NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) aims to create a vibrant ecosystem of innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and experts in the field of security and defence so that they can co-develop next-generation technologies for the benefit of national resilience across the Alliance. DIANA aims to develop dual-use technologies that can be used not only by military officers but also for the benefit of economic security, energy resilience, the healthcare sector, digital development, and many others.
Following a successful bid with NATO’s International Secretariat, GATE was recognized to be a DIANA test centre in the field of big data and artificial intelligence. Being a part of DIANA’s ecosystem, GATE is going to host innovators from Bulgaria and across the Alliance, who can bring their concepts for evaluation, verification, and validation.
The mission of GATE as a centre of excellence for big data and artificial intelligence is to serve as a bridge between the scientific community, the industry, and society. This fits perfectly with DIANA’s rationale.
GATE’s main objective as a DIANA test centre
GATE’s main objective at the moment is to build sustainable partnerships with Bulgarian innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors and introduce them to the benefits of joining the DIANA ecosystem and the advantages of other existing NATO initiatives in the field of innovation and business cooperation.
We also actively work with researchers from Sofia University and other institutes and universities in Bulgaria to understand what are the key societal challenges facing Bulgaria and how best to deal with them with the help of deep tech. For example, at GATE, we are developing in-depth expertise in the field of detecting and combating disinformation. GATE was also the initiator of the first Bulgarian urban data space. Data spaces are a new technology that creates conditions, where data can be shared securely and efficiently.
How DIANA works:
DIANA issues challenges in specific problem areas and asks innovators to bring forward solutions. These challenges are drawn from priorities identified by the 32 NATO nations.
DIANA is a deep tech organisation, that invites innovators working on technologies that rely on scientific breakthroughs. This means many innovations require further testing and validation to be successful.
DIANA is partnering with more than 180 test centres from across the NATO Alliance.
Dual-use technology is key to DIANA’s mission. This could include working on climate change and sustainability to reduce the risk of conflict arising from resource scarcity, but could also include specific technology solutions like remote energy sources that could apply both to battlefields and to remote communities.
DIANA’s Accelerator Programme
DIANA runs an accelerator programme, which provides training, guidance and networking opportunities to innovators through accelerator sites across the Alliance.
After a rigorous evaluation process, DIANA selects innovators to participate in the accelerator programme. Innovators must be companies headquartered in a NATO nation working on deep-tech, dual-use solutions connected to DIANA’s challenges.
The first six months of the accelerator programme focus on growing their companies, validating their technology, testing in DIANA’s network of test centres, and building strong connections to potential defence and commercial customers.
The accelerator programme is delivered by a network of established accelerators from throughout the Alliance that have a deep network, proven expertise in guiding innovators successfully, and a focus on one or more areas of technology relevant to DIANA
Benefits
In addition to the DIANA funding, innovators in the programme receive funding to cover test centre fees and the TEVV (Testing, Evaluation, Verification and Validation) activities needed to perfect their technologies.
The Network provides a wide variety of state-of-the-art infrastructure where DIANA’s innovators can demonstrate and validate their proposed dual-use tech solutions. Programme participants will gain access to exceptional facilities, top experts and scientists, and mentoring in experimental and theoretical research.
In addition, Bulgarian innovators and companies have the opportunity to gain international recognition and break into new markets in Western Europe and North America. Besides enhancing Bulgaria’s image as a reliable ally, this could strengthen Bulgaria’s economic relations with key international partners.