The Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) is NATO's programme for identifying, supporting, and connecting dual-use deep technology companies with Alliance defence requirements. Established by NATO Heads of State and Government at the Madrid Summit in 2022, DIANA began operations in 2023 with headquarters in London and a regional hub in Tallinn. It represents the most direct formal pathway for technology startups to engage with NATO's acquisition and innovation ecosystem.
DIANA is not a procurement body and it is not a traditional accelerator. It sits in a specific institutional position: between the venture capital world (represented by the NATO Innovation Fund, with which DIANA has a close operational relationship) and the defence acquisition world (represented by the NCIA and national procurement bodies). Its function is to identify technology companies with genuine dual-use potential, help them understand and connect with defence requirements, and provide the early-stage support that increases their chances of sustained commercial success alongside defence market traction.
What DIANA Is: London HQ, Tallinn Hub, and the Accelerator Network
DIANA's institutional structure reflects the Alliance's deliberate choice to embed its innovation activities in commercial technology ecosystems rather than in military installations. The London headquarters is located in the heart of the UK's deep tech ecosystem, with proximity to the VC networks, universities, and commercial technology companies that DIANA needs to engage. The Tallinn regional hub connects DIANA to the Baltic and Nordic technology ecosystems, which are increasingly active in defence-relevant deep tech.
Beyond these two hubs, DIANA operates through a network of approximately 60 accelerator sites and 23 test centres distributed across Allied member states. The accelerator sites are typically existing national accelerators, science parks, or technology incubators that have been designated as DIANA accredited sites. Selected DIANA companies are placed at one of these sites for the duration of their accelerator programme, allowing them to access local business development resources, regulatory expertise, and industry networks while maintaining their participation in the wider DIANA programme.
The test centres are facilities where DIANA companies can test their products against real or representative defence requirements — ranges for testing drone and sensor technologies, network environments for testing communications software, computing facilities for testing AI and data processing systems. Access to test centres is one of DIANA's most distinctive offerings, because it provides something that commercial accelerators cannot: validated performance data against actual defence requirements, which is the currency that defence procurement organisations need to make adoption decisions.
Selection Process: Application, Pitch, and Cohort
DIANA runs an annual open call for applications, typically opening in the first quarter of the calendar year and closing in spring. The process progresses through three phases:
Written application. The initial application is submitted through DIANA's online portal and consists of: a description of the technology and its dual-use relevance, information about the company (founding date, team, current stage, existing funding), a description of the specific defence challenge the company's technology addresses, and a preliminary plan for what the company would do during the accelerator programme. Applications are evaluated by DIANA's programme team against the selection criteria described below. Approximately 10–15% of applications proceed to the interview phase.
Pitch and interview. Companies that pass the written application review are invited to participate in a structured pitch and interview process, typically conducted virtually in the first instance and then in person for final selection. The pitch is evaluated by a panel that includes DIANA programme staff, defence subject matter experts from NATO member states, and in some cases representatives of the NATO Innovation Fund. The interview focuses on the company's understanding of the defence requirements it seeks to address, the credibility of its dual-use commercial strategy, and the team's ability to execute the accelerator programme deliverables.
Cohort selection and placement. DIANA selects approximately 44 companies per cohort (approximately 150 per year across multiple cohorts), drawn from across Allied member states. Selected companies are placed at accredited accelerator sites that are appropriate for their technology area and commercial needs — an AI software company will be placed at a site with relevant commercial AI ecosystem connections and DIANA test centre access for software testing, rather than at a site with primarily hardware manufacturing capabilities.
What Selected Companies Receive
DIANA accelerator participants receive a combination of financial support, access, and programme support:
Non-dilutive grant funding. Each selected company receives a grant of approximately €100,000 during the accelerator programme. This is non-dilutive — it does not require equity in return — and is structured as a milestone-based grant with payments contingent on achieving agreed programme milestones. The grant is not intended to cover the company's full operating costs during the programme; it is structured as additional funding to support programme-specific activities including test centre access, travel, and development work specifically oriented toward the defence challenge being addressed.
12-month structured programme. The DIANA programme runs for 12 months and includes structured sessions on: defence requirements and acquisition processes, technical testing and validation at DIANA test centres, investor readiness and NIF introduction, commercial scale strategy, and cross-DIANA peer collaboration. The programme structure is intensive relative to most accelerators, with monthly in-person gatherings at various Alliance locations and weekly programme obligations. Companies that complete the programme have both the strategic knowledge and the validated performance evidence needed to engage seriously with Alliance procurement organisations.
NCIA access and introductions. DIANA provides structured introductions to the NCIA (NATO Communications and Information Agency) and, through NCIA, to national procurement bodies in member states that have expressed interest in the company's technology area. These introductions are not contracts or commitments — they are facilitated meetings with relevant procurement officers who have been briefed on the company's capabilities by DIANA. Converting these introductions to procurement discussions requires the company to demonstrate operational relevance and credibility in the meeting, but the introduction itself eliminates the access barrier that most startups find most difficult to overcome when trying to enter defence markets.
Key insight: DIANA alumni have a significantly higher rate of NIF investment and NCIA engagement than companies that approach these organisations without the DIANA introduction pathway. This is not because DIANA alumni are necessarily better companies — it is because the DIANA programme provides the validated performance evidence and the strategic understanding of Alliance requirements that NIF and NCIA need to engage with confidence. DIANA is the fastest credentialling pathway into the Alliance innovation ecosystem for deep tech companies.
Selection Criteria: Technology Readiness, Dual-Use, Team
DIANA's published selection criteria centre on three factors that are weighted roughly equally in the evaluation process:
Technology readiness level (TRL). DIANA accepts companies across a range of TRL levels, from approximately TRL 4 (technology validated in laboratory) to TRL 7 (system prototype demonstrated in an operational environment). The appropriate TRL for DIANA participation depends on the technology area: for software applications, DIANA typically looks for TRL 5–7, where there is a working prototype that can be meaningfully tested against defence requirements. Earlier-stage companies are better served by national innovation programmes before they have a testable prototype.
Dual-use potential. As with NIF, dual-use relevance is a central criterion. DIANA wants companies whose technology can address both commercial market needs and defence requirements simultaneously — not companies that are seeking to pivot from commercial to defence, but companies where the core technology genuinely serves both. The dual-use requirement reflects the structural reality that companies dependent solely on defence procurement will face the extended sales cycles and payment delays of defence contracting without the commercial revenue to sustain operations in the interim.
Team quality and execution evidence. DIANA evaluates the founding team's ability to navigate the DIANA programme requirements, engage credibly with defence organisations, and develop commercially alongside the programme. Evidence of prior execution — previous successful products, relevant domain expertise, demonstrated ability to work within regulated or government-facing environments — is valued highly. Teams with no prior experience of regulated or institutional markets face a steeper learning curve in the DIANA programme and are evaluated accordingly.
Applications that succeed typically make three things clear immediately: what specific Alliance capability gap the technology addresses, how the company has already demonstrated that the technology works (even if only in a laboratory environment), and why the founding team is the right team to make this particular technology succeed commercially and in the defence market. Generic applications that describe a broadly relevant technology without these specifics are unlikely to progress past the written application stage.