Objective
Movements are essential for early development, allowing infants to link proprioceptive feedback with tactile, auditory, and visual inputs. This early multisensory association builds body awareness, spatial cognition, and social interaction. In cerebral palsy (CP), the most common congenital motor disability, affecting 2 to 3 children per 1,000 live births worldwide, this process is disrupted from birth. Without sufficient motor experience, children with CP lack the foundations for multisensory body maps, leading to cascading deficits in cognition, autonomy, and participation. Current rehabilitation strategies target motor or cognitive functions separately and are poorly suited to infants, leaving a critical gap during the period of maximal brain plasticity. VIBRA-Kids addresses this gap as the first science-based wearable device designed to restore the sensory-motor-body link in early life. It combines two non-invasive stimulations: focal muscle vibration, activating proprioception and inducing illusory movements, and sonification, converting motion parameters into sounds. Their integration uniquely engages multisensory networks, supporting motor and cognitive development. The system consists of a wristband delivering vibration to the weaker limb, paired with infant-safe headphones for sonification. Its ecological design enables home and daily use, and it can complement existing therapies. The project capitalizes on the ERC StG MyFirstBody, which has already demonstrated that congenital motor deprivation impairs the development of body and space representations, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions. VIBRA-Kids will be developed and validated stepwise, from healthy adults to children with CP, with behavioural, clinical, and neural outcomes. If successful, it will deliver a child-friendly, ecological, and scalable technology to rebuild the foundational sensory-motor-body link, improving lifelong outcomes and paving the way for commercialization.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10124 TORINO
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.