The NATO defence accelerator is now at full operating capability.

The NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) projects it will be able to take on more than double the number of companies in its 2026 cohort, aiming to onboard around 150 companies, DSEI Gateway learnt. 

This is up from 73 companies in its current 2025 cohort, Interim Managing Director of DIANA, James Appathurai, said during an interview with DSEI Gateway. 

Since its launch in 2023, DIANA has scaled its operations rapidly and will reach full operating capability this year. The organisation scales dual-use technology for military use, by issuing a different set of challenges each year to industry, before selecting companies to secure funding for their solutions.  

This year, DIANA selected 73 companies to progress to phase one of its 2025 cohort, chosen from a pool of 3,680 applicants, Appathurai explained.  

A total of 15 companies were then downselected to progress to phase two in September, winning EUR300,000 to fund their innovations.  

DIANA has been growing and expanding significantly since it was setup in 2023, having established itself in the market as a place where companies want to do business”, he said. “There is no other body in the world that can put companies in front of the NATO armaments directors”, he added. 

DIANA now has 17 accelerators and 180 test centres, comprising a network of academics, scientists, engineers, financiers, procurement specialists, and end users. 

Along with funding, companies gain as access to mentorship, a NATO-accredited product badge scheme, and a developing alumni network. 

Beyond its direct impact, Appathurai told DSEI Gateway that companies should feel free to get in touch, and that “if we can't help, maybe we can steer them in a direction where they can get help from somewhere else”, such as the NATO Innovation Fund. 

Attending DSEI UK? NATO DIANA will be hosting an Innovator x Investor Collider with Apex Defense on 11 September, where the 15 innovators advancing into phase two of the DIANA Accelerator Programme will be unveiled – Register interest.