Languages vary regarding the basic word orders that they allow in a sentence – e.g., whether direct objects in them precede or follow the verb: English is a VO (Verb-Object) language and Turkish is an OV (Object-Verb) language. OV languages typically place verbs clause-finally, but, in fact, vary widely with respect to what material, if any, is allowed after the verb, and under what conditions. Surprisingly, the post-verbal clausal domain of OV languages remains severely understudied. I propose that the restrictions on post-verbal clausal constituents in OV languages can only be explained through the understanding of the role that prosody plays in them. According to this prosody-centric hypothesis, the availability and types of post-verbal constituents in OV languages are regulated by their prosodic properties (e.g., accented vs. unaccented). This approach is recent but has already produced fruitful results. I will test this hypothesis on Basque, a minority OV language of Europe, surrounded by majority VO languages, Spanish and French. Basque is a uniquely fitting testbed for the prosody-centric approach: Basque dialects differ from each other in their prosodic properties and availability and frequency of post-verbal material. Neither the correlation between these two facts, predicted by the prosody-centric hypothesis, nor the interconnections between the syntactic, prosodic, and information-structural properties of post-verbal material in Basque or the role of contact with VO languages in shaping them have yet been investigated. I will collect and analyze syntactic and prosodic data in Basque and compare them to those in other OV languages. Pursuing this research is critically important for linguistic theory: without it, our understanding of basic clausal syntax, and the changes it can undergo, is woefully incomplete. The societal impact – raising the awareness of minority language speakers’ about the workings of their native language – is also significant.

Graphene nanoribbons (NR) are quasi-1D nanostructures with discrete band gaps, ballistic conduction, and one-atom thickness. Such properties make them ideal candidates to develop low-dimensional semiconductors, which are essential components in nanoelectronics. Atomically-precise control over the structure of NR (width, length, edge, doping) is crucial to fully exploit their potential. However, current approaches for the synthesis of NR suffer from several drawbacks that do not allow attaining such level of precision, therefore alternative methods need to be sought. e-Sequence will develop an unprecedented approach that assembles stepwise small molecular building blocks into NR to specifically target the most important challenges in NR synthesis. Such approach will enable the preparation of an unlimited number of NR with atomically-precise control over their structure and with almost no synthetic and purification effort, exceeding the limits of existing methods. The impact of e-Sequence will not be limited to NR synthesis but it will also extend to other disciplines, since NR are promising candidates to develop new technologies with applications in electronics, sensing, photonics, energy storage and conversion, spintronics, etc. e-Sequence ambitious research programme will be orchestrated by an independent scientist with an excellent track record of achievements in low-dimensional carbon nanostructures, and who has already established a fledgling and internationally competitive research group. Building on this and on his recent permanent appointment as Research Professor, the award of this ERC project will enable him to consolidate his group, build a portfolio of excellent research, and produce results that compete on the world stage.

MagicFACE deals on the design and investigation of magnetic hybrid metal-organic interfaces by evaporation of organic molecules (phthalocyanines, porphyrins and single molecular magnets) on non-conventional ferromagnetic surface- confined alloys, which contain rare earths atoms and noble metals (Ag and Au). The project aims to give a full description of the electronic and magnetic interaction phenomena that takes places at the hybrid metalorganic interface, exploring the possibility to create highly spin-polarized surfaces to enhance the performance of quantum information processing and organic spintronic devices. Several spectroscopies and microscopies are combined to obtain a comprehensive understanding on how the hybrid metal-organic interface forms and which kind of electronic and magnetic properties it displays. The preparation of the interface will be carried out under ultra-high vacuum conditions and the structure and morphology will be analyzed using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Low Energy Electron Diffraction. The electronic characterization includes local Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy, spatially averaged Photoelectron Spectroscopy and X-ray absorption Spectroscopy. The main goal is to understand the chemistry and the physical processes taking place at the interface: charge transfer, energy level alignment and hybridization effects. Moreover, the study of the magnetic behaviour of the interface will be carried out by means of Spin Polarized Angle Resolved Photoemission and X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism, trying to find the effect of the magnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic substrate and organic molecular layer on the spin-dependent electronic properties at the interface.