This project comes under fundamental research. It is at the crossing between two federative themes: the modelisation of metamaterials from on one hand, and Transformation Optics on the other hand. Metamaterials are artificial structures made of a set of elementary components (wires, split rings, nanorods) possessing at the macroscopic level effective electromagnetic properties that are not found in natural materials. This properties open the way to a great deal of possibilities of controlling light propagation (super-lens, invisibility cloaking). They constitute an emergent theme of research, that is part of a bundle of new themes forming a new domain mixing Plasmonics, Metamaterials, Nanophotonics with potential applications in biophysics, integrated optics, solar cells and so on. Transformation Optics is an even more recent theme since the founding article dates back to 2006. Transformation Optics exploits the idea according which there is an equivalence between a geometrical transform (that is to say, a change of coordinates) characterized by a Jacobian matrix and the electromagnetic properties of materials. This property has been aboundantly used in the framework of invisibility cloakings. Unfortunately, the permittivites and permeabilities deriving from these techniques do not exist in Nature: they are in general strongly heterogeneous and completely anisotropic. At the moment, there is no such thing as a systematic approach to answering the following question: • « given a ray path, what are the permittivity/permeability tensors whose geodesics have this path? » • « given the permittivity and permeability deduced from Transformation Optics, by which metamaterial are they realized? » The aim of this project is to develop systematic methods allowing to answer these questions, that is to say, to realize a conceptual synthesis between Metamaterials and Transformation Optics To do so, we shall use direct methods (developped during a preceding ANR project) as well as inverse and optimisation methods.

EUROPAM is a research project that proposes comparative spatio-temporal acoustic survey of megafauna biodiversity, and its management at a European scale. EUROPAM is based on innovative scientific instrumentation and algorithms, the Bombyx sonobuoys, to increase the knowledge of anthropogenic impacts on marine life, on a wide scale that allows comparison between locations and type of disturbances, and also between some population segments. It is composed of researchers from many different fields, making the project federative and multi-disciplinary. The ultimate objectives of real-time, high-quality acoustic observations are the efficient management and the generation of long-term statistics. EUROPAM will: (1) develop comparative continuous passive acoustic monitoring in the Mediterranean Sea, the Azores and off-shore Norway; (2) compare marine soundscapes considering quiet marine protected areas vs. areas under strong human pressure; (3) describe marine soundscapes and their natural patterns and dynamics (daily and seasonal) and feed marine soundscape data into repositories; (4) develop protocols to calibrate measurements and provide comparable data across a large range of temporal and spatial scales; and (5) support whale-ship collision risk mitigation procedures. EUROPAM is considering biotic and abiotic ocean soundscapes, and oceanic parameters. In the biotic soundscape. The objective is to quantify anthropogenic noise sources, identify and track marine mammals, while in the abiotic soundscape, the objective is to monitor acoustic features driven by local climate and meteorological events. EUROPAM will identify conservation areas and seasonality of species diversity, compare noisy with quiet areas, and measure noise level changes in relation to wind farm construction and to new offshore industrial activities. The project will monitor sea regions which are expected to be highly impacted by climate change, by industrial development and by increasing marine traffic. It addresses the topics highlighted in Theme 1 of this call, by establishing a comprehensive understanding of effective and resilient ecological networks, while contributing to enhanced species-based protection using state-of-the-art methodology. Also, it will lead to better knowledge of the megafauna in the international marine mammal sanctuary PELAGOS, in Azores and along the Norwegian coast. EUROPAM will bring new types of observatories for marine mammal survey and protection and will participate in novel whale-ship anti-collision mitigation in high trafficked areas like between Italy and France. Thus, it will also assess the costs of biodiversity loss and conservation outcomes in the context of vessel traffic management, highlighted in Themes 2 + 3. It will help to regulate fishery and whale-watching interactions with sea mammals. In the waters of the European Union, it also considers acoustic pollution according to the descriptor 11 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

For Students, linguistic, cross-cultural and professional acquisition measures foster leaners’ personal development as well as a better integration into the labour market.For professors, passing on knowledge and know-how supports a climate of continuous improvement and personal development. This positive mind-set supportsinnovation and strengthens cooperation between European institutions and businesses.This is why the University of Toulon is fully involved in this project.Benefiting from the renewal of former agreements and strengthened with the signingof new ones, Toulon University is backed up by a motivated and efficient team in theInternational Relation Department and a network of international advisors who promote mobility.Toulon University provides incoming students and outgoing students with a local service making administrative procedures easier for them.Students are also offered a wide range of services such as courses in french as a foreign language, language partner program (TANDEM), integration weekend,pedagogical outings, sport events, cultural and sight-seeing excursions in PACA area, forums on mobility and buffets before the holding of events.Toulon University places a substantial emphasis on mobility and offers courses taught in English, this will promote the implementation of significant projects.