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EFP Brief No. 230: From 'Knowledge Capital' to 'Innovation System' (follow-up)
Friday, November 23rd, 2012
As early as 2003, Manchester Science Parks sponsored a workshop that brought together leading players in the Manchester City region to develop a vision of how universities could contribute to the then newly established 'Knowledge Capital initiative'. This exercise succeeded in many respects. Not only a vision and the respective action plan was jointly agreed and followed, but the knowledge base was also formed for a later vision creation exercise: that of developing an Innovation System in the Manchester City Region by 2015.
Powerhouse of the Knowledge Economy
The 2003 foresight exercise took place in the context of the strategic review of the Manchester Science Parks (MSP) to improve links between its tenant companies and universities and the city's interest to capitalise on its concentration of higher education institutions and its cultural and leisure facilities. At the same time, the two most research-intensive universities were in the process of a merger that would later form the UK's largest university. Thus, the opportunity emerged to drive the process much further over the next five years and secure Manchester's position as a powerhouse of the knowledge economy.
MSP sponsored a scenario workshop in order to play a more proactive role both in the development of linkages with universities and in terms of local and regional policy-making. The two objectives of the exercise were:
• To develop a shared vision of the future of business–university linkages in the city region of Manchester. The aim was to link the strategies of the universities in the area with the city's own vision of its future as a 'Knowledge Capital'.
• To move towards a shared vision among senior stakeholders, such as local political leaders, heads of universities, heads of key intermediaries and industry associations, of what success in this area would look like in five years' time and to begin the process of developing a road map to get there.
The Success Scenario Process
The workshop was organised following the success scenario process, which intended to develop a shared vision among senior stakeholders and the consequent roadmap to realise this vision. A key element of the method was that those who took part were also in a position to implement the outcomes, which they had already bought into, at least in part, through their own participation and contributions.
The workshop participants came from business and commerce, national, regional and local government, intermediary organisations and the city's four universities. Participants were sent a briefing document setting out the objectives of the workshop and several background documents. The overall design of the process was based on three plenary sessions, interspersed with two rounds of facilitated break-out groups (the first on regional drivers and the second on modes of linkage), articulating elements of the scenario.
Five Success Dimensions
The output of the workshop was summarised in the form of a scenario for success in 2008. This brought together the key drivers and shapers identified by the participants and highlighted the different but related dimensions of this successful outcome. Five dimensions of change were identified to present the success scenario.
· Infrastructure: The reach of the knowledge producers spreads to all parts of the city region: a network of hotspots of university-industry interfaces has spread away from the campuses across the city region. Entrepreneurs are attracted by the combination of café culture and easily located specialised spaces for innovation. The Manchester Science Park brand defines the quality level.
· Human Resources: Manchester becomes a net importer of graduates: an exodus of graduates to Southeast England has been reversed as high quality jobs in small entrepreneurial firms attract the best. Rising teaching quality has pervaded the entire Manchester education system with mentoring being one of its hallmarks. Highly qualified and entrepreneurial immigrants are actively sought.
· University Missions: Each Manchester university is recognised as world-class in terms of its mission: following the emergence of the new University of Manchester as a world-class, research-driven institution, Manchester's other two universities achieved similar levels of excellence within the context of their own missions. All three treat reach-out as an integral activity but approach it with distinctive and complementary styles.
· Inward Investment: Integrated policies attracts massive investment by multinationals and entrepreneurs: integrated packages combining land use, infrastructure and academic linkages have attracted huge investments by multinationals in the region, providing a natural market for start-up firms. Regional resources are used to gear and attract national and European investment.
· Networking: Firms of all sizes and ages in Manchester source knowledge and people and meet development needs from the universities: networking is seen as the key to businesses understanding how universities can help them. Much better interfaces now allow medium-sized firms to work with academics, while business joins city government in securing and supporting centres of excellence.
Around 2010, an assessment of the progress made in these five dimensions was carried out.1 In relation to infrastructure it was acknowledged that Manchester City Region had numerous innovation assets that already acted as hubs or that were seeing significant investment over the coming years. In fact, infrastructure was seen as the most developed element of the city region's innovation system with 69% of survey respondents believing that it was nationally excellent or world-class. However, certain gaps were still present, including specialised facilities such as grow-on space for laboratory-based businesses, specialist incubation facilities, flexible, easyaccess space for a variety of enterprises, and slow development of next-generation broadband and wireless connectivity.
Ranking Improved
In relation to university missions, significant achievements were noted. The new University of Manchester ranking jumped from 78th in the world in 2004 to 41st in 2009. In doing so, it has moved from 24th in Europe to seventh and from eighth in the UK to fifth. The new university was complemented by the city region's other universities also achieving high levels of success. The scientific strengths were also seen to attract nonuniversity public sector research into Manchester to create a new innovative growth pole for the UK. Survey respondents believed that Manchester City Region's knowledge assets were world class, more than any other category. A third of the respondents also believed that Manchester City Region was a world-class location for learning.
Quality of human resources did not present significant improvements, however. Nearly 30% of city region residents had degrees, but this was no more than the national average and well below the rate in the US. Too many people lacked even basic skills and had very low aspirations, while too many Manchester residents lived in areas ranked as the most deprived in the country.
Raising skill levels was identified as the key issue on which the city region should focus in order to raise productivity and tackle deprivation, and further steps were taken in this regard. Nevertheless, perceptions of skills and future potential were positive. Over half of respondents thought that the availability of talented people in Manchester City Region was nationally excellent or world-class. In addition, the high rates of graduate retention (over 50% within 6 months and 91% of these still in the NW after 2 years) were encouraging for raising future skills.
The 2003 workshop had an impact on creating an inward investment initiative in Manchester. In 2005, Manchester City Council (MCC), Manchester Inward Investment Agency (MIDAS) and Manchester Science Parks came together to form a partnership, branded as Sino-Ventures in the UK, with funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The scheme was launched as a pilot project aimed at attracting and supporting overseas science and technology businesses, mainly from China, wishing to establish a base in the UK. During the lifetime of the project, 27 companies (from Greater China, USA, India, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Australia and Norway) soft-landed in the Manchester International Innovation Centre located on MSP's Corridor site. Of these 27 companies, nearly three quarters have remained within the North West region. Moreover, the project supported 70 overseas companies, created 76 gross additional jobs (FTE) and 32 net additional FTE jobs up to February 2008. The inward investment project generated a gross GVA of £4.8 million.
In 2010, Greater Manchester still accounted for half of all creative and digital investment in the region. It was also seen to have particular strengths in life sciences and biomedical sciences, accounting for 75% of the sector in the North West, recognised as a member of the 'European Super League' of biotech clusters by Strategem, and ranked among the top 50 in the world by Boston Consulting. However, two weak points were also noted in relation to inward investment: lack of international connectivity and linkages and access to seed, start-up and early-stage funding.
Innovation Manchester Network
Finally, several initiatives were set up to increase networking. The Innovation Manchester Boardroom was created, which provides a forum for top private, public and social sector innovators to discuss key issues, challenges and opportunities. It has the primary long-term objective of developing leadership across sectors/interests and changing how people connect and work with each other. The Innovation Manchester Network teams were launched in 2008 in recognition of the need for strong private sector involvement in the push for a more innovative city and the need to develop purposeful crosssector networks for innovators. Innovation Manchester brought together over 70 of the city region's top business leaders and key city partners, who identified and prioritised ways in which Manchester's capacity for innovation could be increased and developed those ideas into live projects, such as Manchester International Festival: Creative Learning (MIF Creative), Manchester Masters and Manchester: Integrating Medicine and Innovative Technology (MIMIT).
From 'Knowledge Capital' to 'Innovation System'
The 2003 foresight exercise achieved its objectives to create a vision for the Manchester City region as well as a road map towards realising it. Five years later, notwithstanding certain gaps, significant progress was marked in all the five success dimensions. The output of the 2003 exercise had additional impacts. The exercise paved the way for a new foresight exercise, commissioned in 2006 by MSP with a more global look at science parks. The main objective of the workshop was to define the next stage of development for mature science parks also called 'third generation science parks'.
In addition, the 2003 exercise formed a valuable knowledge base upon which the next foresight exercise could draw in 2010. The 2010 exercise led to a vision of the Manchester innovation system in 2015 that has seen a step change in its effectiveness and laid out the key actions to get there. The same success scenario process was applied bringing together senior stakeholders from the public, private, academic and third sectors. The vision was built around the idea of an innovation ecosystem that governs and facilitates the flows of people, knowledge, finance and services between the main actors and institutions involved in innovation. Manchester has a reasonable starting position in each of these dimensions, with the knowledge base being the strongest and the access to finance the most challenging. Cutting across all four flows is the need to increase connectivity. Key actions to achieve the vision were defined under five specific dimensions as follows. People and skills: Enterprise and entrepreneurship at the heart of the curriculum, and movement of people and ideas across sectors.
An understanding of business and enterprise, of creativity and entrepreneurship should be a core component of the education system and the basis for as natural a career path as employment. Colleges and universities should respond quickly to user input to curriculum design. A city region mentoring scheme should be developed to support understanding and mobility between public and private sectors, between education and business and to allow senior managers of small firms to benefit from the experience of their equivalents in medium and large firms.
Innovation ecosystem: Manchester as a market friendly to innovative products and services that links SMEs to demanding customers and harnesses the links between cultural and technological sectors.
Public procurement practices should demand innovation and not exclude SMEs through initial qualification requirements. SMEs need help to respond innovatively to the demands of large private sector customers. Crosssector barriers can be broken down by bringing together individuals around key challenges such as creating a low carbon city region. Artists or designers in residence at technology companies should be complemented by technologists in residence at cultural organisations.
Demanding innovation: Public services better connected to user demand through engagement, and new products and services trialled in Laboratory Manchester.
Public sector management teams can become private sector delivery companies that are responsive to consumer demand, while communities should seek and promote innovative solutions to local social problems. The Laboratory Manchester concept should offer large scale trials built upon the city's reputation for delivering effective public private partnerships. Manchester should develop a low carbon economy ahead of the curve.
Finance: An effective city region proof of concept fund and a business angel network.
A city region proof of concept fund should be launched to encourage and facilitate the development of new intellectual-property-based businesses. At the same time, business angel activity in the city region should be encouraged by enabling wealthy individuals to learn about investing in innovative companies, preferably from previously successful angels.
Telling the story: A coherent narrative about the Manchester innovation ecosystem developed that helps to coordinate the messages about the attractions of Manchester as a place to live, work and play.
Manchester should have a coherent narrative about its innovation ecosystem built on its history but focused on present and future strengths in the low carbon environment, health and life sciences, sports and new media. The narrative should be used to inform a coordinated talent marketing strategy to attract the best students and workers. This should be supported by a Web 2.0 platform that would provide access to innovation stories and also to technological opportunities with market potential.
Download: EFP Brief No. 230_From Knowledge Capital to Innovation System.
Georghiou, L., Cassingena Harper, J. (2003): Contribution of Universities to the Knowledge Capital. A Scenario for Success in 2008, ISBN 0 946007 09 8 2003
Georghiou, L., Davies, J. (2010): An Innovation System for the Manchester City Region, Manchester Science Parks Ltd.
Georghiou, L. (2008): Universities and the City-Region as a 'Knowledge Capital' 2008, Foresight Brief No. 14.
www.mspl.co.uk, last accessed 9 November 2012.
www.manchesterknowledge.com, last accessed 9 November 2012.
Tags: education, human resources, infrastructures, innovation, knowledge society, networking, regional development, scenarios, universities
Posted in Socio-economic sciences and the humanities, United Kingdom, until 2015 | Comments Off on EFP Brief No. 230: From 'Knowledge Capital' to 'Innovation System' (follow-up)
EFP Brief No. 181: Technologies for EU Minerals Supply
This exercise was part of an EU FP7 Blue Skies Project aimed at piloting, developing and testing in real situations a foresight methodology designed to bring together key stakeholders for the purpose of exploring longer term challenges and building a shared vision that could guide the development of the relevant European research agenda. This approach was applied to the theme of "Breakthrough technologies for the security of supply of critical minerals and metals in the EU economy".
The Minerals Challenge
Minerals and metals are essential to almost every aspect of modern life and every economic sector. Aerospace, agriculture, culture, defence, energy, environmental protection, health, housing, transport and water supply are all highly dependent upon them. Plans for economic recovery and the development of new industries also depend on their availability – for example "green" energy production from solar cells and wind turbines, the green car of tomorrow and many more all require a range of rare minerals and metals for their production.
Although essential to our economies, development of this sector has been neglected in Western Europe during the past 25 years. This was mainly because of the very low price of these commodities – a consequence of abundant reserves discovered in the 1970s. As a result, the mining and metallurgical industry as well as related research and education almost disappeared from the present European Union, making our economies totally dependent upon imports.
Demand for these minerals and metals is likely to increase dramatically. Much of this new demand will come from rapidly growing, highly populated emerging countries, such as China, which have attracted large parts of the world industrial production due to cheap labour, regardless of raw minerals and energy issues. Already strong competition for access to natural resources, including mineral resources vital to any economy, is likely to accelerate further in the coming years with possible severe environmental and social impacts. The EU economy is more than any other exposed to these developments, as it produces very little of the minerals it consumes and almost none of the critical minerals it needs to develop its green technologies.
Against this background, the creation of a new research and innovation context in Europe has become essential, not only to reduce the EU's dependence on imported minerals and metals but also to chart the road ahead, to develop a win-win cooperation with developing countries and to stimulate the competitiveness of EU technology, products and service providers to the global economy.
However, these solutions can take a long time to be implemented, and it is important to identify today's priorities for knowledge generation and innovation so that action can begin. This in turn creates a need for a foresight approach that brings together the knowledge and interests of the main stakeholders. It is in this context that the FarHorizon project invited leading experts in the area from government agencies, industry and academia to take part in a success scenario workshop. The aims of the exercise were
to identify the key challenges for raw materials supply in Europe;
to identify breakthrough technologies or other innovations that could transform the picture, including substitution, new sources, ways to change demand and new applications; and
to define in broad terms the research and innovation strategies needed to develop and make use of such technologies.
Success Scenario Approach
The "Success Scenario Approach" is an action-based approach where senior stakeholders develop a shared vision of what success in the area would look like, together with appropriate goals and indicators, which provide the starting point for developing a roadmap to get there. The purpose of having such a vision of success is to set a 'stretch target' for all the stakeholders. The discussion and debate forming an integral part of the process leads to developing a mutual understanding and a common platform of knowledge that helps to align the actors for action.
Important outcomes of these workshops are the insights they provide in terms of the level of maturity in policy design and development and the viability and robustness of long-term policy scenarios to guide policy-making. The workshops also provide indications on whether there is a need for further discussion to refine thinking and policy design and/or to bring additional stakeholders into the discussion.
The theme was developed in partnership with the French geosciences institution BRGM. The workshop brought together twenty representatives of scientific organisations, industry and government agencies to identify the role of technology in addressing the socioeconomic and political challenges facing Europe in this sector. Briefs on key issues were prepared before the workshop, and participants took part in an exercise to identify key drivers using the STEEPV framework (social, technological, environmental, economic, political and values). Common themes were increasing demand and growing sustainability requirements. Geopolitical themes were also touched upon.
The basic structure was to identify the key challenges facing the sector and then to explore the potential role of breakthrough technologies in addressing those challenges. A third main session examined the key elements needed for a sectoral strategy for innovation.
The figure below gives an outline of the methodology:
Challenges in Three Dimensions
Informed by the drivers, participants were tasked to identify the key challenges for raw materials supply in Europe and to prioritise these. If these challenges can be met, we can expect to achieve a situation as defined by the successful vision for the sector in 2030 and realise its benefits to Europe. Three dimensions of the challenge were addressed:
Geology and Minerals Intelligence
Access to data on mining, production and geology
Knowledge of deeper resources
Better knowledge due to improved models of how deposits are produced
Better exploration
Systematic data sharing
Exploitation of 'exhausted' mines
Mining, Ore Processing and Metallurgy
Exploiting deeper deposits
Accessing seabed deposits
Better health and safety; prediction of seismic events and natural or man-made hazards
Using less water and energy
Reducing CO2 footprint
By-product handling
Social and business organisation
Sustainable Use, Efficiency, Recycling and Re-use
Downstream resource efficiency
Better citizens' understanding/attitude
Building capabilities and providing training
Transforming waste into mines/urban mining
More systemic view of different critical minerals
Better use of other resources, e.g. water and energy
Global governance of new extractive activities
Against these challenges, breakthroughs were sought in four areas: new applications, substitution, new sources of materials and rare metals, and changes in demand.
Four Key Actions toward a Comprehensive Policy for Securing Raw Materials Supply
Policy recommendations geared toward securing the supply of raw materials in Europe were summarised in terms of four necessary key actions:
Key Action 1: Establish an integrated strategy for raw materials supply and support it by providing continuous funding.
Research in the area of raw materials supply needs to be clearly linked to creating the right conditions for successful innovation. There is some concern that the European Commission has no competence in minerals as such but rather in matters of environmental protection, trade or economic competitiveness. This limits the development of a holistic, complementary approach needed to tackle the various issues related to securing Europe's mineral resources supply within the sustainable development context. The sector needs a more horizontal approach – otherwise we may do research, but there is no innovation behind it. An innovation-friendly market can be created by developing stringent environmental and recycling regulations. Europe is at the forefront of a number of technologies in these areas. Regulators need to understand that part of their job is to stimulate innovation if not for today at least for tomorrow. Engaging them in foresight, along with technologists and users, is important for developing this horizon. There is a 7-8 year challenge to develop a new lead market.
Key Action 2: Move from stop and go to a lasting approach with three central aspects for a research, technology and innovation programme.
Support up to now has been project-based and provided only to a limited extent on a stop and go basis while continuous policies and knowledge development would be necessary.
2.1 There are three broad research priorities:
Research dealing with mineral resources intelligence. This is research of a totally different kind, i.e. mainly interdisciplinary. It is needed to keep up with a dynamic situation where even what minerals and metals are critical changes over time.
Research leading to new or better technologies with a focus upon whatever is needed by industry. The large scale South Korean national initiatives provide a good example of speed, scale and pragmatism and also represent the competition that Europe has to face. The US investment on rare earths in the Ames laboratory is another example.
Research on mitigation and understanding of environmental impacts.
2.2 Adopt a holistic approach to the innovation cycle. Support for research should be long-term and structured so that most publicly funded research is open and shared internationally. The full range of mechanisms is needed: basic R&D, integrated projects or their equivalent and joint technology initiatives. However, 80% of the effort should be in large applied projects and the rest focused on longer term work. Partnership with the US, Japan and possibly South Korea could be meaningful in a number of areas.
2.3 Adopt a joint programming approach. Currently there is little or no coordination between European-level and national research. Some governments are in a position to take the initiative in this area – notably Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Finland and Poland.
Key Action 3: Increase the flow of trained people.
A supply of trained people is a significant constraint. The lack of investment in research and teaching in this area over the past 20 years has depleted the availability of expertise to undertake the necessary research and teaching. Training initiatives are needed and within the European framework a pool of excellence should be developed – a platform that coordinates the supply and demand for education and training in the area with some elements being in competition and some complementary. There is also a need to attract interest from researchers outside the area; many of those doing research in this field have a background in the minerals sector, but breakthroughs may be more likely to come from people currently working in other fields.
Key Action 4: Governance issues are critical.
Securing raw materials is a task that goes beyond the competence and capability of the individual member states and is inherently European. Even current European initiatives in other fields are dependent on action in this sector – rare metals are behind all the EU's proposed Innovation Partnerships. Collaboration beyond Europe is also necessary, but a collective voice for Europe is more likely to be heard in the international arena. There are also opportunities to exert a positive influence to halt environmentally damaging or politically dangerous approaches in other parts of the world, notably in Africa and parts of the CIS. The momentum from the current EU Raw Materials Initiative, aiming to foster and secure supplies and to promote resource efficiency and recycling, needs to be carried forward into the EU's Eighth Framework Programme, its innovation policies and also its wider policies including those concerning interaction with the African, Caribbean and Pacific States.
Authors: Luke Georghiou luke.georghiou@mbs.ac.uk, Jacques Varet j.varet@brgm.fr, Philippe Larédo philippe.laredo@enpc.fr
Sponsors: EU Commission
Type: EU-level single issue foresight exercise
Organizer: FP7 FarHorizon Project Coordinator: MIOIR, Luke Georghiou Luke.georghiou@mbs.ac.uk
Duration: Sept 08-Feb11 Budget: N/A Time Horizon: 2030 Date of Brief: Apr 2011
Download EFP Brief No. 181_Technologies for EU Minerals Supply
Georghiou, L., Varet, J. and Larédo P. (2011), Breakthrough technologies: For the security of supply of critical minerals and metals in the EU, March 2011, http://farhorizon.portals.mbs.ac.uk
European Commission (2010), "Critical Raw Materials for the EU", Report of the RMSG Ad Hoc Working Group on defining critical raw materials, June 2010
European Commission (2011), Tackling the Challenges in Commodity Markets and on Raw Materials, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Brussels, 02/02/2011 COM(2011) 0025 final
Tags: aerospace, agriculture, culture, energy, global governance, green technologies, health and safety, recycling, transport, water, wind turbines
Posted in brief, China, Energy, Environment (including climate change), EU, Finland, France, Geography, Germany, Global, Health, Poland, Space, Themes, Time Horizon, United Kingdom, until 2030 | Comments Off on EFP Brief No. 181: Technologies for EU Minerals Supply
EFP Brief No. 167: The World in 2025
DG Research's Directorate for Science, Economy and Society in collaboration with the Bureau of European Policy Advisers launched a foresight exercise on "The World in 2025", which resulted in a report published in January 2009.
The World to Come – Global Trends & Disruptions
The report "The World in 2025" highlights the main trends up to 2025 (demography, urbanisation, macro-economic projections, education, science and culture) and underlines the pressures on natural resources and the new production-consumption patterns while attempting to identify the so-called "wild cards". The role for European foresight and forward-looking activities are presented focussing on a multi-polar world and beyond technological innovation. The report has benefited from the discussions of the group of experts set up by the European Commission in 2008 (see box below).
It has taken stock of the most recent publications in the field of foresight and forward-looking activities and includes most of the reflections of different Commission Directorates-General.
Group of Experts & Scenario Process
DG Research's Directorate for Science, Economy and Society in collaboration with the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) launched a foresight expert group on "The World in 2025", which met on five occasions in 2008 and 2009.
The objectives of this group were, first, to assess and measure global trends over recent decades to serve as a basis for forward projections while distinguishing the different major economies and regions, including the European Union, and identifying the main economic, geopolitical, environmental and societal relationships and interconnections.
Secondly, the group was asked to generate and analyse alternative (even disruptive) scenarios of world trends up to 2025 based on specified assumptions about economic, political, social, environmental and technological developments in order to assess their consequences for the EU and to examine which policy responses could be appropriate.
"The World in 2025" group was composed of experts with a profound understanding of global challenges and developments as well as a solid knowledge of foresight in specific countries or regions. Group members included representatives from think tanks, universities, industry, the European Commission and governmental bodies. Meeting five times in 2008 and 2009, the group produced two publications: one collects the experts' individual contributions and the other called 'The World in 2025 – Rising Asia and Socio-ecological Transition' highlights the conclusions.
The experts identified principal trends, tensions and transitions while highlighting strategies that may help policy stakeholders make informed decisions. They also say that competition for natural resources and shifts in wealth, industrial production and populations may lead to tensions over natural resources (food, energy, water and minerals), migration and urbanisation.
Each expert produced an individual contribution to the discussions and, collectively, they generated a set of indicative scenarios for the world in 2025. The experts covered a wide range of issues, including demography, migration, urbanisation, cohesion, macro-economics and trade, employment, services, environment and climate change, energy, access to resources, education, research, technology, innovation, economic governance, defence, security and intercultural dialogue.
The key messages concern the main challenges to be faced in the next fifteen years, the main drivers that could impact on the future, the main strengths and weaknesses of Europe by 2025 and finally the wild cards that may radically change the different situations that are foreseen.
Europe to Face Marginalization
The report "The World in 2025" underlines the major future trends: geopolitical transformations in terms of population, economic development, international trade and poverty. It elucidates the tensions – natural resources (food, energy, water and minerals), migration and urbanisation – and draws transitional pathways towards a new production and consumption model, new rural-urban dynamics and a new gender and intergenerational balance.
Shift towards Asia
By the year 2025, the centres of gravity, wealth and industrial production may shift towards Asia, and the United States and Europe could likewise lose their scientific and technological edge over Asia. India and China could account for approximately 20% of the world's research and development (R&D), that is more than double their current share.
Within 16 years, the world population will reach eight billion, the experts in the report say. Some 97% of world population growth will occur in developing countries. The analysis of demographic growth for 2025 indicates that the European population will only constitute 6.5% of the world population.
Scarcity of Natural Resources
Increased population, according to the expert group, may lead to greater scarcity of natural resources and impact the environment. This can result in tension and shifts in production and consumption patterns and the availability of natural resources.
From these demographic and resource challenges, the report sees a new 'socio-ecological' production and consumption model arising. New technologies (renewable energy sources, capture and storage of CO2, nuclear power, hydrogen and fuel cells) as well as changes in social behaviour, supported by economic incentives, will contribute to a reduction in energy consumption (better house insulation, replacement of environmentally damaging cars with greener options, and increased use of public transport).
The report says that while numerous scientific and technological advances will give rise to controversies in society, Europe, with its wealth of various debate and participative governance experiences, is well equipped to manage them and involve civil society in research. Global access to knowledge, though, together with the development of joint global standards and the rapid worldwide diffusion of new technologies will have a great impact on Europe's future welfare.
It is assumed that by 2025 Europe will be specialized in exporting high-tech products. Although the specific products are currently still unknown, they can be expected to benefit from the rapid growth in Asia whose growth will probably be accompanied by an increasing inequality in the purchasing power of the population. "The increase of the population is already a good indication of the future opportunities of the market, of the consumer aspirations that have not been covered, better than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)."
Potential Conflicts, Threats and Wild Cards
The report also points to the possibility of future social conflicts emerging in Europe around scientific and technological advancements in areas like cognitive sciences, nanotechnology, security technologies, genetic manipulation, synthetic biology and others.
Among the unforeseeable turbulences that could shape the next two decades, the report identifies seven "wild cards":
Persistence of the financial and economic crisis beyond 2010.
A major war (for the years 2010-2020 of strong turbulence).
A technological disaster that could influence the choices of priorities of governments (e.g. a nuclear accident like Chernobyl blocking the nuclear option for many years).
Pandemics with devastating effects.
The collapse of a major urban area in a developing country.
The blocking of the European Union as a result of the difficulties of establishing new economic governance and political decision mechanisms;
A breakthrough in the field of renewable energy production;
A new wave of technological innovations and a new rapid growth cycle driven by emerging countries;
Sudden or even brutal acceleration of the (nonlinear) impacts of climate change;
Progress in the adoption of a world governance system due to the extent of the problems to be dealt with and to the pressure of public opinion.
What Experts Recommend to EU Policy Makers
Key RTD Areas
The EU should struggle for maintaining its leadership in key RTD areas, such as technologies of energy saving, research into sustainable development and climate change, health and the containment of diseases, food safety and security in general.
Europe Must Not Fall Behind in R&D
Experts suggest that Europe become a model based on emphasizing quality of life, which might involve maintaining global access to knowledge and guaranteeing or contributing to establishing international standards in science and technology. "To ensure access to knowledge through the global networks also means to be attractive for the researchers and the investment that comes from the outside", the report points out.
From 'Brain-drain' to 'Brain-circulation'
There will be a switch from 'brain drain' to 'brain circulation', and young researchers will be moving to various regions of the world, which will become educational and scientific centres. It is estimated that in 2025 there will be 645,000 Chinese students and 300,000 Indian students outside their countries. In turn, the number of European students that transfer to these two countries can also be expected to grow.
Effective Governance
Europe needs good policy in order to retain its traditionally strong position in developing cutting-edge innovation that goes beyond incremental improvements of existing technology. It will be essential that some key governance issues are solved. For instance:
Set a new 3% target. One in which the EU member states commit themselves to spending 1% of GDP from public funds for research and 2% for higher education by 2020. Its implementation will be under the full control of the national governments.
Consider the "Grand Challenges" – a term denoting major social problems that cannot be solved in a reasonable time, under acceptable social conditions, without a strong coordinated input requiring both technological and non-technological innovation and, at times, advances in scientific understanding. In a way, the central issue is the other side of the coin of the previous one. Can resources, not just in terms of research but also procurement and other investments, be shifted across European stakeholders to more productive "societal uses" to influence not only the pace but also the direction of technical change and innovation?
Create a strong coordination between research and innovation policies in order to orient innovative activities towards the needs of society. A stage gate approach is suggested, including adequate provision for innovative procurement and pre-commercial procurement practices.
Discuss European versus national research policy approaches. The global financial crisis represents a window of opportunity for more radical reflections on the relationship between Community and national research policies. As fiscal pressures mount in each member state, the question of increasing the efficiency of national research funding agencies and of higher education and public research funding is likely to be raised in coming months and years in many countries.
The opportunities for further deployment of new Community instruments will only be realized if they can demonstrate their particular value for Europe in terms of administrative flexibility and best practice governance. Only then will they play a central role in structuring a new, post-crisis augmented European Research Area (ERA).
Will the Looming Crisis Be Averted in Time?
If issues of effective governance at EU level are not addressed as ones of absolute priority, the crisis shock might actually go the other way: increasingly questioning the value of Community research and leading to a future ERA that is much more based on the member states' national efforts at attracting research talent within their own borders.
Outlook: Socio-economics & Humanities Re-considered
The stimulating contributions and discussions of this expert group have paved the way for a broad debate at European and world level. This prospective analysis contributes to understanding, anticipating and better shaping future policy and strategy developments in the European Union.
Forward-looking approaches help in building shared visions of the future European challenges and evaluating the impacts of alternative policies. A qualitative and participatory method ('foresight') combined with quantitative and operational methods ('forecast') allows better long-term policies to develop, like the post-2010 European strategy and the European research and innovation policies. Through its Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) with its 'socio-economic sciences and humanities' theme, the European Union is funding forward-looking activities with around EUR 30 million.
Authors: Anette Braun braun_a@vdi.de
Axel Zweck zweck@vdi.de
Sponsors: European Commission – DG Research – Directorate L – Science, Economy and Society Unit L2 – Research in the Economic, Social Sciences and Humanities – Prospective
Type: European/international – covering issues from a European or even global perspective
Organizer: European Commission – DG Research – Directorate L – Science, Economy and Society Unit L2 – Research in the Economic, Social Sciences and Humanities – Prospective
Duration: 2008 Budget: N/A Time Horizon: 2025 Date of Brief: Dec. 2009
Download EFP Brief No. 167_The World in 2025
Based on the report 'The World in 2025 – Rising Asia and socio-ecological transition' (Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2009) and information from the European Commission.
'The World in 2025 – Rising Asia and socio-ecological transition' report is available at
http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/report-the-world-in-2025_en.pdf and
http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/the-world-in-2025-report_en.pdf
Tags: demography, education, natural resources, social change, technological innovation
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EFP Brief No. 163: EFONET: Assessment of Energy Foresight in the EU
Within the EFONET Coordination Action, an analysis of the state of the art of energy foresight activities in the EU countries has been carried out in order to assess the transferability of the "good practices" learnt from the national foresight experiences towards energy foresight on the European level.
EFP Brief No. 163_EFONET Assessment of Energy Foresight
Tags: cognition, sustainability
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EFP Brief No. 123: Scenarios 2026 for the South West of England
This study (which took place in 2004) presents four 'socio-economic-political scenarios' designed to stimulate, guide and inform strategic thinking about the future of one of nine English regions, namely the South West. The scenarios portray distinct pictures of the social, political and economic background against which the strategies for the South West can be reviewed and developed. They provide a consistent approach and serve as practical thinking tools. The scenarios are also intended to help organisations in the South West to assess their vulnerability to forces of change and to plan appropriate adaptation strategies.
EFMN Brief No. 123_South_West_England
Tags: building (housing), cities, consumption, demography, education, environmental sustainability, globalisation, housing, jobs, knowledge economy, media, nutrition, regional development, rural areas, services, sustainability
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EFP Brief No. 117: England's Rural Futures Project: Scenario Creation & Backcasting
Rural Futures is a study of what the English countryside might look like in 20 and 50 years time, from a social geographical perspective. Its overall purpose is to help policy makers and local communities clarify their objectives for the future and what needs to be done over the next few years to ensure that they are on a trajectory towards a desired and feasible scenario. The project addressees are therefore decision makers in all levels of government.
EFMN Brief No. 117 – Rural England
Tags: consumption, education, environmental sustainability, services, sustainability
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EFP Brief No. 104: Agricultural Futures in England and Wales and Implications for the Environment
Agriculture in the UK and Europe as a whole is facing an uncertain future as the factors that have shaped it over the last 50 years are realigned in the face of changing priorities. In this context, this study explored possible future scenarios for agriculture in England and Wales through to 2050 in order to identify implications for the environment and possible policy interventions and research priorities to help promote sustainable agriculture.
EFMN Brief No. 104 – Agricultural Futures
Tags: climate, construction, consumption, corporate, services, sustainability, water
Posted in brief, Energy, Environment (including climate change), Food, agriculture and fisheries, biotechnology, Geography, Health, Nanosciences, nanotechnology, materials, new production technologies, National, Security, Socio-economic sciences and the humanities, Themes, Time Horizon, United Kingdom, until 2050 | Comments Off on EFP Brief No. 104: Agricultural Futures in England and Wales and Implications for the Environment
EFP Brief No. 89: England's Regions 2030
In spite of the fact that regions and regional disparities have become important political issues inter-regional aspects are rarely addressed neither scientifically nor politically. The report provides an attempt to forecast economic and demographic changes within regions in England and how these changes will affect inter-regional relations. Thus, the report can also be regarded as a basis for regional planning over the next 25 years. The main goals of the report are, hence, to identify underlying forces in regional economies, describe how the relationships between regions have been changing and will change in the future, and develop a "national perspective" on England's regions. It also explores the opportunities for policy intervention.
EFMN Brief No. 89 – England's Regions 2030
Tags: cities, climate, consumption, demography, housing, manufacturing, migration, mobility, regional development, services, water
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EFP Brief No. 23: UK Foresight on Exploiting the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum – 2020
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
The objective of the UK Foresight Project entitled EEMS – 'Exploiting the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum' was to provide a vision for the future exploitation of the electromagnetic spectrum to ensure increased UK innovation in related areas. Technologies that 'exploit' the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum include lasers, X-rays and other medical technologies as well as technologies for communication, the miniaturization of complex micro-systems, sensing, imaging as well as security.
Tags: biology, defense, electronics, manufacturing, optical fibers, photonics, solar cells
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EFP Brief No. 22: Cognitive Systems 2020
The objective of the UK Cognitive Systems Project was to produce a vision for the future development of cognitive systems through an exploration of recent advances in neuroscience, computer science and related fields, and their potential for future interaction.
EFMN Brief No. 22 – Cognitive Systems 2020
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Ukip will not field a candidate in the general election in Canterbury to bolster Sir Julian Brazier's re-election chances.
The party – which polled third in 2015 with more than 7,000 votes – is urging its supporters to back the Tory MP, who has long-fought for Britain's exit from the EU.
Ukip's move comes as former Prime Minister Tony Blair and campaign group Open Britain called on pro-Remain voters to unite behind candidates who reject the so-called "hard Brexit".
In Canterbury and Whitstable, former city councillor James Flanagan is positioning himself as the champion of the Remain side while his Liberal Democrat party has urged Labour and the Greens to withdraw.
But this week Ukip said Sir Julian's pro-Brexit stance means it does not need to field a candidate in the constituency.
Party chairman and Herne Bay councillor Geoff Wimble said: "Sir Julian has stuck to his guns on the EU and I respect that.
Cllr David Hirst, the leader of Ukip in Canterbury, added: "We will be putting country before party in ensuring a pro-brexit MP is the outcome.
Last week Canterbury's Green Party suggested such a coalition in the form of a single candidate standing under a "progressive alliance" to absorb support from pro-EU and left-wing voters.
Julian Brazier, Conservative, after being returned as MP for Canterbury at the 2010 election.
The Brexit debate is poised to dominate the campaign before polling day on June 8.
Sir Julian, who has held the Canterbury seat for 30 years, has welcomed the backing of Ukip.
Mr Flanagan, who polled a distant fourth in the 2015 general election, says he intends to represent the 53% of voters in the constituency who wanted Britain to remain an EU member state.
"Ukip backing Julian Brazier shows how the Conservatives have taken a right-wing extreme view on Brexit," he said.
"Even most people who voted to leave didn't sanction this extreme line. Canterbury and Whitstable voted 53% remain in the referendum.
"The contest in Canterbury is fast becoming one between a Ukip-backed Conservative MP who voted leave, and the Liberal Democrats who are fighting against hard Brexit.
The Lib Dems are urging Labour and the Greens not to stand against Mr Flanagan.
Labour has not yet announced its candidate, but it is likely to be union heavyweight Hugh Lanning, who came second to Sir Julian in 2015.
Canterbury's Green Party has denounced the Labour and the Lib Dems as "parochial and deluded" after they declined its offer to unite behind a single left-of-centre "Progressive Alliance" candidate against Sir Julian Brazier.
Spokesman Henry Stanton said: "Party chiefs are failing to listen to their members or the people of Canterbury.
"We've knocked on thousands of doors and the sense of disillusionment with politics is palpable. People on the doorstep are pleading with us for a pact to happen.
"The party leaders are deluding themselves. There is a narrow parochialism and a total lack of vision about this decision. They appear to be content to play at politics, rather than realising that there is a seat in the House of Commons at stake here.
The Greens would move to choosing their own candidate with Mr Stanton among those putting himself up for selection at its meeting on Saturday.


text:
Home Matches and team news Carabao Cup Martinez: We support Xhaka all the way
Martinez: We support Xhaka all the way
Emi Martinez says Granit Xhaka is a 'great leader' and made clear that the club captain has the support of everyone in the Arsenal dressing room despite his public spat with fans.
The Swiss midfielder is said to be devastated at the way he was jeered off the pitch against Crystal Palace on Sunday but is yet to apologise for stoking the flames by cupping his ear to the crowd and swearing.
Concerned for the player's welfare, the club has refused to comment on whether Xhaka will be disciplined and if he'll retain the armband.
Facing the media after the 5-4 penalty defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, Martinez gave an update on how the squad is feeling.
"He's a great leader for us and we support him all the way," said the Argentine.
"We couldn't think about that tonight because of the game at Anfield. We wanted to win this game for him and for Arsenal.
"He loves the club. When someone goes through that we have to support him. We are together on this question.
"It was a shock [on Sunday]. We know how much he cares about the club. Everyone got emotional. Probably at the time he wasn't thinking too much about that.
"We were 2-2 and the fans wanted to win the game, it was a bit nervous in the stadium. If he does it [gets substituted] again he won't think about that, he'll come off quick. We support him all the way and we'll get through this.
"The manager decides if he's captain or not but for us as a group we support him all the way."
The players who featured against Liverpool enjoyed raucous support from the travelling Gooners despite the evening ultimately ending in defeat.
The noise from the away end pleased Martinez, who said: "They showed us that they love us and they support us. I was devastated not going through for the fans that came to watch the game. We are sorry to let them down but on Saturday we are going to put things right."
arsenal 2-2 crystal palace 2019
carabao cup 2019
emi martinez
Granit Xhaka
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Arteta: I've told Arsenal not to sell Xhaka
Man just let in 4 goals and 6 penalties in one game. If I was him I'd start talking about Xhaka in my interview too!
Vote Up105-101Vote Down Reply
Seriously with fans like you I'm surprised the players bother at all. No matter what they do it's not good enough for some people.
At least he fronted up for the interview right? He could have just sloped off. I'm sure he's aware he let in all those goals.
He just told the the truth – six shots on target and to let in five is not very good at all.
But that just sums up Arsenal anyway…
But if you think its acceptable then thats OK…
Next time you miss a spot while scrubbing the toilets, people won't snipe at you every time you speak. But alas Emi is a footballer so let's be assholes
Too Drunk To Be Offside
While I don't support the comment by Jack, and I agree it is harsh, but equally for some people, too little is good enough.
So Martinez gave an interview. What do you want to do? Give him the Ballon D'or for that?
He did let in 5 goals and if fans are unhappy with that, they have a right to be.
Mascotdean
5 goals!
oneblvckdude
Is it the own goal or Milner's penalty in the first half. Chamberlain's goal was one of those goals that you just can't do anything about, and good luck keeping out that equalizer from such a close range. As regards the shoot out, we all know the onus is on the players to miss, not the keepers to save. Ceballos not so great penalty aside, the only reason why we are out is because our defense was shit on the day due to the simple fact that our coach has zero ideas on how to coach the team to keep out goals.
Gooooooonnnnaaaaaaaa
The way the club has gone about this is pathetic. Xhaka is not a victim here, he fucked up, just say sorry and move on. The fact that we've not heard an apology yet, he's changed his profile pic on his social media accounts for a picture of him in an arsenal top with the captains armband to a picture of him in a Swiss top with the captains armband.
Pathetic from a pathetic manager. This is 100% his fault, he needs to go.
Vote Up121-60Vote Down Reply
That appology, if it comes will be picked apart for all its possible faults then interpreted in hundred different narratives and finally, will be rejected and thrown back in his face. This power, this privilege and entitlement – we love it.
If nothing else footballers will agree that if It's Xhaka today, tomorrow it could be them. Can't fault them for standing up for each other.
Think Xhaka is the first person who's wanted to tell the fans to fuck off? He's the furthest thing I can think of from a leader. Maybe he's always on time and good at collecting fines, but he's a selfish hot head who throws his toys out the pram when it doesn't go his way.
You messed up, normal human reaction or not, come out, apologize and move on. Unless you plan to leave in January in which case I'm sure everyone will be happy. It's simple.
Ya gooner
If anything he should start by apologising to the club that pays him to act professionally. He disrespected the club by tossing the armband and he disrespected the club when he chucked his shirt on the floor, a captain should know this. He doesn't strike me as the smartest guy as all of this could have been buried with an apology acknowledging how his actions escalated things while explaining the pressure of himself in that situation. As it is now we're still talking about it and the longer it goes on the worse it will get for him maybe to the point of him not being able to play again for this club.
Oregoon
This whole thing now is getting like politics where the old saying is "the cover up is worse than the crime." Too much time, too much angst. Let's try playing without him, hey Emery?
Takeshita
No more Xhaka please, I mean none of his talks at least.
I just don't want him as an automatic starter, which his status as captain seems to imply. If the end result of this shit means he doesn't start any more games, and subsequently leaves in January, I for one will not be complaining.
What really worries me in all of this is given how absolutely vital it is for us to make the top 4 this year (Abau & Lacazaette both likely gone if we don't) it increasingly seems like the unwillingness of anyone to make hard decisions right now (Emery on Xhaka – this should never be the players call especially when he hasn't even apologized; Raul & Edu as Emery clearly isn't going to cut it) is going to put us in a position where if we finally do move on from Emery it's going to be when we're in a spot where we're desperate enough to actually get a results oriented manager like Mourihno. I don't want that guy anywhere near the club but I worry that if it comes to Christmas and we're 10 points off 4th he might be an attractive option to the hierarchy to get us into the CL.
Ridiculous comment.
Merdinho – results oriented? You're surely high! Maybe he wins things after a club spunked many tens of millions on players, or he inherits a group of superstars. Save porto – neigh on 20 years ago – he's managed elite teams where cost is no object. There is no youth presence. That's not AFC, not by a mile – nor do many of us want it to be.
And Merdinho is a total prick. The long-running feud and all the insults he heaped on Wenger and the club for all those years? Literally for years, nonstop.
And someone like you wants that [email protected] to manage Arsenal?!?!?
Jaysus, man. Have some dignity and pride in the club for god's sake.
And how do you know what Auba or Laca "want?" Are you their agent?
No. No you're not. So enough with the muck-raking.
And while I'm at it; this Xhaka nonsense has gone too far. People are too quick to be offended these days.
Saw some Celtic supporters saying if they booed their captain and he told them all to Eff Off, they'd clap the man's stones and move on. So are Celtic supporters better than Arsenal supporters? Less uptight? Less dickish? Sure looks that way.
Bellerin is right. Xhaka is a player. Not perfect. He works hard. He makes mistakes. But I suppose none of you lot have ever effed up a move, a pass, made a bad tackle, gave away a stupid foul? So everybody just chill for heaven's sake.
Do you actually think that Auba & Lacazette are going to sign up for more of the Europa League? Auba will only have 1 year left on his contract at the end of the year = we either get him to sign a new one or he leaves this summer & Lacazette will only have 2 years. Another season spent in the Europe league is going to cause real issues in terms of us retaining let alone attracting Champions League level players.
Per Mourihno – I don't like the guy but he performs pretty well for a couple of years before the whole thing falls apart. He won a title with Madrid – they've barely challenged for league titles the past 15 years so that's actually a big deal. Immediately won a PL title with Chelsea & took a very poor Man U squad to their highest league position in a long time. I really don't want him to be our next manager but he's already leaking stories to the press about wanting to take over Arsenal when Emery is sacked & I worry that our board might be inclined to do that.
I love Arsenal but let's not have any delusions about exactly where the club is at this point. Another season outside the top 4 pretty much solidifies us as a Europe League club & not a perennial CL one. That matters a lot in terms of budgets & the type of players/ manager we can hope to attract.
IanH159
Regardless of the results I think we will (and possibly should) let one of Auba & Lacazette go next summer and cash in. Both great players, but we can agree that it's not a very balance way to spend the salary budget on two strikers when you play one at the top. Both Martineli and Enketiah are doing well and they will be 2nd and 3rd choice.
That's plausible
@Homer – as an side take the time to actually read a comment before just spouting off. My entire comment was about not wanting Mourihno but worrying that the hierarchy could view him as an attractive proposition.
This is supporting for the sake of supporting.. he needs to be supported but not this way.. coz he doesn't deserve to be the captain.. and who is Martinez anyway..
RunningRayrunningRayrunningdownthewing
Who is he? Just the longest serving Arsenal player.
OdalGooner
A player in the club I support. Who are you?
It's like there were 2 arsenal team yesterday, the defensive unit that look nervous & still shook up about the incident (or maybe it's because they were set up badly/too deep & passive), and the attacking players that already moved on & just wanna cause havoc. Man those were great goals!
Medium Mozart
Amount of times Martinez and Xhaka have played in the same side for Arsenal…?
Tbh these words would carry far more weight coming from Leno.
Neil Gould
Martinez should concentrate on learning how to save penalties rather than wasting his time with pointless interviews. Maybe if he was more positive in that regard his words would carry more weight.
I am really tired of hearing about keepers not saving penalties. Any professional player has the technical ability to score every penalty he takes–a hard shot into any of the four corners cannot be saved by any keeper in the world, even if he guesses right. Penalties are saved when the taker loses his nerve, is afraid of missing wide or blasting it high into the mocking supporters, and so shoots without enough power or too close to the keeper. (And even then, the keeper has to guess correctly.)
In other words, saving penalties depends on the taker, not the keeper.
Rambo sambo
Sack Emery. Sell Xhaka. Promote our best players like Ozil back to first team.
Hi Mesut!
And get Mourinho.
The Special One is the only one that has a chance at Pep and Klopp.
Canagooner
I can't believe how entitled some Arsenal fans are. We've got a bad reputation around the league as being spoiled. Get behind your team, support your team. What does booing a player like that accomplish – is that really going to help your team win? Why so serious, lighten up a bit.
MonkeyJoe
We got Ozil back in team, we moved Xhaka out of team. We will get rid of Emery. We rule this club. We do it for greater good. We are ARSENAL.
#EmeryOut
So it's your fault that we are shit then Joe? 🙂
Well, charging the highest tickets prices in the world doesn't seem to help our team win either, so maybe they should lighten that up a bit first.
Every supporter accuses supporters of every other club of being "spoilt" and "entitled". It's what football fans do.
BikAFC
What else should they say about their teammate?! Of course they won't say that "Xhaka was a prick and should lose the armband". It must be a coach decisoion, but we don't have a real one.
Xhaka was throwing the armband and his shirt to the ground, tell the fans to f*ck off and still not a word from him. After that how does it even an option that he can remain the captian?
meletios
QuoteHis quote "The manager decides if he's captain or not but for us as a group we support him all the way." is interesting.
I thought players decided on their Captain, okay may be he was referring to the manager approving it.
For the 2nd part, you can easily add two words here to make it read completely different.
i.e. …"but for us as a group we >have to< support him all the way"
I am just speculating here, apologies if this is not to your liking.
Hurensohn
If they initially put him forward as their choice what would it say to change their minds on him now? Neither the players or the manager are going to come out now and say he shouldn't be the captain. Their concern isnt the fans, it's getting an experienced player back in the right frame of mind to help the team.
Agreed, it's a valid hypothetical situation.
We are both dealing in hypothetical situation here.
"It's 2 2 and it's nervous in the stadium"…….. "the next time he will leave the pitch quickly"
Oh yeah, duh, Granit, that mite have been it…… the saunter and the chucking the armband on the pitch somewhere near to Auba probably exacerbated things
People are being unfair. That was Granit sprinting…
Xhaks is captain and Emery should stick by him now more than ever. Xhaka told us fans to fuck off and I applaude him for that! He's getting jeered, threatend, booed of the pitch, his wife gets death threats, people wishing his kid gets sick! From his own so called fans! What the fuck is wrong with people!? Fuck off all of you who does that. Fuck off!
The club and players should tell us fans, as a unit, that they stand by Xhaka, he's the captain and the fans needs to get behind him and actually support him and the team now.
Xhaka is human and he got balls. Never hides and he took on the hole toxic stadium when he had enough. Good on him and that shows more than ever that he's the captain. We, the club and players should use this to get a tighter bond. Start supporting instead of acting like cunts. Maybe they up their game and dare to play if they got fans supporting instead of booing.
Sick if this.
Just what the Dr ordered well said!
Football fans are so pathetic and fickle. They'll give it out all match, call there players this and that but when they get some back they have a absolute meltdown. Captain or not, he was getting booed off my so called supporters. I'd have flicked them the V myself.
I agree with the double standard bit but there are a lot of real life jobs (doctor, police just to name 2) where you suffer a lot of abuse and are expected to remain calm and ignore it. Xhaka is captain & represents Arsenal as a club. It still would have been a mistake IMO to do what he did if he were just one of the players (Mustafi for instance) but as captain he needs to be held to a higher standard. If he apologizes I hope the fans welcome him back to the fold – but it shouldn't be as captain regardless of what the other players think.
There are very few real life jobs where your own side sticks the knife in. That's why it's so nasty, it wasn't the opposition, it was our own turning on our own.
I promise you the abuse police & doctors take is far worse than boos & often a lot more scary. We can go back & forth on whether or not fans should boo athletes but the guy simply can't react like that.
Der32
Are you even employed mate?
Joebloggs
Might be in a minority here, but I dont think he has to say sorry to the fans.
I wouldn't have said anything about Xhaka
MickMalthouse
Quite like Martinez as a keeper but he's the only penalty stopper who dives before the ball has even been placed on the spot!
The club needs to put this issue to bed now, it's not as if we don't have enough problems as it is. If Xhaka is really the most beloved and popular teammate in the squad, then he should apologize. Not because he loves the fans or anything like that because we know it's not true (otherwise he would have apologized already and I understand him to a certain degree), but because his teammates who chose him captain can only succeed if there is a good atmosphere in the stadium. If he truly loves his teammates and the staff at the club, then just write a fake apology even if you don't mean it.
The club should also be already trying to resolve his future in January. He will not take us to the next level and that's ok, he tried his best for over 3 years (We have all read the stories about how he's the first to come in training and the last to leave) and his best was not good enough. Now we move him on and hopefully he can find happiness elsewhere in a league that suits him better, because lord knows the premier league ain't for him.
Constantly makes the same mistakes over and over again.
Last game of the season gives away a pen in the dying moments of the game against Brighton, ultimately costing us a place in the Champions League and millions of pounds. I'm not saying no one else is at fault for us not qualifying, but when we had our last chance, up steps Xhaka. Like Mustafi he never learns. Time to move him on.
David Hillier's luggage
"He loves the club". I always find this a curious statement, not just for Xhaka. I'm sure he likes his team mates, the staff, the working environment at Colney, life in Herfordshire, and the status involved in being a captain at a big club. But how much does he (or his management team) do to engage with the fanbase outside of club media duties and carefully worded instagram posts written by his social media team of official club images? How can you love the club when you don't really get involved with the people that make it a well supported club?
It's not just him, there's a massive disconnect between fans and players. Some do lots, Bellerin certainly, Mertesacker used to, Auba seems to like to engage too, but the vast majority are just enjoying their gated community. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want to be a club captain and be loved by the fan, you've got to understand them and how much the clubs means to them.
soffen
Again, it looks like things will continue for a long time, just as it did with the appointment of the captain.
Again, it seems that responsibility is shifted away from the one who should take responsibility to the players who will play not decide who should be the captain.
And again, it doesn't seem that those in charge of Emery will oblige him to take responsibility.
Very bad for the club's reputation.
I fear that Emery will continue to be in charge for the rest of the season in the worst case, and at least (which also seems like many fans will agree) will keep the job until January.
I think it is too late if we are to have any chance of be in top four.
In my opinion Emery should be fired when interlull begins. Then the next boss will have time to prepare for the upcoming games.
He also gets two games that will give him a good start. Southampton and Frankfurt at home.
If Emery retains the seat for January, I can't understand how to make a top four, nor a top six. We are already in position five and Manchester United seems to have found the rythm and sooner or later s*urs will get better as well, and there are altso a number of teams that are right behind us.
If we wait until January to get rid of Emery we have the following tough matches: Wolwes, Chelsea and Manchester City at home, Leicester, West Ham, Bournemouth away. And the first day in January Manchester United.
WILL we play in Europe next year? WILL we keep Lacazete and Aubameyang? Then we should get rid of Emery when the next interlull starts.
Wow! … you can see the future. That is AMAZING.
(sarcasm alert.)
You write, "I think it is too late if we are to have any chance of be in top four."
Lessee: not even 1/3 of the way through the season, and you know the outcome already – and its doom and gloom! Again, AMAZING!
If you have to write 'sarcasm alert', you're not doing it right. Alright?
Don't need a crystal ball to predict we're getting nowhere with this clueless head coach.
I didnt say That it IS to late, i said I THINK it is. What do YOU think after the matches so far? We have a stronger team than last year, Emery have had the team one more season now. Those two things should have made us a better team. Is there anything that show that?
We have just one injury (and it is not a long one either) i cant remember last time that was the situation in Arsenal.
What position do you think we will get with the play we have made so far if Emery continue to try a mange this playergroup?
Find out in the next episode of soap…
HoldenontoArsenal
We ask/demand managers develop teams that will die fighting for each other. We want them to be loyal and committed to support and demand the best from each other. Xhaka has been able to do that, he has likely rallied them, supported them, been there for them encouraging and demanding they fight for each other and the team. Now, when a bunch of fans who are some of the weakest, nastiest and most negative in world football…when those fans turn on their captain…you expect them to just abandon him? I can bet that None of those fans would be captain material. These fans need a captain with the influence and balls to say " when things get tough, the tough support their club "
How come I upvote a comment with no votes yet…upvote count goes from 0 to 2 and with my one vote at the very same time downvote goes from 0 to 4. Have the Russians determined Xhaka is the new Hillary?
Its because the copy of the webpage on your browse does not auto-refresh.
Therefore, once you click (e.g. click on up vote), the page is forced to refresh and in the process adds your vote to all the other votes which might have been cast during the time.
e.g. Even if you dont vote, just manually refreshing the page will show you the updated votes.
The way the club have handled this situation has been nothing short of shambolic and it smacks of a regime with no leadership or respect…
If Xhaka doesn't want to apologise himself then make an example of him and still release a statement on behalf of the club – and tell all staff to avoid answering any further questions on the matter.
It doesn't sit well with me that Martinez has publicly stated that the players support Xhaka "all the way". Does this mean they condone him chucking the armband to the floor, telling fans to fuck off, pulling his shirt off and storming out of the stadium?
For a goalkeeper that had just put in a shocking performance it would've been best if Martinez had wound his neck in…
"It doesn't sit well with me that Martinez has publicly stated that the players support Xhaka "all the way".
Nobody cares what you think. Get over it.
Xhaka's Wife
Free speech people. It's not forbidden to be a dumbass in public. As Xhaka, Martinez and Homer have proven.
jarlov
Cant belive some of the comments here. I am getting bored with the toxity towards our players. It seems some of you need someone to hate all the time. Continue this way, and i guarantee it will only get worse. We can blame the manager all we like, but stop with this shit towards our players. Some of you acts like morons, just waiting for the next player to harass.
Fatgooner
So sad that our club should come to this. A blind man in a cave can see that Xhaka had to apologise to the fans ASAP after the match on Sunday. If he's still refusing to do so then he has to be dropped and then sold in January. It's as simple as that.
This situation just demonstrates how pathetic and weak the management and leadership is at the club right now. Emery is clearly out of his depth and the people above him are obviously pretty useless too.
I'm a fan and I need no apologies. I just want to see good football.
"I just want to see good football." Then, I'm sorry, you're not really part of this conversation.
All this holier than thou crap from people — I totally understand why he did it and I don't blame him for doing so either.
I think the behaviour of the Emirates crowd is embarrassing — I know there are bloggers who defend the crowd completely but for me, they're a sad indictment of what this club has become.
The nonsense jeering of Wenger at the end of his reign; moaning about not spending money; the constant booing and bitching about Mustafi; and now this with Xhaka?
An absolute embarrassment — support the team and if it gets to the stage where you boo and jeer our players, especially our captain, then maybe you should find another team or another sport
Couldn't agree more. #WorstFansInTheWorld
I forget the commentator. He has a radio show, he said that Arsenal "fans" are significantly more negative than others. Commented how when Arsenal looses he is flooded with complaining Arsenal fans compared to other teams. Maybe he is biased or maybe what we think we are seeing is what we are really seeing.
Filpo
Well, if he really love the club etc… at least he should apologise already. I reckon its too late anyway. Maybe he has too much ego and still sulking like a child or just doesn't give a f… this situation it's been badly mismanaged by the club too.
The trouble with Arsenal fans is this.
They actually believe that Arsenal are an elite club and should be challenging for the champions league and the premiership.
The TRUTH is we are not a big club anymore and cannot challenge for the big prizes – period.
Fifth place is an excellent achievement for Arsenal.
Allegro, Mourinho, Enrique etc al will require hundreds of millions to rebuild Arsenal and even then the odds are stacked against them…
And can you see Kroenke stomping up?
I cannot…
Onenil
No. Totally disagree. 5th is not an excellent achievement for Arsenal.
We finished 5th last year and that was despite a total meltdown in the last weeks of the season.
We have top class players but our manager has not created a good team.
Ditch Xhaka bring back Ozil and get someone to organise the defense. Either that,or give Benitez (for example) these players and we will be back in the Champions League next year.
Nonsense. Arsenal has been one of the big six (more often than not big three) clubs in England for over 100 years, and has not been out of Forbes or Delotte's top ten 'most valuable clubs in the world' since those lists began. Sp*rs & Liverpool didn't need direct cash injection to compete, just clever financial management, a good commercial team and intelligent people managing the football side of thing.
The problem English football fans have is the hyperbole of the Premier League.
Bollocks!
We're a massive club. We've won 13 league titles and have the 3rd largest fan base in British football.
The problem is our useless owner and small-minded fans
We have good enough players to finish top 3. But fans like you will be happy with a top half finish. Then blame the fans for their over expectations. Are you Emery in disguise?
I like Martinez but who is our goalkeeping coach. Obviously not someone who can tell a keeper what to do when the opposition get a penalty, as most teams do against us. I don't remember a goalie going the right way let alone touching the ball. When Cech saved that one against Watford it was a genuine shock.
I think Arsenal goal and defends need more improvement or need to rebuild if they want any titles.
Emery should make replace defending or defending midle when the macth result was 2-4
If I was the manager I would tell Xhaka to tell the fans to fuck off again! 🙂
People get so offended…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMoDt3nSHs
Frederick thuglass
Saw someone else say this and I had fam at the palace game so wanna reinforce that the fans started to boo because xhaka wouldn't run off the field as he was substituted and we were chasing the game. That is unforgivable and to compound it with his antics was truly stupid. But he has never been an intelligent player and Emery has no clue how to put the players, including xhaka, in the best position to succeed.
Re the Liverpool game, it is clear that Emery's nervousness has infected the players. Just contrast Klopp smiling enjoying the game even down 2 goals with Emery buried And grimacing in his jacket.
Last point: Mourinho. I know it is unpopular but I'd support his appointment. People leave out what he did at Inter as well. People moan about Mous beef with wenger but it's called gamesmanship and he got in wengers head – whose team won all those games? Not ours. Fact is that Mou is a charming a**hole and we need someone to light a fire in the team. Also, hearing his analysis of how to use our Best front 3 Was enlightening and we see none of that approach from Emery. For those lucky enough to go to the games, focus on the support…if emery keeps failing then I think we will see a quick trigger, even before the festive period.
ANDREAS PHEDONOS
One mediocracy supports the other
Players aren't stupid. They know the stupid fans will turn on them next.
They need to show solidarity.
In any other club this would be a positive.
But since we have a looney element embolden by what they believe a voice in social media, they have decided they know better and agitate things from the stand rather than support the team.
Again it wasn't as if Xhaka has been playing poorly.
1) They try to make out from a freeze frame that Xhaka ducked out of a McTommney goal where he was merely stooping to meet the (very hard) shot with his forehead.
2) They have their own favorite to play in midfield but as we can see even last game with Torreira/Willock/GUendouzi/Cebellos all on, we struggled to have any semblance of control in midfield. In fact Torreira was responsible for giveaways as much as Willock in the game. Fact is we do not have the ultimate solution in midfield at the moment and are still working at finding the best balance as a unit.
3) In the game against Palace, Granit nodded down for Sokratis to score the first goal. Conveniently of course, these positives never mentioned because again some people prefer to look out for and highlight only negatives in certain players.
And the players know this.
In any case, you could see that Granit does mean something to them as by the reaction of Torreira when the captain went off to rubbish jeers.
Clearly Xhaka can improve but leadership does not mean he has to be the best player on the pitch. He needs to lead by example yes but he also is there to help us galvanise and organize.
In that he has been trying working on whatever the gaffer imparts.
It is that hard work unseen that prob frustrates him and rightly he felt aggrieved by the baiting.
There is no 'spin doctor' at work but by some fans here.
This is an honest player giving his best.
Get behind the team. Stop trying to make things worse. Had we lost Xhaka, we would have one less option in midfield and be prey to being very thin if we sustained an injury or suspension.
Ozenal
This really makes Emery look bad in how he handled the captaincy
Just out of interest, and given the clear polarised stance of fans: I say anyone who infested Xhaka's family with this: "People have said things like, 'We will break your legs', 'Kill your wife' and 'Wish that your daughter gets cancer' … are not simply not Arsenal fans, they are not human beings I would want to be associated with on this forum or anywhere. I'm concerned that many of the comments here suggest a lot of subscribers here support personal attacks of this nature. So… vote up if you think this sort of behavour is unacceptable, and vote down if this is the sort of person you are… I'm sure Andrew will be interested in the result, and it may influence whether I come back here.
Rubic
@Arseblog, I found this paragraph interesting that you wrote:
He 'reached boiling point', as he said himself, but regardless of that, to do what he did coming off the pitch wasn't the right behavior for any player, let alone the captain. He goaded the fans, he egged them on, swore at them, threw the armband down, and made it worse than it should have been.
It's an interesting interpretation from you, one that could easily have been written like this:
The fan's 'reached boiling point', but regardless of that, to do what they did, when Xhaka was coming off the pitch wasn't the right behavior for any supporter, let alone Arsenal supporters. They goaded Xhaka, the egged him on, swore at him, provoked him, and made it worse than it should have been.
I'm writing this here because I don't have access to the "Xhaka breaks his silence" thread of comments. But wanted to log this down, because I really feel strongly that the majority of commentary around this subject neglects to accept that Xhaka is a victim in this situation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Q: Worpress contact form 7 wpcf7_before_send_mail Bcc field (sorry for my english) I'm at the beginning with wordpress, which is a simple code to write email inside the bcc field of wpcf7_before_send_mail ? thank you
(p.s. I must use wpcf7_before_send_mail not mail tab in contact form 7)

A:
You can try this

add_action('wpcf7_before_send_mail','dynamic_addcc');
   function dynamic_addcc($WPCF7_ContactForm){

// Check contact form id.
if (33 == $WPCF7_ContactForm->id()) {

    $currentformInstance  = WPCF7_ContactForm::get_current();
    $contactformsubmition = WPCF7_Submission::get_instance();

    if ($contactformsubmition) {

        $cc_email = array();

        /* -------------- */
        // replace with your email field's names
        if(is_email($_POST['friend1-email'])){
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        }
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        }
        /* -------------- */

        // saparate all emails by comma.
        $cclist = implode(', ',$cc_email);

        $data = $contactformsubmition->get_posted_data();

        if (empty($data))
            return;

        $mail = $currentformInstance->prop('mail');

        if(!empty($cclist)){
            $mail['additional_headers'] = "Cc: $cclist";
        }

        // Save the email body
        $currentformInstance->set_properties(array(
            "mail" => $mail
        ));

        // return current cf7 instance
        return $currentformInstance;
    }
}
}

this hook (wpcf7_before_send_mail) will run before the email is sent, so you can also modify the current form data.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Showing entries with tag "CSV".
If you want to import a CSV file into a SQLite database it's quite simple. First create a table with the same number of columns.
Then change the default separator to a comma and run .import against the CSV.


text:
Q: How to determine the current Apple device model number? I know there are a lot of similar questions on Stack Overflow (this one, for example). But I want to determine the Apple device model number, not model name. It should be a string like A1823 or A2404.

A: If you don't bother fiddling with private APIs then
extension UIDevice {
    var modelNumber: String? {
        let getModelNumber: (Selector) -> String? = {
            return UIDevice.current.perform($0, with: "ModelNumber")?.takeUnretainedValue() as? String
        }
        let _deviceInfoKeySel = NSSelectorFromString("_deviceInfoForKey:")
        let deviceInfoKeySel = NSSelectorFromString("deviceInfoForKey:")
        if UIDevice.current.responds(to: _deviceInfoKeySel) {
            return getModelNumber(_deviceInfoKeySel)
        } else if UIDevice.current.responds(to: deviceInfoKeySel) {
            return getModelNumber(deviceInfoKeySel)
        }
        return nil
    }
}


text:
Mon, 13 December 2021 at 8:45 pm
Avril Lavigne is Turning One of Her Hit Songs Into a Movie!
Avril Lavigne is bringing one of her iconic songs to the big screen!
In a new interview, the 37-year-old musician revealed that she is currently working on adapting "Sk8er Boi" into a movie.
Click inside to get the scoop!
"Recently with it being almost the 20th anniversary, a lot of people have been asking me to play this song on TV shows, so it keeps getting brought back up and people will always reference it to me. And so, I'm actually going to turn this song into a film and take it to the next level," Avril shared on the She Is The Voice podcast.
Avril released "Sker Boi" back in 2002, rocketing her into stardom.
While she didn't go into further detail about the movie, Avril did talk about the inspiration behind the song.
"The skater boy is in love with the preppy girl and she's too cool for him," Avril explained. "But then five years from now she's feeding the baby and she's all alone and she wishes she would have followed her heart and not tried to live up to society's expectations."
Avril Lavigne also recently announced she's going on tour! Get the scoop here.
Posted to: Avril Lavigne
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Ana de Armas Sports All Black Outfit...
Javier Bardem Reveals He Once Caused...
Joseph Baena Says It 'Took A Little...
Charisma Carpenter Calls Joss Whedon A...
Lala Kent Breaks Down in Tears Talking...
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Britney Spears Sends Jamie Lynn Spears...


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I thought for sure I'd have something to share for our very first FFF of this year but instead I find myself reminiscing about the beach trip with our kiddos in December of 2017. It was the first vacation we'd had in over 15 years and haven't taken one since. But if this was something that happened all the time, would it be as special as this trip was? We made such precious memories with our kiddos!
Happy Friday - Happy Weekend!
I love the beach. I already have beach fever and I'm not going until September. That makes for a lot of dream time. It's my special place.
Thank you, Deb, for continuing to host this gathering each week. We all look forward to meeting here, and you make it extra special! Love your beach pictures. I know that had to have been a very sweet and special time with your kiddos. I know what you mean, if we did it all the time it wouldn't be as special, but I sure would love more time with my one grandson, who lives in Maine and is now 19. I don't think we can ever have too many special times with our grandkids and kids!! Happy New Year my dear sweet friend. Oh...you must check out my post today...there is something on there that you will love!
Great photos Debbie. Reminds me of the beach photos my daughter takes in Florida. Have a day of blessings my friend.
Beautiful shore birds and scenes. We visited the Delaware Bay on the first day of 2019.
There is something so relaxing about the ocean! I'm glad you had that time away. Lovely photos!
Beautiful Deb! And I'm sure the memories with your family are even better.
Your header picture is beautiful!!
Beautiful photos of your memorable vacation in 2017!! You are right about too many great vacations becoming ho-hum after a while. Thanks for hosting!!
Beautiful photos. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. Happy New Year.
Lovely beach scenes, I love a walk on the beach regardless of the weather :) And it's great to spend time with the kids and the grandkids making memories, very important.
To me, it doesn't matter when a photo is taken if it is as gorgeous as this one!


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