The significance of soil microbial diversity has received little attention. The reason is that the molecular methods to identify soil microbes were new, awkward to use and expensive. However, molecular tools have evolved and are now affordable. Also, nowadays, bioinformatics software is much easier to use than ten years ago. The proposed project pioneers the use of molecular biology tools to protect and conserve the soil microbiome. The ecosystems studied in the project cover a climatic gradient from boreal to subtropical (Brazil). The project narrows critical knowledge gaps on the role of the soil microbiome (Theme1) and estimates costs and benefits of conservation through ecosystem services (Theme 2). The project provides stakeholders with an evaluation of the importance of the soil microbiome in a conservation ecology setting. We will use tools from molecular biology and biogeochemistry to analyse the soil microbial community and its function. Tools include tools to understand the phylogenetic diversity of the soil community and tools to measure functional genes. The phylogenetic and structural analyses are then used to determine the role of the soil microbiome in the provisioning of critical ecosystem services. These were soil carbon sequestration, conservation value, soil aggregate stability and yield of commercially valuable fungi. The project uses novel methods to measure the abundance of a broad array of functional genes; it tries to match long term field data with soil microbiome data to detect red-listed species from soil DNA. Also, the work on soil aggregate stability and the microbiome is genuinely innovative. After the project, stakeholders in the case study regions will have information on the role of the soil microbiome for conservation. In addition, they will understand how different soil-based ecosystem services interact. As a result, they will be able to exploit tradeoffs and synergies between the ecosystem services. The project involves active engagement with local stakeholder groups and will actively disseminate its result via social media networks.

As specified in the project application, the TAEC project specifically addresses the internationalization agenda of the Council of Europe with the underlying rationale to modernize higher education (HE) through design and implementation of innovative transnational practices, which will allow for transparency, transferability of academic staff qualifications, and mutual trust. The overall purpose of the project has been to develop a common framework for EMI quality assurance and support which will help both partners and HEIs across Europe to recognize the main language skills and teaching competencies needed to facilitate teaching and learning, as well as lecturer recruitment in EMI programs across different HE contexts. The project aimed to lay the foundations for a common framework for EMI quality assurance and support, on the basis of which we could adapt local language certification and EMI training for transparency in transnational uses. The specific objectives of the proposed project were to (1) identify and differentiate between the transnational and the local EMI administrative and instructional needs of partner universities, (2) align a locally-used assessment scale with the Council of Europe's CEFR, which will allow for standardization of results, (3) compare the characteristics of the language used in teaching across different EMI contexts in HE, and (4) use the results for policy negotiations regarding EMI lecturer requirements and support. The long-term objective of TAEC was to provide the groundwork for an EMI quality assurance framework which could be applicable across European universities beyond the partner universities involved in the project.23 researchers and teacher trainers, and 1 administrator from 5 different universities participated in three teams, each working on activities associated with a specific intellectual output. A total of 1,018 participants have benefited from the project activities and results, covering teachers from observed classroom teaching, teachers participating in EMI workshops, management, policy makers and other stakeholders to participate in meetings and discussions, colleagues and network partners being involved in discussions on project activities, participants in the TAEC conference in April 2019, as well as participants in other conferences where the TAEC results have been discussed and disseminated. Finally, the two associated partner organisations were involved in both discussions of project activities and on dissemination of project results. The project activities include 1) the development of an EMI framework also covering the production of an EMI literature database and corpus, 2) the development of joint assessment procedures and alignment of a local assessment procedure to the CEFR scale, 3) the development of an EMI handbook and hosting of a total of 4 EMI workshops, and 4) dissemination activities such as the arrangement of the TAEC conference in April 2019 as well as presentations, articles, newsletters, and talks on the project activities and results. Results include the following: A large annotated and searchable EMI literature database that includes 205 resources, i.e. articles, books, book chapters, chapters in proceedings, handbooks, institutional documents was designed. The entries can be sorted according to one or more categories (e.g., research methods, focus, language). Thirty 90-120 minute EMI classes across five contexts (economics, law, IT/computer science, medicine and journalism) were observed and video recorded, and the lecturers of these classes were interviewed (see interview in Appendix). The video-recordings were transcribed, and an EMI lecture corpus was created. A panel of 12 judges participated in a three-day standard-setting workshop to align local assessment to the CEFR scale. Finally, 4 training workshops for EMI content teachers were organized at four different locations with a total of 40 participants. The standard-setting allowed us to obtain concrete results about the minimum English proficiency level required for teaching EMI courses, as well as the linguistic and interactive skills required for successful communication. The results from the standard-setting already informed the policy development at UM. The EMI database and the EMI lecture corpus are available to researchers and practitioners who are interested in finding existing research or are willing to analyze EMI lectures. The workshops for EMI teachers were very successful. Both workshop materials and the EMI Handbook are available for future use. One of the workshop was held online with participants outside the partner universities. The multiplier participants showed great interest in using the EMI Handbook and obtaining access to the EMI database and the EMI corpus.In our opinion the TAEC project has succeeded in developing and implementing a transnational and sustainable framework for a more qualified use of EMI practices across European HEIs.