This field will therefore not progress unless there is a frank appraisal of archaeology’s strengths and weaknesses. This project will provide this assessment by employing a range of established and groundbreaking archaeological and modelling techniques to examine the development of two east Africa agricultural systems: one at the abandoned site of Engaruka in Tanzania, commonly seen as an example of resource mismanagement and ecological collapse; and another at the current agricultural landscape in Konso, Ethiopia, described by the UN FAO as one of a select few African “lessons from the past”. The project thus aims to assess the sustainability of these systems, but will also assess the role archaeology can play in such debates worldwide."
Max ERC Funding
1 196 701 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2018-01-31
Project acronym BCOOL
Project Barocaloric materials for energy-efficient solid-state cooling
Researcher (PI) Javier Eduardo Moya Raposo
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARSOF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Cooling is essential for food and drinks, medicine, electronics and thermal comfort. Thermal changes due to pressure-driven phase transitions in fluids have long been used in vapour compression systems to achieve continuous refrigeration and air conditioning, but their energy efficiency is relatively low, and the working fluids that are employed harm the environment when released to the atmosphere. More recently, the discovery of large thermal changes due to pressure-driven phase transitions in magnetic solids has led to suggestions for environmentally friendly solid-state cooling applications. However, for this new cooling technology to succeed, it is still necessary to find suitable barocaloric (BC) materials that satisfy the demanding requirements set by applications, namely very large thermal changes in inexpensive materials that occur near room temperature in response to small applied pressures.
I aim to develop new BC materials by exploiting phase transitions in non-magnetic solids whose structural and thermal properties are strongly coupled, namely ferroelectric salts, molecular crystals and hybrid materials. These materials are normally made from cheap abundant elements, and display very large latent heats and volume changes at structural phase transitions, which make them ideal candidates to exhibit extremely large BC effects that outperform those observed in state-of-the-art BC magnetic materials, and that match applications.
My unique approach combines: i) materials science to identify materials with outstanding BC performance, ii) advanced experimental techniques to explore and exploit these novel materials, iii) materials engineering to create new composite materials with enhanced BC properties, and iv) fabrication of BC devices, using insight gained from modelling of materials and device parameters. If successful, my ambitious strategy will culminate in revolutionary solid-state cooling devices that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Summary
Cooling is essential for food and drinks, medicine, electronics and thermal comfort. Thermal changes due to pressure-driven phase transitions in fluids have long been used in vapour compression systems to achieve continuous refrigeration and air conditioning, but their energy efficiency is relatively low, and the working fluids that are employed harm the environment when released to the atmosphere. More recently, the discovery of large thermal changes due to pressure-driven phase transitions in magnetic solids has led to suggestions for environmentally friendly solid-state cooling applications. However, for this new cooling technology to succeed, it is still necessary to find suitable barocaloric (BC) materials that satisfy the demanding requirements set by applications, namely very large thermal changes in inexpensive materials that occur near room temperature in response to small applied pressures.
I aim to develop new BC materials by exploiting phase transitions in non-magnetic solids whose structural and thermal properties are strongly coupled, namely ferroelectric salts, molecular crystals and hybrid materials. These materials are normally made from cheap abundant elements, and display very large latent heats and volume changes at structural phase transitions, which make them ideal candidates to exhibit extremely large BC effects that outperform those observed in state-of-the-art BC magnetic materials, and that match applications.
My unique approach combines: i) materials science to identify materials with outstanding BC performance, ii) advanced experimental techniques to explore and exploit these novel materials, iii) materials engineering to create new composite materials with enhanced BC properties, and iv) fabrication of BC devices, using insight gained from modelling of materials and device parameters. If successful, my ambitious strategy will culminate in revolutionary solid-state cooling devices that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Max ERC Funding
1 467 521 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-04-01, End date: 2021-03-31
Project acronym BIAF
Project Bird Inspired Autonomous Flight
Researcher (PI) Shane Paul Windsor
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The agile and efficient flight of birds shows what flight performance is physically possible, and in theory could be achieved by unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) of the same size. The overall aim of this project is to enhance the performance of small scale UAVs by developing novel technologies inspired by understanding how birds are adapted to interact with airflows. Small UAVs have the potential to dramatically change current practices in many areas such as, search and rescue, surveillance, and environmental monitoring. Currently the utility of these systems is limited by their operational endurance and their inability to operate in strong turbulent winds, especially those that often occur in urban environments. Birds are adapted to be able to fly in these conditions and actually use them to their advantage to minimise their energy output.
This project is composed of three tracks which contain elements of technology development, as well as scientific investigation looking at bird flight behaviour and aerodynamics. The first track looks at developing path planning algorithms for UAVs in urban environments based on how birds fly in these areas, by using GPS tracking and computational fluid dynamics alongside trajectory optimization. The second track aims to develop artificial wings with improved gust tolerance inspired by the features of feathered wings. Here, high speed video measurements of birds flying through gusts will be used alongside wind tunnel testing of artificial wings to discover what features of a bird’s wing help to alleviate gusts. The third track develops novel force and flow sensor arrays for autonomous flight control based on the sensor arrays found in flying animals. These arrays will be used to make UAVs with increased agility and robustness. This unique bird inspired approach uses biology to show what is possible, and engineering to find the features that enable this performance and develop them into functional technologies.
Summary
The agile and efficient flight of birds shows what flight performance is physically possible, and in theory could be achieved by unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) of the same size. The overall aim of this project is to enhance the performance of small scale UAVs by developing novel technologies inspired by understanding how birds are adapted to interact with airflows. Small UAVs have the potential to dramatically change current practices in many areas such as, search and rescue, surveillance, and environmental monitoring. Currently the utility of these systems is limited by their operational endurance and their inability to operate in strong turbulent winds, especially those that often occur in urban environments. Birds are adapted to be able to fly in these conditions and actually use them to their advantage to minimise their energy output.
This project is composed of three tracks which contain elements of technology development, as well as scientific investigation looking at bird flight behaviour and aerodynamics. The first track looks at developing path planning algorithms for UAVs in urban environments based on how birds fly in these areas, by using GPS tracking and computational fluid dynamics alongside trajectory optimization. The second track aims to develop artificial wings with improved gust tolerance inspired by the features of feathered wings. Here, high speed video measurements of birds flying through gusts will be used alongside wind tunnel testing of artificial wings to discover what features of a bird’s wing help to alleviate gusts. The third track develops novel force and flow sensor arrays for autonomous flight control based on the sensor arrays found in flying animals. These arrays will be used to make UAVs with increased agility and robustness. This unique bird inspired approach uses biology to show what is possible, and engineering to find the features that enable this performance and develop them into functional technologies.
Max ERC Funding
1 998 546 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-04-01, End date: 2021-09-30
Project acronym Coupled gene circuit
Project Dynamics, noise, and coupling in gene circuit modules
Researcher (PI) James Charles Wallace Locke
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARSOF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2013-StG
Summary Cells must integrate output from multiple genetic circuits in order to correctly control cellular processes. Despite much work characterizing regulation in these circuits, how circuits interact to control global cellular programs remains unclear. This is particularly true given that recent research at the single cell level has revealed that genetic circuits often generate variable or stochastic regulation dynamics. In this proposal we will use a multi-disciplinary approach, combining modelling and time-lapse microscopy, to investigate how cells can robustly integrate signals from multiple dynamic genetic circuits. In particular we will answer the following questions: 1) What types of dynamic signal encoding strategies are available for the cell? 2) What are the benefits of dynamic gene activation, whether stochastic or oscillatory, to the cell? 3) How do cells couple and integrate output from diverse gene modules despite the noise and variability observed in gene circuit dynamics?
We will study these questions using 2 key model systems. In Aim 1, we will examine stochastic pulse regulation dynamics and coupling between alternative sigma factors in B. subtilis. Our preliminary data has revealed that multiple B. subtilis sigma factors stochastically pulse under stress. We will look for evidence of any coupling or interactions between these stochastic pulse circuits. This system will serve as a model for how a cell uses stochastic pulsing to control diverse cellular processes. In Aim 2, we will examine coupling between a deterministic oscillator, the circadian clock, and multiple other key pathways in Cyanobacteria. We will examine how the cell can dynamically couple multiple cellular processes using an oscillating signal. This work will provide an excellent base for Aim 3, in which we will use synthetic biology approaches to develop ‘bottom up’ tests of generation of novel dynamic coupling strategies.
Summary
Cells must integrate output from multiple genetic circuits in order to correctly control cellular processes. Despite much work characterizing regulation in these circuits, how circuits interact to control global cellular programs remains unclear. This is particularly true given that recent research at the single cell level has revealed that genetic circuits often generate variable or stochastic regulation dynamics. In this proposal we will use a multi-disciplinary approach, combining modelling and time-lapse microscopy, to investigate how cells can robustly integrate signals from multiple dynamic genetic circuits. In particular we will answer the following questions: 1) What types of dynamic signal encoding strategies are available for the cell? 2) What are the benefits of dynamic gene activation, whether stochastic or oscillatory, to the cell? 3) How do cells couple and integrate output from diverse gene modules despite the noise and variability observed in gene circuit dynamics?
We will study these questions using 2 key model systems. In Aim 1, we will examine stochastic pulse regulation dynamics and coupling between alternative sigma factors in B. subtilis. Our preliminary data has revealed that multiple B. subtilis sigma factors stochastically pulse under stress. We will look for evidence of any coupling or interactions between these stochastic pulse circuits. This system will serve as a model for how a cell uses stochastic pulsing to control diverse cellular processes. In Aim 2, we will examine coupling between a deterministic oscillator, the circadian clock, and multiple other key pathways in Cyanobacteria. We will examine how the cell can dynamically couple multiple cellular processes using an oscillating signal. This work will provide an excellent base for Aim 3, in which we will use synthetic biology approaches to develop ‘bottom up’ tests of generation of novel dynamic coupling strategies.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 571 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31
Project acronym GeopolyConc
Project Durability of geopolymers as 21st century concretes
Researcher (PI) John Lloyd Provis
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2013-StG
Summary GeopolyConc will provide the necessary scientific basis for the prediction of the long-term durability performance of alkali-activated ‘geopolymer’ concretes. These materials can be synthesised from industrial by-products and widely-available natural resources, and provide the opportunity for a highly significant reduction in the environmental footprint of the global construction materials industry, as it expands to meet the infrastructure needs of 21st century society. Experimental and modelling approaches will be coupled to provide major advances in the state of the art in the science and engineering of geopolymer concretes. The key scientific focus areas will be: (a) the development of the first ever rigorous mathematical description of the factors influencing the transport properties of alkali-activated concretes, and (b) ground-breaking work in understanding and controlling the factors which lead to the onset of corrosion of steel reinforcing embedded in alkali-activated concretes. This project will generate confidence in geopolymer concrete durability, which is essential to the application of these materials in reducing EU and global CO2 emissions. The GeopolyConc project will also be integrated with leading multinational collaborative test programmes coordinated through a RILEM Technical Committee (TC DTA) which is chaired by the PI, providing a route to direct international utilisation of the project outcomes.
Summary
GeopolyConc will provide the necessary scientific basis for the prediction of the long-term durability performance of alkali-activated ‘geopolymer’ concretes. These materials can be synthesised from industrial by-products and widely-available natural resources, and provide the opportunity for a highly significant reduction in the environmental footprint of the global construction materials industry, as it expands to meet the infrastructure needs of 21st century society. Experimental and modelling approaches will be coupled to provide major advances in the state of the art in the science and engineering of geopolymer concretes. The key scientific focus areas will be: (a) the development of the first ever rigorous mathematical description of the factors influencing the transport properties of alkali-activated concretes, and (b) ground-breaking work in understanding and controlling the factors which lead to the onset of corrosion of steel reinforcing embedded in alkali-activated concretes. This project will generate confidence in geopolymer concrete durability, which is essential to the application of these materials in reducing EU and global CO2 emissions. The GeopolyConc project will also be integrated with leading multinational collaborative test programmes coordinated through a RILEM Technical Committee (TC DTA) which is chaired by the PI, providing a route to direct international utilisation of the project outcomes.
Max ERC Funding
1 495 458 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-09-01, End date: 2018-08-31
Project acronym GRASP
Project The evolution of the human hand: grasping trees and tools
Researcher (PI) Tracy Lynne Kivell
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2013-StG
Summary The unique manipulative abilities of the human hand have fascinated scientists since the time of Darwin. However, we know little about how these unique abilities evolved because we have lacked, (1) the necessary fossil human (hominin) evidence and (2) the appropriate methods to investigate if, when and how our early ancestors used their hands for locomotion (climbing) and manipulation (tool-use). The GRASP project will use novel morphological, experimental and biomechanical methods to investigate different locomotor and manipulative behaviours in humans and other apes, and will use this knowledge to reconstruct hand use in the most complete early hominin hand fossils, those of Australopithecus sediba. The goal of GRASP is to determine the evolutionary history of the human hand by addressing two fundamental, yet unresolved, questions: (1) Were our fossil hominin ancestors still using their hands for climbing? (2) When and in which fossil hominin species did stone tool-use and tool-making first evolve? These questions will be addressed via three objectives: First, microtomography and a novel, holistic method (MedTool®) will be used to analyse the internal bony structure of human, ape and fossil hominin hand bones. Second, collection of the necessary biomechanical data on (a) the loads experienced by the human hand during tool-use and tool-making, (b) hand use and hand postures used by African apes during locomotion in the wild and, (c) the loads experienced by the bonobo hand during arboreal locomotion. Third, data from the first two objectives will be used to adapt musculoskeletal models of the human and bonobo hand and, through the creation of 3D biomechanical (finite-element) models, simulate natural loading of individual hand bones in humans, bonobos and fossil hominins. With this detailed understanding of hand function, we will determine how the locomotor and manipulative behaviours of Au. sediba and other early hominins shaped the evolution of the human hand.
Summary
The unique manipulative abilities of the human hand have fascinated scientists since the time of Darwin. However, we know little about how these unique abilities evolved because we have lacked, (1) the necessary fossil human (hominin) evidence and (2) the appropriate methods to investigate if, when and how our early ancestors used their hands for locomotion (climbing) and manipulation (tool-use). The GRASP project will use novel morphological, experimental and biomechanical methods to investigate different locomotor and manipulative behaviours in humans and other apes, and will use this knowledge to reconstruct hand use in the most complete early hominin hand fossils, those of Australopithecus sediba. The goal of GRASP is to determine the evolutionary history of the human hand by addressing two fundamental, yet unresolved, questions: (1) Were our fossil hominin ancestors still using their hands for climbing? (2) When and in which fossil hominin species did stone tool-use and tool-making first evolve? These questions will be addressed via three objectives: First, microtomography and a novel, holistic method (MedTool®) will be used to analyse the internal bony structure of human, ape and fossil hominin hand bones. Second, collection of the necessary biomechanical data on (a) the loads experienced by the human hand during tool-use and tool-making, (b) hand use and hand postures used by African apes during locomotion in the wild and, (c) the loads experienced by the bonobo hand during arboreal locomotion. Third, data from the first two objectives will be used to adapt musculoskeletal models of the human and bonobo hand and, through the creation of 3D biomechanical (finite-element) models, simulate natural loading of individual hand bones in humans, bonobos and fossil hominins. With this detailed understanding of hand function, we will determine how the locomotor and manipulative behaviours of Au. sediba and other early hominins shaped the evolution of the human hand.
Max ERC Funding
1 618 253 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym HIENA
Project Hierarchical Carbon Nanomaterials
Researcher (PI) Michael Franciscus Lucas De Volder
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARSOF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2013-StG
Summary "Over the past years, carbon nanomaterial such as graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the interest of scientists, because some of their properties are unlike any other engineering material. Individual graphene sheets and CNTs have shown a Youngs Modulus of 1 TPa and a tensile strength of 100 GPa, hereby exceeding steel at only a fraction of its weight. Further, they offer high currents carrying capacities of 10^9 A/cm², and thermal conductivities up to 3500 W/mK, exceeding diamond. Importantly, these off-the-chart properties are only valid for high quality individualized nanotubes or sheets. However, most engineering applications require the assembly of tens to millions of these nanoparticles into one device. Unfortunately, the mechanical and electronic figures of merit of such assembled materials typically drop by at least an order of magnitude in comparison to the constituent nanoparticles.
In this ERC project, we aim at the development of new techniques to create structured assemblies of carbon nanoparticles. Herein we emphasize the importance of controlling hierarchical arrangement at different length scales in order to engineer the properties of the final device. The project will follow a methodical approach, bringing together different fields of expertise ranging from macro- and microscale manufacturing, to nanoscale material synthesis and mesoscale chemical surface modification. For instance, we will pursue combined top-down microfabrication and bottom-up self-assembly, accompanied with surface modification through hydrothermal processing.
This research will impact scientific understanding of how nanotubes and nanosheets interact, and will create new hierarchical assembly techniques for nanomaterials. Further, this ERC project pursues applications with high societal impact, including energy storage and water filtration. Finally, HIENA will tie relations with EU’s rich CNT industry to disseminate its technologic achievements."
Summary
"Over the past years, carbon nanomaterial such as graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the interest of scientists, because some of their properties are unlike any other engineering material. Individual graphene sheets and CNTs have shown a Youngs Modulus of 1 TPa and a tensile strength of 100 GPa, hereby exceeding steel at only a fraction of its weight. Further, they offer high currents carrying capacities of 10^9 A/cm², and thermal conductivities up to 3500 W/mK, exceeding diamond. Importantly, these off-the-chart properties are only valid for high quality individualized nanotubes or sheets. However, most engineering applications require the assembly of tens to millions of these nanoparticles into one device. Unfortunately, the mechanical and electronic figures of merit of such assembled materials typically drop by at least an order of magnitude in comparison to the constituent nanoparticles.
In this ERC project, we aim at the development of new techniques to create structured assemblies of carbon nanoparticles. Herein we emphasize the importance of controlling hierarchical arrangement at different length scales in order to engineer the properties of the final device. The project will follow a methodical approach, bringing together different fields of expertise ranging from macro- and microscale manufacturing, to nanoscale material synthesis and mesoscale chemical surface modification. For instance, we will pursue combined top-down microfabrication and bottom-up self-assembly, accompanied with surface modification through hydrothermal processing.
This research will impact scientific understanding of how nanotubes and nanosheets interact, and will create new hierarchical assembly techniques for nanomaterials. Further, this ERC project pursues applications with high societal impact, including energy storage and water filtration. Finally, HIENA will tie relations with EU’s rich CNT industry to disseminate its technologic achievements."
Max ERC Funding
1 496 379 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31
Project acronym IntelGlazing
Project Intelligent functional glazing with self-cleaning properties to improve the energy efficiency of the built environment
Researcher (PI) Ioannis Papakonstantinou
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The latest forecast by the International Energy Agency predicts that the CO2 emissions from the built environment will reach 15.2Gt in 2050, double their 2007 levels. Buildings consume 40% of the primary energy in developed countries with heating and cooling alone accounting for 63% of the energy spent indoors. These trends are on an ascending trajectory - e.g. the average energy demand for air-conditioning has been growing by ~17% per year in the EU. Counterbalancing actions are urgently required to reverse them.
The objective of this proposal is to develop intelligent window insulation technologies from sustainable materials. The developed technologies will adjust the amount of radiation escaping or entering a window depending upon the ambient environmental conditions and will be capable of delivering unprecedented reductions to the energy needed for regulating the temperature in commercial and residential buildings.
Recognising the distinct requirements between newly built and existing infrastructure, two parallel concepts will be developed: i) A new class of intelligent glazing for new window installations, and, ii) a flexible, intelligent, polymer film to retrofit existing window installations. Both solutions will be enhanced with unique self-cleaning properties, bringing about additional economic benefits through a substantial reduction in maintenance costs.
Overall, we aim to develop intelligent glazing technologies that combine: i) power savings of >250 W/m2 of glazing capable of delivering >25% of energy savings and efficiency improvements >50% compared with existing static solutions; ii) visible transparency of >60% to comply with the EU standards for windows ,and, iii) self-cleaning properties that introduce a cost balance.
A number of technological breakthroughs are required to satisfy such ambitious targets which are delivered in this project by the seamless integration of nanotechnology engineering, novel photonics and advanced material synthesis.
Summary
The latest forecast by the International Energy Agency predicts that the CO2 emissions from the built environment will reach 15.2Gt in 2050, double their 2007 levels. Buildings consume 40% of the primary energy in developed countries with heating and cooling alone accounting for 63% of the energy spent indoors. These trends are on an ascending trajectory - e.g. the average energy demand for air-conditioning has been growing by ~17% per year in the EU. Counterbalancing actions are urgently required to reverse them.
The objective of this proposal is to develop intelligent window insulation technologies from sustainable materials. The developed technologies will adjust the amount of radiation escaping or entering a window depending upon the ambient environmental conditions and will be capable of delivering unprecedented reductions to the energy needed for regulating the temperature in commercial and residential buildings.
Recognising the distinct requirements between newly built and existing infrastructure, two parallel concepts will be developed: i) A new class of intelligent glazing for new window installations, and, ii) a flexible, intelligent, polymer film to retrofit existing window installations. Both solutions will be enhanced with unique self-cleaning properties, bringing about additional economic benefits through a substantial reduction in maintenance costs.
Overall, we aim to develop intelligent glazing technologies that combine: i) power savings of >250 W/m2 of glazing capable of delivering >25% of energy savings and efficiency improvements >50% compared with existing static solutions; ii) visible transparency of >60% to comply with the EU standards for windows ,and, iii) self-cleaning properties that introduce a cost balance.
A number of technological breakthroughs are required to satisfy such ambitious targets which are delivered in this project by the seamless integration of nanotechnology engineering, novel photonics and advanced material synthesis.
Max ERC Funding
1 762 823 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-03-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym JAGEUROPE
Project "The Jagiellonians: Dynasty, Identity and Memory in Central Europe"
Researcher (PI) Natalia Magdalena Nowakowska
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2013-StG
Summary "This ERC Starter Grant project will fund an interdisciplinary, transnational and groundbreaking study of the Jagiellonian dynasty (c.1386-1596) and its role, and legacy, in the development of identity in what we now call Central Europe. One of the most spectacularly successful of early modern dynasties, comparable only to the Habsburgs, in 1500 the Jagiellonians ruled a third of continental Europe, an area comprising no fewer than 14 present-day states. Uniquely among European dynasties in this period, the Jagiellonians created a dynastic regional hegemony, a geographical ‘bloc’ of neighbouring monarchies. Our knowledge of the Jagiellonians is, however, limited and highly fragmented along both national and disciplinary lines. The project will provide the first treatment of this leading Renaissance-era dynasty as a supra-national entity; it will offer a major new investigation of Renaissance dynasty itself as a political and cultural institution; explore the part played by the Jagiellonians in the evolution of pre-modern local or 'national' and regional identities, and investigate the ways in which divergent memories of their rule have, from 1596 onwards, shaped modern national identities in Central Europe. The project will transcend scholarly divisions – between disciplines (e.g. art history, anthropology, political history), between period specialisations (late medieval, early modern, modern) and between individual national historiographies (Polish, German, Czech etc.), to offer a metahistory of the meanings attributed to this landmark European dynasty, from the founder Jogaila (d.1434) to Radek Sikorski, Poland’s current foreign minister. The research will be undertaken by a multi-lingual team of 5 post-doctoral researchers, led by the PI, drawing on a range of written and visual sources produced by and about the Jagiellonians over six centuries."
Summary
"This ERC Starter Grant project will fund an interdisciplinary, transnational and groundbreaking study of the Jagiellonian dynasty (c.1386-1596) and its role, and legacy, in the development of identity in what we now call Central Europe. One of the most spectacularly successful of early modern dynasties, comparable only to the Habsburgs, in 1500 the Jagiellonians ruled a third of continental Europe, an area comprising no fewer than 14 present-day states. Uniquely among European dynasties in this period, the Jagiellonians created a dynastic regional hegemony, a geographical ‘bloc’ of neighbouring monarchies. Our knowledge of the Jagiellonians is, however, limited and highly fragmented along both national and disciplinary lines. The project will provide the first treatment of this leading Renaissance-era dynasty as a supra-national entity; it will offer a major new investigation of Renaissance dynasty itself as a political and cultural institution; explore the part played by the Jagiellonians in the evolution of pre-modern local or 'national' and regional identities, and investigate the ways in which divergent memories of their rule have, from 1596 onwards, shaped modern national identities in Central Europe. The project will transcend scholarly divisions – between disciplines (e.g. art history, anthropology, political history), between period specialisations (late medieval, early modern, modern) and between individual national historiographies (Polish, German, Czech etc.), to offer a metahistory of the meanings attributed to this landmark European dynasty, from the founder Jogaila (d.1434) to Radek Sikorski, Poland’s current foreign minister. The research will be undertaken by a multi-lingual team of 5 post-doctoral researchers, led by the PI, drawing on a range of written and visual sources produced by and about the Jagiellonians over six centuries."
Max ERC Funding
1 407 037 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-10-01, End date: 2018-09-30
Project acronym MCTRinIA
Project Resolution Pharmacology and Physiology of MCTR in Arthritis
Researcher (PI) Jesmond Dalli
Host Institution (HI) QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS4, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Chronic inflammation may result from failure of the host response to engage pro-resolving pathways. The current treatment armamentarium for chronic inflammatory conditions may lead to immune suppression. Thus, identification of novel therapeutics that control inflammation without immune suppression will provide an attractive alternative approach. This is especially important since incidence of these conditions increases with an ageing global population. In planaria, mice, human peripheral blood and milk I recently uncovered a new family of endogenous molecules, named Maresin Conjugates in Tissue Regeneration (MCTR). These potently regulate white blood cell responses, promote the resolution of acute inflammation and accelerate tissue regeneration. The aim of this Starting Grant is to identify pathways that lead to failed resolution in inflammatory arthritis, as a prototypical chronic inflammatory condition. The hypothesis is that MCTR biosynthesis is dysregulated in inflammatory arthritis, leading to an unbridled host response, chronic inflammation and tissue destruction. This proposal will employ a multipronged approach to test this hypothesis by 1) Determining MCTR regulation in self-resolving and delayed-resolving arthritis; 2) Investigating the host protective and tissue regenerative actions of MCTRs in inflammatory arthritis; 3) Establishing the MCTR biosynthetic pathway and 4) Determining the regulation if its components during self-limited and delayed-resolving arthritis. Anticipated results will uncover novel pathways that become dysregulated during failed resolution. Results from this Starting Grant will also identify targets and new therapeutic approaches that will engage pro-resolution programs as well as tissue regeneration in conditions characterised by persistent inflammation and hence failed resolution. This will lay the basis for informed structure-activity based studies and the design of therapeutics for treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.
Summary
Chronic inflammation may result from failure of the host response to engage pro-resolving pathways. The current treatment armamentarium for chronic inflammatory conditions may lead to immune suppression. Thus, identification of novel therapeutics that control inflammation without immune suppression will provide an attractive alternative approach. This is especially important since incidence of these conditions increases with an ageing global population. In planaria, mice, human peripheral blood and milk I recently uncovered a new family of endogenous molecules, named Maresin Conjugates in Tissue Regeneration (MCTR). These potently regulate white blood cell responses, promote the resolution of acute inflammation and accelerate tissue regeneration. The aim of this Starting Grant is to identify pathways that lead to failed resolution in inflammatory arthritis, as a prototypical chronic inflammatory condition. The hypothesis is that MCTR biosynthesis is dysregulated in inflammatory arthritis, leading to an unbridled host response, chronic inflammation and tissue destruction. This proposal will employ a multipronged approach to test this hypothesis by 1) Determining MCTR regulation in self-resolving and delayed-resolving arthritis; 2) Investigating the host protective and tissue regenerative actions of MCTRs in inflammatory arthritis; 3) Establishing the MCTR biosynthetic pathway and 4) Determining the regulation if its components during self-limited and delayed-resolving arthritis. Anticipated results will uncover novel pathways that become dysregulated during failed resolution. Results from this Starting Grant will also identify targets and new therapeutic approaches that will engage pro-resolution programs as well as tissue regeneration in conditions characterised by persistent inflammation and hence failed resolution. This will lay the basis for informed structure-activity based studies and the design of therapeutics for treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.
Max ERC Funding
1 964 303 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-03-01, End date: 2021-08-31
