The UK, in partnership with Estonia, will host the European HQ of a programme for NATO allies to accelerate, test, evaluate and validate new technologies that address critical defence challenges.
NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) on 05 April, which will see transatlantic cooperation on critical technologies and help NATO work more closely with industry and academia.
DIANA will support all seven of the key emerging and disruptive technologies that NATO has identified as priorities: AI, big-data processing, quantum-enabled technologies, autonomy, biotechnology, hypersonics and space.
The UK’s accelerator will be twinned with a new accelerator in Tallinn, Estonia to encourage the sharing of expertise, explore the use of virtual sites to trial vehicles, including autonomous ones, and test cyber innovations.
As hosts, the UK and Estonia will work to support start-up companies with funding, guidance and business expertise through twinned accelerator networks.
The collaboration will offer the use of ‘deep tech’ test centres to assess technological solutions to military problems, utilising the Defence BattleLab.
Additionally, it will work with NATO to develop a virtual marketplace to connect start-ups with trusted investors, as well as a rapid acquisition service to connect products to buyers at pace.
UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said: “The UK and Estonia are two of the most innovative countries in NATO and our hosting of DIANA will harness that innovation for the benefit of all Allies tackling future military threats.
“The UK has a vibrant tech community, combining the academia, financiers, and high-tech start-ups that make it an ideal place to develop the next generation of military technologies.
“Estonia was the natural partner for the UK given its international leadership in cyber, autonomy and AI, and our close partnership forged through the enhanced forward presence.”
Ranked in the world’s top ten innovative universities, Imperial College London will bring together academia, industry and government by hosting the headquarters of DIANA and a DIANA Accelerator at the Innovation Hub (IHUB) in the White City Innovation District, in a space shared with the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Major Defence Contractors and The US Department of Defence’s Tri-Service Office.
Supported by DASA, the UK and Estonia DIANA HQ is expected to be operational from July.
