Petros Elia, ERC, Eurecom, DUALITY

Petros Elia was awarded an ERC grant for its research on wireless networks

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To obtain a grant from the European Research Council is one of the ultimate goals for a scientist based in Europe. That’s exactly what Prof. Petros Elia, a reseacher at Eurecom, achieved last November. This makes a total of two ERC grants at Eurecom in two years.

 

 

Petros Elia, Eurecom, ERC grant

“No doubt, getting the ERC grant is a very important milestone in one’s career” says Petros Elia, Professor in Mobile Communications. The prestigious nature of this honor also reflects very well on Eurecom as a whole, and on the Communications Systems Department in particular which now boasts two ERC grants (Prof. David Gesbert received it in 2015). Petros admits that the ERC has the potential to bring about some changes and challenges: “It could change my day-to-day work since it could allow me to pursue more ambitious research goals and riskier funding endeavors.” Petros will also be involved in the recently created Eurecom committee specialized in ERC grants that helps scientists benefit from the experience of other scientists who already received such grants: “Of course, I’m very available to help Eurecom professors write their ERC proposals,” adds Petros Elia. The five-year grant he received represents €2 million, which is the maximum for “Consolidator grants”, the type of ERC Petros Elia applied for. It will help him develop DUALITY, his ground-breaking project that aims to revolutionize the way wireless networks are working.

 

DUALITY Project

For some, the explosion in the volumes of data may mean the end of wireless networks, but for Petros Elia, increased data storage capabilities could actually lead to major gains in data transmission rates in wireless networks. This shows how big and challenging DUALITY is. For some months, Petros has been feeling that “something exciting was coming up” in this area. He actually proved – in a specific setting (a broadcast channel) – there was some synergy between cache memory and feedback information theory. He now needs to prove it for all sorts of configurations. “Even without the ERC grant, I would be doing this type of research. I strongly believe that this approach can lead to something very new and powerful. It’s a very exciting area of research,” he adds. For him, DUALITY deals with concepts that will have an impact far beyond 5G. It is typically a high-risk/high-gain topic, which he nicely demonstrated in his ERC proposal. The big challenge of DUALITY is to lay the theoretical foundations of transforming memory into better data rates through wireless communications. In other words, that means creating a new theory. Nothing less. A theory that would reveal how, with a little feedback and a splash of smart caching of a small fraction of popular content, it would be possible to adequately handle the anticipated extreme increase in users and demand.

It is actually urgent to find solutions since “we are running out of available resources for transmitting signals over wireless networks – whose traffic is expected to increase by 10 in just 5 years,” Petros explains. And there is an unexplored synergy between two seemingly very different structural worlds: Feedback information theory and distributed storage.” Seemingly disconnected, both theories have severe limitations when used separately, especially in the presence of an increasing number of users. “But the mathematical convergence of them could lead to something powerful. Each method could build on the imperfections of the other.” Hence the name of the project, DUALITY, that says it all.

Petros Elia’s idea is to use distributed memory at some nodes of the network in a way that it absorbs structure from the data and converts it into structure for the network. This would reconstruct the structure of the network, yielding faster networks with less unwanted interferences. How would it work? The first step is to be able to predict probable interfering data streams so they can be cleverly placed in advance in some collective cache memory of subgroups of users. And then, when time comes, the system should be able to cleverly transmit the right signals/information to the right users. For example, the system would predict that shows like “The Big Bang Theory” or “The Man in the High Castle” could be downloaded on Wednesday. So, the day before, it would store some of these in specific places across the wireless network, so it – with a single common transmission! – can deliver different series to different people; the key is to create interferences on purpose! It is easy to understand that multiple users and multiple data make the whole process a lot more complicated and interesting. The basics of the new theory imagined by Petros can be summarized in three words: maths, maths and maths – Feedback information theory, Coding theory and Algebraic combinatorics… These are the main tools that will help Eurecom scientists find how and where to place memory across the network, so that restructuring phenomena can happen.

 

Scientific and technological impacts

Getting to this result will obviously take a few years and some major milestones have to be reached in the research process. First, fundamental limits of memory-aided wireless communications will be explored so that the relationship between feedback information and storage-capacity can be better understood. This will lead to the design of specific algorithms that will focus, for example, on “feedback-boosted coded caching” or memory-aided interference alignment. A third important step will be about the use of memory to simplify the structure of wireless networks; it turns out that a bit of feedback-aided caching can fundamentally alter the structure of the network into something much simpler. All these results will then be able to lead to a unified theory stating how memory can be converted into throughput in the case of very large networks such as ultra-high frequency networks, optical networks or the cloud. Finally, “all this will be validated with a series of wireless testbed experiments”, explains Petros, “either on the OpenAirInterface simulator – the EURECOM wireless technology platform – or with the help of companies like a German start-up that has the right receivers and base stations to perform the experiments”. The results of these experiments will hopefully show if a novel class of algorithms placed directly on mobile devices, can efficiently manage memory and feedback, in order to boost network performance.

According to Petros, it is possible that in 5-6 years from now, memory-aided algorithms will guarantee ultra-fast massive downloads, no matter how the network load increases. Actually, the more storage we will have, the better wireless networks will work! Increasing storage capacities could even mean endless resources for wireless networks, making us gradually enter a new period of the wireless history: the “Eldorado of Memory” as Petros Elia likes to call it. Future wireless standards will then have to take this entirely new paradigm into account.

 

Learn more about ERC Grants

 

Gasification, Pilote, Mines Albi, VALTHERA, Javier Escudero

Gasification, the future of organic waste recovery

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At a time when the challenge of waste recovery is becoming increasingly evident, gasification is emerging as a promising solution. The process allows organic waste to be decomposed into synthetic gas, which can be burned for energy purposes, or reprocessed to obtain gases of interest, such as methane and hydrogen. Javier Escudero has been studying this virtuous alternative to incineration for over eight years at Mines Albi. At the RAPSODEE laboratory (UMR CNRS 5302), he is developing a pilot process for recovering problematic waste, such as non-recyclable plastic materials and certain types of agricultural residue.

 

This century-old technique is now more relevant than ever. Gasification, which generates combustible gas from carbonaceous solids, such as coal and wood, was popularized in the 19th century to power producer-gas vehicles. They sparked renewed interest during World War II, when they were used to produce synthetic fuels from coal during the oil shortage.

 

Waste, tomorrow’s resource

In this season of energy transition, researchers are reviving this technique to recover a much more promising carbon source: organic waste! Javier Escudero is one such researcher. His credo? “Waste is tomorrow’s resource.” At Mines Albi, he is working to optimize this recovery method, which is more virtuous than outright incineration. His target materials are forest residues, household waste and non-recyclable plastic materials, etc. “Gasification is used particularly for dry and solid waste. It is complementary to the biological methanation process, which is used more for wet waste,” he explains.

Several steps are involved in the gasification process of transforming waste into gas. The waste, which is preconditioned and dried beforehand, first undergoes pyrolysis in a low-oxygen atmosphere at temperatures of over 300°C. “In these conditions, the energy produced breaks the molecular bonds. The carbonaceous materials separate into gas and solid residue. The following step is the true gasification stage: at 750°C or higher, the water vapor or carbon dioxide that are present complete the decomposition of these elements into a mixture of small molecules called synthesis gas, essentially composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen,” Javier Escudero explains.

This synthesis gas, the basic “building block” of petrochemistry, has proven to be very useful: it can be incinerated, providing a greater yield than the combustion of the original solid. It can also power a cogeneration motor to produce heat and electricity. Finally, it can be reprocessed to produce gases of interest: methane, hydrogen, acetylene, etc… “We can therefore replace one source of energy or fossil material with its renewable energy equivalent,” Javier Escudero explains. It is thanks to this great versatility that gasification provides a virtuous alternative to incineration. However, some optimizations must still be made to improve its economic results.

 

Thermal recovery for industrial benefit

Javier Escudero has been working towards this goal since his arrival at Mines Albi in 2008. His goal is to identify the best means for enhancing the yield of the process, of which some mechanisms remain relatively unknown. In 2013, one of his team’s publications,1 explaining the respective influences of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the efficiency of gasification, was well received by the scientific community.

 

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VALTHERA, waste recovery here, there, and everywhere

The VALTHERA platform (which in French stands for VALorisation THErmique des Résidus de transformation des Agro-ressources, the Thermal Recovery of Processing Residues from Agro-Resources), is located at the Mines Albi site, and is backed by the Agri Sud-Ouest and Derbi competitiveness clusters. It is a technological platform specialized in the development of highly energy-efficient thermal processes for the recovery of biomass waste and by-products. Its technological offer includes drying, pyrolysis, torrefaction, combustion, and gasification. Different means of recovery are being studied for this waste that is widely available, which would generate energy or value-added materials. Another specific feature of the VALTHERA platform is that it develops a source of solar power intended to power all of these thermal processes and improve their ecological footprint. It also offers high-performance equipment for treating various types of emissions and pollutants. The platform also acts as a catalyst for companies, and specifically for SMEs seeking to carry out research and development programs, demonstrate the feasibility of a project, or generalize a process.[/box]

 

Gazéification, Javier Escudero, VALTHERA, Mines AlbiNow, the time has come to apply this research. The researcher and his team are therefore working to develop the VALTHERA platform (in French: VALorisation THErmique des Résidus de transformation des Agro-ressources, the Thermal Recovery of Processing Residues from Agro-Resources). This platform is aimed at developing various processes for thermal waste recovery in partnership with industrial stakeholders (see box). In particular, Javier Escudero and his colleagues at the RAPSODEE laboratory (Recherche d’Albi en génie des Procédés des Solides Divisés, de l’Énergie et de l’Environnement, the Albi Research Centre for Process Engineering in Particulate Solids, Energy and the Environment) are working on a 100 kW pilot gasification process. This process is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2016, and will be a forerunner of final processes reaching up to 3 MW, “a power range that is suitable for processing a small-scale of generated organic waste, which could suit the needs of an SME.” The team is particularly focused on “fixed-bed” technology. With this system, the entire process takes place within a single reactor. The waste is “piled in” from the top, and then gradually goes through the steps of pyrolysis and gasification, driven downwards by the force of gravity, until the synthesis gas is recovered at the bottom of the reactor.

The researchers are working in partnership with the French gasifier manufacturer, CogeBio, to expand the possibilities of this technology. “The only commercial solutions that exist are for wood chips. We are going to assess the use of other types of waste, such as vine shoots,” explains Javier Escudero. Eventually, the project will expand to include other sources, such as non-recyclable plastics, still in connection with solutions industrial stakeholders are seeking. “Today, the processing cost for certain types of waste is negative, because the demand to get rid of this waste is greater than the processing capacities,” the researcher explains. In terms of recovery, the synthesis gas will first be burned for energy purposes. Based on the different partnerships, more ambitious recovery processes could be implemented. A top process of interest is the production of hydrogen: a high-value-added energy carrier. All of these valuable initiatives are aimed at transforming our waste into renewable energy!

 

Javier Escudero, Mines Albi, Gazéification

Curiosity: the single driving force

Nothing predestined Javier Escudero to develop gasification in France… unless it was his scientific curiosity. After falling in love with research during an internship at a Swiss polymer manufacturer, the Spanish student began his thesis on polymerization, under the joint direction of a Spanish manufacturer. After completing his post-graduate research on the same theme at the Laboratory of Chemical Engineering – LGC – in Toulouse (UMR 5503), in 2008 he applied for a research position at Mines Albi in the area of waste gasification, a subject that strayed from his beginnings in chemistry. However, his curiosity and industrial experience combined to bring him success. Eight years later, he is now an Assistant Professor at the RAPSODEE laboratory (UMR CNRS 5302)… and extremely passionate about sustainable development. In addition to his daily work on gasification, he is co-organizing the international WasteEng conference (conference on engineering for waste and biomass valorisation), which brings together stakeholders from across the waste chain, from the identification of sources to their recovery.

 

(1) Guizani, C. et al ; The gasification reactivity of high-heating-rate chars in single and mixed atmospheres of H2O and CO2 ; Fuel 108 (2013) 812–823

 

Roisin Owens received a ERC Consolidator Grant to carry on her work in the filed of bioelectronics.

Roisin Owens scores a hat-trick with the award of a third ERC grant

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In December 2016, Roisin Owens received a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). Following her 2011 Starting Grant and her 2014 Proof of Concept Grant, it is therefore the third time the ERC rewards the quality of the projects she leads at Mines Saint-Étienne, in France. Beyond a funding source, this is also a prestigious peer recognition, since only around 300 Consolidator Grants are awarded to researchers each year[1]. We have asked Roisin Owens a few questions to better understand what a new ERC grant means for her and her work.

 

How do you feel now that you have been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the ERC?

Roisin Owens: I feel more confident. When I was awarded the Starting Grant in 2011, I thought I had been lucky, as if I had just been in the right place at the right time. But now I don’t think it is luck anymore. I think there is a true value in my work. Of the 13 researchers who evaluated my project proposal answering the call for the Consolidator Grant, 12 have qualified it as “outstanding” or “very good”. I knew the idea was good, but I also knew the grant was very competitive: there are some world class scientists in the running for it!

 

What does the Consolidator Grant gives you that the Starting Grant did not? 

RO: The Consolidator Grant brings a better scientific recognition. The Starting Grant rewards future potential and supports a young and promising researcher. So if  you have a good idea, a good thesis and some scientific publications you can be eligible. For the Consolidator, you need to have already been published at least ten articles as  a postdoctoral researcher or project leader — principal investigator. This means that this grant is dedicated to researchers who already have some scientific credibility, and for whom the ERC will consolidate a mid-career position.

 

How did your research take consistency along the ERC grants you received?

RO: The Starting Grant allowed me to start my work in bioelectronics. Since I am a biologist, I wanted to develop a set of technologies based on conducting polymers to measure biological activity in a non-invasive way. This is what I did in the Ionosense project. With the Consolidator, I want to go deeper. Now the technologies are functional, I will try to answer questions that have never been even asked yet, because researchers did not have access to the tools to do so.

Read more about the scientific work of Roisin Owen: When biology meets electronics

 

Which tools do your technologies give to researchers?

RO: When scientists work on cancer or on the effects of microorganisms on our biological system, they have to use animal experiments. This takes time and is expensive, notwithstanding the ethical concerns. Furthermore, the mouse is not necessarily a good model of the human organism. My idea is to perform in vitro modelling of biological systems that accurately reflect human physiology. To do this, I mimic the human body using complex 3D microfluidic systems that recreate fluid circulation in organs. Then I include electronics to monitor a variety of effects on this system. For me, it is a way of adapting technology to the reality of the biology. Currently, the opposite usually happens in laboratories: researchers force biology to adapt to the equipment!

 

Do you think you could be at this point in your research if you had not been awarded your ERC grants?

RO: Definitely not. First of all, the Starting Grant opened doors for me. It gave me some credibility and the possibility to build partnerships. For example, when I got the grant, I was able to recruit a postdoctoral fellow from Stanford, a top university in the US. I am not sure I could have recruited that person without the Starting Grant. ERC grants are the only ones in Europe to give you such independence. They provide 1.5-2 million euros for five years! This means you don’t spend so much of your time looking for money for research, and you can really focus on your work. The alternative would be to go through a national funding process, like those of the French national research agency [ANR], but this is not at the same scale: we are talking about 400 000 euros per project.

 

Between your Starting Grant and your Consolidator Grant, you received a Proof of Concept (POC) Grant. What was it for?

RO: It is small grant compared to the others: 150 000 euros over a single year. This one is dedicated to researchers who already have had another ERC Grant. As its name suggests, it provides you some extra money to generate a proof of concept. If one of the technologies you have developed during your first grant shows some commercial potential, you can then explore this with a view to a more concrete application. In our first project — Ionosense — one part of the project looked promising in terms of commercialisation. With the POC, we were able to make a prototype. Now we have patented a technology for in vitro toxicology tests, and we are currently in negotiations with a company to produce the prototype. For me, it is very important to find applications for my research that could be useful for society, since my work is funded through taxes paid by European citizens.

 

Since we are talking about it: what are grants specifically used for?

RO: Essentially, to build a team. We are carrying out multidisciplinary work, so we need a wide range of expertise. I have a large expertise in multiple fields of biology, and I am starting to acquire a good knowledge of electronics, but I can’t cover everything. To help me, I have to recruit young, talented people, passionate about key topics of my project: microfluidics, analytical chemistry, 3D modelling of cellular biology, etc. Since I recruit them when they just have finished their thesis, they are up to date with the latest technologies. It is also important for me to hire young researchers and to train them, to stop the brain drain towards foreign countries.

 

Every scientist who gets an ERC Grant is doing valuable work. But with three ERC grants awarded to you, there is something more than quality. What is your secret?

RO: First, I am a native English speaker. I was born in Ireland, and was bilingual in Gaelic and English at an early age. This is a big advantage when you write project proposals. I also like to take time to let my ideas nurture and blossom. The ERC projects I submited were not just written in a few weeks before the deadline. They are well thought out over multiple months. I also have to thank the Cancéropôle PACA who provided financial support for me to consult with an advisor on project building. And I have to admit I truly have a secret weapon — two actually: my sisters. One is an editor for a Nature journal, and the other works on communications  in museums. Every time I write a proposal, I send it to them so they can help me polish it!

 

[1] In 2016, 314 researchers have been awarded a Consolidator Grant over 2274 projects evaluated by the ERC (success rate : 13.8%). In 2015, 302 researchers have been awarded the same grant over 2023 projects (14.0%). Source : ERC statistics.

Nabyla Daidj, Télécom École de Management

“Strategy, Structure and Corporate Governance”, by Nabyla Daidj

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Nabyla Daidj, associate professor at the Télécom École de Management, authors a book entitled Strategy, Structure and Corporate Governance.

 

Since the beginning of the 2000s, important changes in external environments have affected the corporate governance practices of firms all around the world. The corporate governance structure in each country develops in response to country-specific factors and conditions. Firms are currently engaged in a variety of dynamic business relationships such as business networks, strategic alliances, and conglomerates especially in high technology sectors.

Strategy, Structure and Corporate Governance by Nabyla Daidj, proposes to analyze the main trends and drivers of change in corporate governance of several kinds of organizations:

  • Large conglomerates. The development of large and complex conglomerate organizations have played an important role in the economy in Japan but also in other countries such as Korea with chaebols, which can be defined as closely intertwined industrial groupings,
  • Inter-firms networks (districts, clusters etc.),
  • “Recent” forms of inter-firms networks (business ecosystems).

The author examines several case studies and shows how shifts in markets and global competition are reconfiguring transactions within these organizations and are impacting corporate governance systems.

 

Nabyla DaidjAbout the author
Nabyla Daidj is Associate Professor of Strategic Management at the Télécom École de Management in France. She received her doctorate in Economics from the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris in 1994, with a thesis on strategic alliances in high-tech industries.

 

Nabyla Daidj, Strategy, Structure and Corporate GovernanceStrategy, Structure and Corporate Governance
Expressing inter-firm networks and group-affiliated companies
Nabyla Daidj
Routledge, 2016
226 pages
112,53 € (hardcover)

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