The COGENT project (Cohomology, Geometry, Explicit Number Theory) aims to advance the state of the art in an active field at the intersection of algebra, geometry, and computer science. It seeks to promote innovative approaches to the effective methods underpinning long-standing conjectures in number theory. COGENT will expand theoretical knowledge aimed at broadening the scope of computer-assisted symbolic and exact computations, with a view toward potential industrial applications in diverse fields ranging from cryptography to topological data analysis.

The project’s primary training objective is to train a new generation of young researchers with unique expertise, including high-performance computing in geometry and topology, proof assistance and formalized mathematics, machine learning, and quantum computing techniques.

The call for applications for doctoral students was launched in January 2025 for those wishing to begin their dissertations at the start of the academic year in September. As part of the project, 10 dissertations will be funded by the European Union and 3 by the United Kingdom (through UK Research & Innovation).

“Securing such competitive funding will allow us to build and foster a community over the long term, as well as to acquire the equipment needed for high-level training.” explains Philippe Elbaz-Vincent, a professor at UGA and the project coordinator, who works at the Fourier Institute (CNRS/UGA).

A highly competitive program led by the UGA that brings together 14 international partners

Fewer than 15% of the MSCA-DN projects submitted are ultimately funded.

Coordinated by UGA, the COGENT project involves a total of 14 partners in France, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Switzerland, and the United States:

1. Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) - coordinator
2. Stichting Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA)
3. Technical University of Braunschweig (TUB)
4. University of Bordeaux (UBx)
5. University of Galway
6. University of Durham
7. University of Sheffield (UFSD)
8. Colorado State University (CSU)
9. University of Massachusetts (UMASS)
10. University of Michigan
11. University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)
12. University of Oklahoma
13. ID Quantique (IDQ, Switzerland)
14. MSM Programming (Croatia)