NATO's DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) programme is expanding its network with new sites. The Board of Directors of the DIANA initiative has approved a proposal to establish an accelerator and two test centres in Finland. Their mission is to help companies develop technology, innovation an
The accelerator will be established by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in collaboration with Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. The accelerator will focus on the communication systems and quantum technologies of the future, and it will be based in Otaniemi, Espoo. Technology test centres will be established at the University of Oulu and VTT's Otaniemi site.
The DIANA accelerator is a training programme that helps companies to develop deep technologies and innovations for commercial and defence purposes. It will also provide companies with extensive and varied training on how to develop business opportunities. The accelerator's services will be specifically targeted at startups and SMEs with limited experience in the defence and security sector.
"The University of Helsinki is proud to be involved in promoting the development of dual-use technologies in Finland. We possess a great deal of expertise in the technology themes of the DIANA programme and are eagerly waiting to support DIANA startups as they develop their technologies. The success of our incubators at the University of Helsinki also provides a good foundation for these activities," says Dean Sasu Sarkoma.
DIANA selects companies for accelerators through its application process. This procedure is called the DIANA challenge programme.
