NATO Innovations and Research

NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) invites startups, investors, industry players and media to register for news.

In June of 2023, to find deep-tech innovators that will develop dual use solutions in areas critical for the Alliance, NATO DIANA launched three pilot challenge programmes. The first challenge programme requires applicants to provide solutions in order to receive grants in one of the following three challenge areas: energy resilience, secure information sharing and sensing and surveillance.
NATO DIANA invites potential applicants, industry partners, investors, media and other willing participants of the Alliance’s growing innovation ecosystem to register for the cooperation network on NATO DIANA webpage: https://www.nato-diana.org

On 2 June 2025, NATO DIANA announced call for proposals in 10 challenges of innovation programme to support the development of next generation dual use technologies. Proposed technology solutions can be submitted until 11 July on NATO DIANA webpage: https://www.diana.nato.int/. Additional information available here.

Innovators

To address the most critical defence and security challenges, NATO DIANA is reaching out directly to innovators working with emerging and disruptive technologies, and registered in the Alliance. Innovators that are admitted to challenge programme will receive funding for development of technologies, will be able to take part in business and defence-centred accelerator programmes, access test centres and special network for investors and end users.

Investors

NATO DIANA minimises startup investment risks in accelerator programmes by conducting due diligence of business models and reliability of technologies, which is essential in showing the market that startups that have graduated from NATO DIANA accelerator programme are viable. Investors will be invited to various events, demo days and test centre network progress reports describing the development of solutions.

Industry players

NATO DIANA supports the development of dual use technologies, deep technologies and startups. Industry players play major role in facilitating and enhancing these future technologies. Initiative targets industry players, both in the defence industry and sectors not related to defence, who are interested in supporting NATO DIANA innovation initiatives through mentorship,  events or other kinds of support activities.

NATO DIANA has been created to support development of dual use tech startups in NATO countries and make cooperation between innovators, researchers and end users closer. NATO DIANA supports a network of more than 10 interconnected accelerators and provides access to more than 90 test centres across the NATO area. NATO DIANA will have regional offices in London (UK) and Halifax (Canada), and a regional hub in Tallinn (Estonia).

With a view to NATO 2030 agenda, leaders of the Alliance have agreed on new initiatives supporting innovations and emerging technologies.

To maintain NATO emerging and disruptive technology supremacy, NATO 2030 agenda has launched two new initiatives: NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and NATO Innovation Fund.

NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA, has been created to support development of dual use tech startups in NATO countries and make cooperation between innovators, researchers and end users closer. It is specifically tailored to innovators developing emerging and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data processing, quantum computing, autonomous solutions, biotechnologies, new materials and space applications.

NATO DIANA is providing acceleration services in scope of the defined security challenges since 2023 when it also began offering access to testing of solutions in one of the test centres located in NATO member states. On 7 April 2022, during NATO Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Brussels, foreign ministers endorsed NATO DIANA charter. According to the charter, NATO DIANA will operate two regional offices – one in Canada and one in the UK. There will be 9 accelerators. One of the accelerators will be located in the Baltics, in Estonia. And also 63 test centres, with one of the centres based in Latvia.

It is envisaged that test centre located in Latvia will mostly specialise in testing of 5G, artificial intelligence and big data processing technologies. Test centre will be developed around the existing 5G defence testbed at the Camp Ādaži.

NATO Innovation Fund

NATO Innovation Fund is the first standalone venture capital fund backed by NATO allies. It offers funding for investments in dual use technology startups and its total budget reaches 1 billion euro.

NATO Innovation Fund has been created to provide investments in startup companies that work with strategic emerging and disruptive technologies: artificial intelligence, data and computing, autonomy, quantum-enabled technologies, biotechnology and human enhancements, hypersonic technologies, space, novel materials and manufacturing, energy and propulsion that have dual use in civilian and military sectors.

Fund will also facilitate raising of public and private funding from other sources. Together with NATO DIANA, it will improve access to investments and markets across the Alliance, while also protecting the innovative technologies and startups from competition. Fund was launched in 2023.

NATO Innovation Fund and NATO DIANA are sophisticated facilities that allow NATO to increase its technological supremacy and also support development of startups in individual member states of the Alliance towards new solutions in the field of emerging and disruptive technologies.

During the NATO Summit in Madrid,  Egils Levits, President of the Republic of Latvia, and 21 other leaders of NATO Innovation Fund member states (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Hungary and Germany) signed a formal Letter of Commitment to the Fund. Cabinet of Ministers approved Latvia’s participation in the NATO Innovation Fund on 28 June 2022.