Feature: NATO's DIANA plans to double innovation competitions, seeking dual-use advantages

A snapshot of AI Verse's labelled image datasets, used to help train machine learning systems. AI Verse is one of DIANA's 2025 cohort of companies. (AI Verse)

Established to help speed up innovation and procurement, NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) has, like so much of the defence sector, been trying to keep up with lessons coming out of Ukraine's defence against Russia's invasion.

The private sector is a growing source of innovation for militaries, much of it originally developed for commercial purposes. DIANA aims to support the developers of such dual-use technologies, helping bring their products to market and tapping long-term benefits for the alliance.

Development path

DIANA was launched in 2023 with the aim of sourcing future capabilities from dual-use innovators in a range of areas. Emerging and disruptive technologies are seen as vital in protecting NATO's edge in collective defence and security, but “commercial innovators are not sufficiently incentivised to work in these areas”, according to NATO. To provide this incentivisation, DIANA aims to offer innovators the resources, networks, and guidance they need to help smooth their development and adapt it for military demand.

This is achieved in several ways. DIANA utilises an accelerator programme and test centre network to bring commercial innovators together with end-users. It provides these innovators with funding, access to more than 20 accelerator sites and more than 180 test centres to demonstrate their technologies, and mentoring from scientists, engineers, industry partners, and other experts. It also offers an investor network for third-party funding and pathways to market within NATO.