We propose a research program of 10 PhD theses coordinated by Normandie Université (NU), which federates the most important institutions of higher education and research in Normandy. These PhD grants will be co-funded by Région Normandie, in line with its strategy for research and innovation. The program aims at developing novel artificial intelligence (AI) approaches in contexts where humans and AI together control systems and make decisions. An example of such contexts is autonomous vehicles, where most piloting is performed automatically, but control must be taken by the human in specific situations (e.g., reduced visibility). Another example is medical imaging-based diagnosis, where AI is used to assist physicians in the tedious task of image analysis by focusing their attention to the most meaningful images or regions of images. Yet another example is the case of a complex organization, like a harbor, in which human decisions about the management of traffic must be supported by models and prediction tools, which themselves embed expert knowledge. Our objective is to develop ambitious and original AI techniques for such contexts and understand their fundamental underpinnings, along two main directions as suggested by the above examples: - sharing of control, where AI and humans together control a system in an interactive loop (for instance, control passing back and forth between an automated and a human pilot), and - sharing of decisions, where the interaction occurs essentially in two phases (for instance, AI-based segmentation of medical images, then physicians making decisions based on them). These scientific themes are very active research areas at NU, where many teams have gained solid national and international reputation. One of the added value of this project will be to foster interaction between researchers and PhD students in both themes, around the numerous aspects common to both directions: taking into account human knowledge, modeling the human’s expectations, ensuring that decisions are explainable, reliable, robust, and ethical, to cite a few. This general objective will be instantiated on two main fields of application, for which NU has important forces: transportation and health. Normandy indeed has an important expertise on these two fields, specifically on autonomous vehicles, logistics, and medical imaging. It also enjoys important infrastructures, especially the harbor in Le Havre (2 nd most important port in France, and 11 th in Europe), the ARCHADE platform for hadrontherapy and the CYCERON platform for medical imaging in Caen, and the Rouen Normandy Autonomous Lab for autonomous vehicles. These applications will drive research in various facets of AI for which NU has internationally renowned research teams and individual researchers. One can cite in particular: automated decision and planning in interaction with humans; machine learning, especially deep learning; discrete and continuous optimization; knowledge extraction and data analysis; multi-agent systems. Moreover, at the crossroads between all these techniques lie important common scientific problems, notably large-scale optimization and modeling of data, knowledge, users, and systems. We propose to fund 10 PhD theses on these topics, with a strategy for fostering interaction between them through scientific events at different levels held on a regular basis. Our proposal does not include a definitive list of PhD subjects, since research in the targeted scientific fields and innovation in the targeted application areas evolve very fast. We will rather open a call for PhD subjects once this program is funded, have the proposals and candidates reviewed and ranked by external experts, and decide which to fund depending on these evaluations and on a balance between the scientific directions outlined above, a process successfully used for several years at NU.

BoostUrCAreer project aims at implementing at Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) a multidisciplinary doctoral programme in e-health to attract to the French Riviera early-stage researchers (ESRs) with the world highest academic, creative and innovative potentials and to enhance their employability with the support from the Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur socio-economic dynamism. The proposed programme will foster interdisciplinary, intersectoral and international experiences with the objective of contributing to creating a new generation of PhDs equipped for both academic and non-academic careers in e-health and inclined to the great research and innovation challenges of tomorrow. In line with the strategy of excellence, interdisciplinary and innovation pursued by UCA, every doctoral project will have to associate two laboratories of UCA, a foreign academic partner and a non-academic one. BoostUrCAreer will thus provide a diversified education combining the most basic aspects of research with the practice of transfer toward other the socio-economic world. This dual expertise represents a real added value for career development and is acquired thanks to specific trainings on practical and transferable skills and a six-month mobility abroad at an international research laboratory. A close follow-up as well by two academic supervisors in fundamental laboratories and by an academic tutor and a local non-academic mentor will ensure the quality of doctoral theses and further facilitate the ESRs’ integration to the workforce. High-level applicants are selected through a merit-based, open and fair process to develop projects with UCA excellent research teams. They will receive an attractive allowance and dedicated research funds. BoostUrCAreer will promote European best practices for research and innovations and should serve as a model to disseminate these policies to the whole region.

The recent economic crisis has also been a crisis for economic theory. Hence, the economic profession started to debate and prepare a methodological reconsideration about the general role of economic models; new modeling strategies, alternative and complementary to the standard Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models, have therefore emerged. Among these innovative approaches, Agent-based Computational Economics (ACE) started to occupy a prominent role. However, ACE models still need to be improved in three main directions before being ready to be employed as a standard policy tool adopted by central banks. These three directions are: (i) calibration, (ii) external validation, (iii) formal evaluation of systemic risk. This fellowship aims at directly tackling these three issues by employing new statistical learning, econometric, and algorithmic techniques and by applying them to an ACE model that enables one to analyze private and public debt dynamics by closely following the financial and real sectors at the micro-level. The research plan here proposed aims at developing a calibrated and validated model able to explain how the rise in private debt and the interconnectedness of financial institutions might lead to financial crisis, which then might spread to the real sector and ask for a massive public sector intervention, possibly generating also public debt overhangs. Additionally, the innovativeness in the methods here employed will allow to establish higher standards for the development of descriptive ACE models. Once these model are properly and rigosously calibrated and validated by means of real-world datasets indeed, they can be adopted to evaluate a set of counterfactual policy exercises. In particular we aim at understanding which ex-ante policy measures might help avoiding debt-triggered crises and which ex-post policy interventions might help in mitigating their negative effects.

Since 2011, Tunisia has been the theatre of a profound social, political and economic transformation. The Humanities and Social Sciences can develop tools enabling Tunisian society to appropriate and perpetuate this transformation. Within this context, the “SfaxForward” Twinning project strengthens the capacities of an innovative academic centre regarding Cultural Heritage: the Maghreb House of the Humanities and Social Sciences (MdMSH) at the University of Sfax. SfaxForward postulates that Tangible and Intangible Heritage can play a central role in a territory’s transformation and development. By learning to cherish their Cultural Heritage, people can discover who they are and what they share. The characterization and subsequent participatory management of these common cultural assets should engender a more stable and inclusive society. One that better manages migratory flows thanks to its citizens enjoying greater control over their lives, while constructing and taking possession of their own territory. SfaxForward’s goal is to position the Sfax partner as an international model for mutually beneficial relations between academia and civil society, with Heritage serving as a driving force of regional development and stability. This necessitates establishing the conditions for a fruitful dialogue between researchers and civil society to enlighten public policy and action. Southern Tunisia constitutes the project’s territory-laboratory. To achieve this goal, SfaxForward develops three types of initiatives: multidisciplinary conferences and workshops on the project’s key themes, thematic schools dedicated to young researchers, and an Observatory of Southern Tunisian Heritage constructed in collaboration with civil society. The extensive interdisciplinary experience of the collaborating French and Belgian Houses of the Humanities and Social Sciences benefits MdMSH in constructing its own unique scientific identity, with an ambition for international excellence.

The ‘SHaring Open educational practices Using Technology For Higher Education’ (SHOUT4HE) project responded to the need for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to ‘prioritize and recognize’ (NMC Horizon Report: Higher Education Edition, 2017, p.2) ongoing learning about the use of technology by their staff to make a positive impact on teaching, learning, & creative inquiry in higher education. This can only happen if HE teacher’s skills are improved to enhance pedagogies. This is particularly important with the development of open educational resources (OERs) as the use digital technology becomes more pervasive and sophisticated in Higher Education (HE) teaching. Evidence suggest that this cannot happen in isolation, either within a university or an individual country, and needs to be developed through transnational cooperation between HEIs to ensure best practice and innovation is shared. Through transnational cooperation the project achieved three main objectives: 1. Development of a Recognition Framework (3D2) for effective use of technology in Higher Education (HE) teaching, to allow HE teachers to assess their current position, but also to see how to enhance their teaching in line with individual needs and expectations. 2. Design and development of a new, innovative e-Platform for sharing open education practices and resources. 3. Development a set of e-Resources (Pedagogical Practice Videos [PPVs] and eBooks) to be shared through the e-Platform and other networks. These consist of 45 OER Pedagogical Practice Videos (PPVs) and three eBooks.The project team consisted of five university partners (Cardiff Metropolitan University, Université Côte d'Azur, Hogeschool PXL, University of Limerick, Universite de Bordeaux) across four countries (Wales, Belgium, France, Ireland), all of whom are HE teachers. Each partner worked closely with a minimum of eight other HE teachers within their institution across a range of academic subjects to encourage cross-disciplinary pedagogic learning. Each SHOUT4HE partner identified three HE teachers as Core HE teachers (CHET). The CHETs were chosen to represent a range of different academic disciplines. Each partner also recruited a minimum of five Peripheral HE teachers (PHET). The PHETs were chosen as all demonstrated high quality technology-supported teaching practice within their university. Together with the project team, they all contributed a wide variety of subject and discipline knowledge and experience to the production of the Pedagogical Practice Videos (PPVs) and eBooks. The 45 PPVs are searchable by a range of filters and all outline: the context of the technology use; the educational approach; the degree of digital fluency involved; how the practice was developed; and its use as an OER. The eBooks The project involved integrated transnational meetings, multiplier events, a final conference, as well as data collection from other HE teachers to collaboratively recognize practices from other HE teachers. The underlying overall methodology for the implementation of the SHOUT4HE project was AGILE, with a series of development cycles to focus on continuous improvement in the development of each of the outputs. In addition, the development of the software of the e-platform was based on a design-based methodology with all partners contributing to reflect best practice in software design.The project Recognition Framework, 45 PPVs and 3 eBooks were widely disseminated and are all openly and freely available on the specially designed project e-Platform (https://library.shout4he.eu). They have high degree of relevance, are applicability across disciplines transnationally, and are designed to ensure they are easily adopted and thus have a longer-term impact in university teaching, professional development programmes, as well as on individual HE teachers for personal use in CPD.