The decline of freshwater fish biodiversity is proceeding at an alarming and persistent rate. Given that most fish must undertake some form of migration in order to complete their life-cycle, of particular concern is the proliferation of hydropower schemes that block migration routes, as well as a variety of other barriers such as weirs and culverts. Several locations in the southern hemisphere are among the major global hotspots of hydropower development. They are also home to some of the least studied fish communities in the world. Mitigation measures for fish passage have traditionally relied on designs developed for strong swimming fishes of the northern hemisphere. These designs are ineffective for generally smaller, relatively weak swimming fish, such as those found in temperate regions of the southern hemisphere, but there is very little understanding of the mechanisms involved. This innovative project represents the first systematic attempt to bring together world-leading practitioners from Europe with biologists, engineers and stakeholders from the southern hemisphere in an effort to exchange knowledge and construct a shared vision for fish passage science and policy. This will be achieved through systematic review, expert consultation, ecological modelling, training programmes, networking and stakeholder engagement using a novel combination of approaches. The outcomes will include: high quality journal publications; a summer school; a set of funding bids based on a co-constructed research strategy; and a model predicting fish passage for species of the southern hemisphere. The project’s key performance indicators will include: number of publications on fish passage in the southern hemisphere; uptake of robust methods in fish passage research; corresponding citations; metrics indicating public awareness (online activity, readership of popular publications, number of people reached in public engagement events); and policy citations.

"The first SignTeach project (2014-2017) developed, implemented and evaluated Open Educational Resources (OER) for sign language teachers and their trainers in Europe. The OER included information for new and experienced sign language teachers about a.o. didactics, class management, the CEFR for sign languages, meta-linguistics, ICT and entrepreneurial skills. The output of the project consisted of over 250 short videos in International Sign and several national sign languages: short videos of sign language teachers at work, videos with comments, interviews with experts, results of a Survey and more. The project's website has since then been visited over 18.000 times by 13.880 individual users from 158 different countries. It is used by individual teachers for independent learning as well as by trainers of sign language teachers. The project was considered a 'good practice' example and made the shortlist for the European Language Label in 2019.Since the online teaching of sign languages was not considered relevant at that time, little or no information was included in the OER about teaching sign languages, online. The Covid-19 pandemic however has dramatically changed the need for this kind of information. On the one hand, interest in learning a sign language has increased as a result of the visibility of sign language interpreters in Corona bulletins on TV, and because people realise that lipreading - difficult at all times - is now impossible because of the protective mouth masks people have to wear. On the other hand, sign language teachers were unable to continue their traditional on-site teaching practices as a result of the pandemic. A consortium of 7 partners from 7 different countries, representing Universities, Deaf Organisations and SME's aims to fill the gaps in the SignTeach OER that have now become apparent. Together, we aim to develop new online open learning resources that sign language teachers and their trainers can use to improve their digital pedagogical competences and that will enable them to deliver high quality inclusive digital, online education, nationally and transnationally. Together with associated partners, we will produce: IO1: New ""Good Example"" videos with Intros and Comments, showing sign language teachers teaching online; IO2: New podcasts: short instructional videos in International Sign and/or national sign languages of the presenters, on various topics related to the online teaching of sign languages. Didactics, technology, testing, safety and security, and more. The podcasts will be produced by partners in the consortium, but also by associated partners, invited experts, learners. In this way, the SignTeach project will provide sign language teachers, their trainers, other stakeholders in this field with a platform to disseminate and exchange their ideas, opinions and expertise. IO3: A pilot study of teaching a foreign sign language online, transnationally. The online teaching of sign languages poses new challenges, but also offers new opportunities. It enables sign language teachers to teach their national sign language to learners in other countries; it enables Deaf children to learn a foreign sign language as a second language, and it enables Deaf learners to learn the sign language of a foreign country before they travel there for work, study or as a tourist. To find out what is or is not possible and effective, we will develop, deliver and evaluate a 'taster' course in British Sign Language and will teach it to partners in the consortium. Sign language teachers teaching other sign language teachers a foreign sign language! We expect lively and informative discussions, resulting in reports and recommendations that we will publish on the project's website.  IO4: A Report on the 'State of the Art' in the online teaching of sign languages (nationally and transnationally), with the results of an online Survey and interviews with experts, teachers, learners.All output will be developed by Deaf sign language users for Deaf sign language users and will take their needs and preferences into account from day 1. In 2017, the first SignTeach project was judged to be ‘an excellent project’ by the evaluators and was judged to be a 'good practice'. As to the relevance of the project, the evaluators wrote: 'The outcomes adequately and fully meet the originally intended ambitions and address the needs of the participating organisations and target audiences of sign language teachers and their trainers. (..) This output is assessed as very positive and relevant. (..) The SignTeach project delivered an impressive number of good examples and podcasts (..). The project succeeded in generating wide interest for its approach and products and long-lasting effects can already be seen and are further expected.'We expect that the output of the follow-up project, SignTeach Online, will be as good and relevant and will have as large an impact as the first SignTeach project."

The project will develop and establish a new standard of higher educational and scientific knowledge exchange between European and Latin American countries. This will be done leveraging existing Master’s courses/programs of Water Management at the various partner universities. Water is regional priority around the world but synthesis of water resource management aspects from local-to-global scales is not currently included higher education curriculum. This leaves local populations vulnerable to future shifts in climate at global scales and changes in land usage at regional scales. We will change this by boosting the curriculum development in the field of water resource conservation and management from the perspective of climate change adaption and impact mitigation. In detail, we want to 1) improve knowledge, skills and competences of the next generation of leaders in the field of water resource conservation and management thereby contributing to long-term growth, prosperity and social inclusion, 2) incorporate up to date scientific and technological knowledge into the curriculum development to enhance capacities to tackle future water resource management problem anticipated due to climate change, 3) increase local expertise in order to help optimize the water use (water related ecosystem/environmental services) and sustainable exploitation of water resources, in particular in relation to the severely increased water consumption of agricultural intensification and urbanization and installation of hydropower dams, 4) enhance the skills and competences of young people on water resource conservation and management to ensure their competitiveness in the future labour market, and 5) promote common educational values, faster social integration, enhance intercultural understanding and language skills.

#DemocracyinAction studies arts- and culture-based grassroots organizations in physical spaces and their social media and metaverse dimensions, to understand their critical potential in fostering democracy. #DemocracyinAction identifies solutions for increasing meaningful political expression and participation in four key areas of grassroots social transformation of untapped potential: 1) nightivism (urban nighttime cultural life for political engagement); 2) women’s rights mobilization; 3) racial and ethnic civic participation through cultural expression; 4) youth activism and civic education. The project’s research strategy aligns with the EU’s enshrined principle of subsidiarity, to deliver new insights on how bottom-up arts and culture can channel inclusive political expression and advance societal well-being at a time when democracy faces unprecedented challenges. Pilots cover all EU regions, together with cases in the Americas, Africa, Middle East and Asia, in democratic and non-democratic contexts. It considers online and offline realities as inextricably intertwined, with smartphones forever within reach. Our comparative, transdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach is founded on creative, participatory methodologies. Collaboration with community centres, theatres, exhibition halls, among other spaces, brings tested creative tools to mobilize people into civic participation and mitigate polarization. Working with digital designers and developers, #DemocracyinAction tests the unknown potential of virtual immersive spaces, including novel trends of virtual nightclubs, to deliver cutting-edge policy recommendations for a democratic and safe use and design of social media and metaverse environments. These tools and recommendations will offer forward-looking pathways to scale up grassroots' potential and enhance positive political participation at local, national and EU levels.