At the Brussels Summit on June 14, 2021, NATO Leaders agreed to launch the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and to establish the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF). Both initiatives were designed to support the development and adoption of emerging and disruptive technologies across the Alliance, with quantum technologies listed among the priority areas.
DIANA was conceived as a network of test centers and accelerator sites across NATO countries, connecting deep-tech start-ups with defense end-users. According to NATO, specific technology areas of interest to DIANA include “artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, quantum technologies, biotechnologies and human enhancement, hypersonic systems, space, novel materials and manufacturing, energy and propulsion, and next-generation communications networks.”
The NATO Innovation Fund was structured as a EUR 1 billion multi-sovereign venture capital fund with a 15-year investment horizon, backed by a group of NATO Allies. It would prioritize investments in start-ups developing technologies for defense and security purposes, including those accelerated through DIANA.