Innovation is not exclusive to dense megacities. In this special episode from our Major Cities of Europe 2025 series, we head to the UK to speak with Kurt Frary, Head of IT and CTO at Norfolk County Council. Kurt shares how Norfolk navigates the unique challenges of a large, mixed rural region to build robust digital foundations.

We discuss practical applications that save real time and money, from an IoT network that automatically manages flooded roads to AI tools that reduce social care documentation from hours to minutes. The conversation also covers the strict "human-in-the-loop" philosophy, tech scepticism, and the importance of data privacy. Tune in to discover how Norfolk is scaling innovation effectively and what public and private sectors can learn from each other.

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• (00:00:00) - Intro
• (00:02:04) - Teaser question: If you had to describe Norfolk county state of innovation with just three emojis, which would they be and why?
• (00:02:50) - Guest background
• (00:05:22) - Geography of Norfolk County
• (00:07:19) - Innovating in Rural Areas
• (00:08:52) - IoT Network and Flood Safety
• (00:12:48) - Overcoming Innovation Challenges
• (00:14:19) - Scaling Up Successful Pilots
• (00:15:41) - Designing for User Groups
• (00:17:37) - AI Program and Governance
• (00:22:44) - Addressing Technology Skepticism
• (00:25:13) - Data Privacy and AI
• (00:28:24) - Collaboration of Data
• (00:32:38) - Working with Private Partners
• (00:35:10) - Cyber Security and People
• (00:36:50) - Segment: Hot Take of the Day
• (00:41:09) - Ending question: “To you, what is a Smart City?”