Martin Collison spoke at the Rural Norfolk in Business conference on Friday 23rd January on the potential of technology in creating economic opportunities for businesses in rural Norfolk. In a wide ranging presentation he covered the role Norfolk has in leading the AgriTech sector as well as newer areas such as the potential to see the ageing of the population as a significant market opportunity and the forthcoming roll out of 4G mobile phone signals as potential enablers of significant change in the rural economy.
The event, which was sold out, was the second annual conference to set the priorities for the next 12 months delivery of the Norfolk Rural Development Strategy, which Collison and Associates developed for a consortium of partners led by Norfolk County Council in 2013. During its first year of implementation the strategy delivery team submitted 5 bids for Leader funding, engaged with national and local bodies to promote rural digital connectivity and worked on planning and skills issues in rural areas.