About our pilot projects

In October 2022, we held workshops to tell stakeholders about the opportunity to apply to deliver pilot projects.

Facilitators helped applicants to write business case applications for their projects, which were then independently appraised. The Norfolk Investment Framework Steering Group endorsed applications on 24 January 2023. Cabinet approved 12 pilot projects on 6 March 2023.

The projects must submit quarterly monitoring reports on their progress to Norfolk County Council. The Steering Group will also review these reports to ensure projects are:

• On track, and
• Being delivered against the funding criteria.

At the end of each pilot project, we will share project's outcome. The Council will commission an independent evaluation of all the pilot projects. We expect to publish a report of this evaluation in April 2025.

The food industry is facing two challenges:

• Ensuring global food security for a growing population, and
• Reducing its carbon footprint to preserve the planet.

The Government's Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy listed the agrifood sector as one of eight sectors which account for around one sixth of UK emissions.Agrifood is one of the largest sectors in Norfolk. This project, led by New Anglia LEP, is the first of its kind in the country. It would place Norfolk in a prime position to take a lead in this area, and build a case to scale-up across other sectors in the future.

The project will:

• Create a network of businesses,
• Deliver events and networking, and
• Develop a route map for decarbonisation.

The aim is to support a wide range of agrifood businesses to develop a plan towards becoming net zero. Through knowledge exchange workshops, it will also help businesses to reduce operating costs and adopt leaner processes to support increased productivity.

Key outputs

• Net zero network
• Clean growth business event
• Agrifood scope of challenge and opportunity report
• 8 knowledge exchange workshops
• Innovation and technology investment pipeline
• Route map for decarbonisation

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change

Duration

• April 2023 – March 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £91,830
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £81,830

Clean hydrogen can be used in many, diverse ways. This makes it essential in the transition to net zero. It will play a vital role in displacing carbon emissions in sectors that are hard to decarbonise. This includes industry, shipping, heavy goods vehicles and heating.

The UK has an opportunity to become a hydrogen exporter due to its significant wind energy potential, which is the highest in Europe. Norfolk has a key role to play in this: the county’s clean energy projects represent 30% of UK projects. Norfolk’s projects have the potential to deliver 50% of the UK’s target of 50GW offshore wind capacity by 2030.

With grid constraints in place across Norfolk, the development of a hydrogen economy will:

• Help to bypass grid capacity issues,
• Link in with wind farms off the Norfolk cost, and
• Put Norfolk at the forefront of alternative energy provision in the UK.

Led by South Norfolk and Broadland Council, the project will develop a clean hydrogen strategy for the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor (CNTC) area. This will drive delivery of a clean hydrogen economy and support Norfolk’s wider progress towards net zero.

Key outputs

• Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor hydrogen strategy
• Delivery and financial models
• Skills analysis
• Stakeholder workshops

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change

Duration

• April 2023 – October 2023

Funding

• Project budget: £75,000
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £74,000 

Digitalisation is happening at a rapid pace. People who are not able to use computers, smart phones, tablets and other devices, or who cannot afford to access the internet, will be left behind. Norfolk has the third highest population of over 65s in the country, with many people living in rural areas. It is vital that access to digital skills and tools is as inclusive as possible.

The Tech Skills for Life project will produce a model to increase people's access to the internet. It will provide bespoke, high-quality support for people to develop the skills they need to use the internet, computers, smartphones, and other technology in their daily lives. This will include support for people who need financial help to access a device and data to get online, while reducing the cost to the public sector.

Led by Norfolk County Council, the project targets:

• Older people,
• Low-income households and families,
• Individuals with acute health conditions and disabilities, and
• Jobseekers.

West Norfolk has been chosen as the pilot area. This is because it has:

• A high population density of adults over 65-years-old,
• Limited digital activities,
• Poor connectivity, and
• Higher than average deprivation levels.

Key outputs

• Staff development programme
• Tech Skills for Life learning hubs – in person and online
• Communications plan
• Evaluation report
• Blueprint for scalability

Thematic objective(s)

• People and Skills
• Public Services

Duration

• April 2023 – March 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £233,834
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £233,834 

Norfolk is the UK's driest county, and there's increasing pressure on the county's water supply. This is due to population growth and increasing agricultural, industrial and conservational use. When flooding occurs in the region, valuable freshwater is pumped from drainage ditches into the North Sea, where it becomes unusable.

Net Zero East will lead this project. It will study the feasibility of rediverting rainwater, surface water and drainage water towards key storage reservoirs across Norfolk. They will do this using in-depth understanding of the local area and best practice examples of water management projects.

Water Resources East will support the study. Reclaim the Rain and the Water Management Alliance will collaborate on data collection.

Key outputs

• 1 feasibility study
• 1 route map to new opportunities

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change

Duration

• April - October 2023

Funding

• Project budget: £60,000
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £60,000

Financial technology - or Fintech - is technology that supports or enables banking and financial services. Fintech is one of the UK's fastest growing sectors.

Norfolk's fintech cluster has many of the ingredients of an important fintech cluster. Despite this, it is yet to be recognised by UK government and policy makers.

Currently, there is no process for developing a cluster plan. There's no model for cluster leadership, governance and community building.

Led by Tech East, the project will boost Norfolk's profile by:

• Creating the conditions needed for a sustainable fintech cluster to flourish
• Attracting inward investment, and
• Creating new high-skilled jobs for the county.

It will do this by:

• Establishing a governance model that pulls together Norfolk's assets under the 'fintech' banner
• Developing Norfolk's credibility and reputation in the UK and internationally, and
• Ensuring the cluster is joined up with nearby clusters in Ipswich, Cambridge and London.

Key outputs

• Fintech report and launch event
• Fintech hackathon
• Website and social media presence

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change
• People and Skills

Duration

• April 2023 - March 2025

Funding

• Project budget: £149,018
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £81,018 

The effects of climate change are causing increased strain on Norfolk's economy, communities and land. Norfolk's rural setting and dispersed population also presents challenges for reducing carbon emissions - particularly for heating, power and transport.

Led by Net Zero East, this project will create six net zero communities in Norfolk. There will be a clear plan and recommendations on how to get to net zero.

Each community project will:

• Be rooted in the community,
• Be led by the community, and
• Have clear benefits for the community.

This will ensure that proposed measures - like increasing household energy efficiency - are achievable and supported by the community.

The project takes inspiration from Net Zero Leiston, a collaboration between EDF, Sizewell C, Leiston Town Council and residents, to create Suffolk's first net zero community by 2030.

Key outputs

• 6 net zero community pilot areas - with associated report and a route map to net zero
• Public exhibitions

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change

Duration

• April 2023 - April 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £150,850
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £150,850 

Solar energy has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.

Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) will lead this project to create the UK's largest urban solar farm. It will develop a net zero business cluster from Norwich BID's 750 members. Norwich's net zero business cluster will conduct research projects and support knowledge exchange.

Initial research will focus on the potential development of rooftop solar panels for businesses, schools and community organisations in the Greater Norwich area. This will include a survey of potential sites for installation.

Key outputs

• Final report
• 8 workshops and 2 conferences
• Establish a local steering group
• Net zero business network

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change

Duration

• April 2023- September 2023

Funding

• Project budget: £30,000
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £25,000

Transport is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK at 24%. According to the 2020 UK greenhouse gas emissions report, passenger cars are the main source of emissions from transport. Switching to electric vehicles (EVs) can make the biggest short-term difference in reducing emissions.

Norfolk has one of the lowest availability of electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs) and EV ownership per capita in Britain. The large, rural nature of the county has slowed private investment into EVCPs. Recent resident surveys cite the lack of public EVCPs as a key barrier to EV uptake.

This project will ensure that residents and visitors to rural Norfolk will have access to EVCPs. It will increase availability of EVCPs by taking advantage of public and private sector infrastructure.

Plug In Norfolk is a collective initiative which gives local businesses and organisations access to competitive maintenance and support packages for EVCPs. This initiative will reduce the financial risk of providing and maintaining EVCPs.

Norfolk County Council will lead this project. We will partner with Anglia Car Charging, who are match-funding £51k of the project. The Council and Anglia Car Charing will also explore options to increase EV ownership.

Key outputs

• 26 public EVCPs
• Increased number

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• Climate change
• People and Skills
• Public Services

Duration

• April 2023 - January 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £226,000
• Framework funding: £175,000

Norfolk has over 90 miles of coastline bordering the North Sea. This is currently being developed into a thriving energy and raw material region. This makes Norfolk the ideal place to develop an industry based on resources from the sea.

Seaweed is an important future feedstock for the UK, providing biomass for food, feed and other applications. The Seaweed in East Anglia (SEA) project aims to develop a sustainable and viable seaweed industry in the East of England.

Hethel Innovation will lead the project. It builds on challenges found as part of Hethel Innovations' Algae Innovation Platform, which brought together 90 local, domestic and international stakeholders to collaborate and scale-up projects.

Key outputs

• 1 feasibility study
• 2 public engagement events
• 1 industry showcase event
• 1 website

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
  Climate change

Duration

• April 2023 - March 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £116,389
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £97,145

A high proportion of Norfolk residents work in low-skilled occupations. Low skill levels restrict local people’s access to higher value roles in local growth sectors. Recruitment and retention of skilled vocational teaching staff is a local and national challenge.

Norfolk County Council will lead this initiative to build and test solutions to address these challenges. We will work with Norfolk’s four largest adult learning providers:

• College of West Anglia
• City College Norwich
• East Coast College
• Norfolk Adult Learning Service.

Pilot activities will include:

• Testing and development of a graduate bursary scheme,
• Introducing teaching opportunities to higher education learners, and
• Incentives for employers.

Key outputs

• 8 courses maintained or added with potential to support 120 students in total
• Evidence base for improving recruitment and retention of skilled vocational staff

Thematic objective(s)

• People and Skills

Duration

• April 2023 – June 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £239,352
• Norfolk Investment Framework funding: £226,812 

Norfolk’s working population has fewer qualifications than the England average. Research from Future Breckland found that there is a lack of activities and places in the district for young people to meet.

Data shows that the digital, creative, and gaming sector in the UK has grown in value year-on-year. However, Norfolk businesses are struggling to recruit into these sectors.
Breckland District Council will lead this project to:

• Offer residents the chance to gain digital skills,
• Help grow Norfolk’s digital and creative businesses, and
• Provide leisure facilities for young people.

The project will develop a business case for a 2,500 square metre digital and creative media centre in rural Wayland, near Thetford. The centre will offer flexible office, incubation, and training spaces. It will also provide leisure facilities for residents. These could include gaming, theatre, cinema, café, retail and gallery space.

Key outputs

• Business case for digital and creative media centre
• 10 businesses supported
• 50 interactions with Norfolk residents and firms

Thematic objective(s)

• Business Growth and Innovation
• People and Skills
• Public Services

Duration

• April 2023 – June 2024

Funding

• Project budget: £239,352
• NIF funding: £226,812

Return to the Norfolk Investment Framework page.