In March 2024 NATO announced a major expansion of DIANA, the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic. Its network grew from 11 to 23 accelerator sites and from 90 to 182 test centres across 28 allied countries. The aim is to give startups and innovators access to mentoring, funding, end users and testing infrastructure.
DIANA responds to a structural problem: many technologies relevant to security and defence are now developed in commercial markets, where innovation cycles are much faster than traditional military procurement. Artificial intelligence, drones, sensors, 5G, advanced materials and cybersecurity do not necessarily originate with major defence primes.
What dual-use means
Dual-use technology can serve both civilian and defence or security purposes. A computer-vision system may inspect a factory or analyse imagery from an unmanned platform. A resilient communications network may support civilian critical infrastructure and military operations.
This makes the industrial boundary more permeable. Startups created for commercial markets may own technology relevant to defence while lacking experience with public tenders, military requirements or certification. DIANA is intended to reduce that gap.
Accelerators and test centres
Accelerator sites provide business development, mentoring and market connections. Test centres give innovators access to infrastructure that small companies would often be unable to finance independently.
Validation matters especially in defence. A technology that works in principle must demonstrate reliability under difficult operational conditions. Vibration, extreme temperatures, interference, cybersecurity and compatibility with existing systems can completely change product requirements.
Technology priorities
NATO has highlighted artificial intelligence, cyber, 5G, hypersonic technologies and autonomous systems. The list reflects a shift: military advantage increasingly depends on integrating hardware and software and updating algorithms and sensors quickly.
This creates opportunities for companies specialising in cloud, semiconductors, robotics, data analytics and communications. Many do not initially define themselves as defence companies but may become suppliers of critical technologies.
The procurement problem
Accelerating a startup is not enough if procurement remains too slow. The real test for programmes such as DIANA is whether successful experiments can become contracts and operational adoption. Without concrete demand, promising technologies risk remaining demonstrations.
Governments therefore need to balance rigorous security and accountability procedures with greater speed in testing and purchasing technologies that may evolve within months.
Private capital and the defence market
Investor interest in defence-tech and dual-use startups has increased. Institutional programmes such as DIANA can reduce some perceived risk by providing test access, potential customers and technical validation.
This may create a reinforcing cycle between private capital and public demand, while also requiring clear rules on exports, data security and intellectual property.
A different industrial model
DIANA’s expansion shows that NATO no longer treats technological innovation as something confined to large, multi-year programmes. The goal is to build a network that can identify ideas from civilian ecosystems and move them more quickly toward usable capabilities.
Success will be measured by whether technologies move from laboratories and startups into real adoption. If the link among innovators, test centres and procurement works, the model could reduce the time between invention and operational use. If not, it may remain a strong acceleration infrastructure without a market fast enough to absorb its results.
