NATO · Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic

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NATO DIANA

DIANA offers EUR 100,000 and six months of acceleration with access to NATO test centres, but the applicant must be a company from an Allied nation. For a Ukrainian team the honest answer is: not directly, but yes through joint NATO–Ukraine programmes.

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Start with a one-hour consultation: we check whether you have a route into DIANA and pick an open alternative.

About the programme

What the programme is and who it is for

What it funds

NATO’s accelerator for start-ups and companies with dual-use technology: a six-month programme, contractual funding with no equity taken, and access to the Alliance’s test centres and military end users.

Who funds it

DIANA is a NATO body with a board of directors from all Allies, reporting to the North Atlantic Council. Its headquarters are in London, with a regional hub in Tallinn and an office in Halifax. DIANA evaluates proposals itself; national authorities may run a security review.

Who it suits

  • Companies incorporated in a NATO nation, majority owned and controlled by nationals of NATO nations
  • Ukrainian teams looking for a way into NATO: joint bids under UNITE – Brave NATO with a partner from an Allied country
  • Not for universities, public bodies or non-profit organisations
Official pages: NATO DIANA: challenges and selection criteria NATO DIANA: accelerator programme DIANA challenge call Q&A: who can apply (25.06.2026) DIANA proposal portal and FAQ NATO: DIANA and Ukraine strengthen cooperation (29.10.2026) Ministry of Defence of Ukraine: memorandum with NATO DIANA UNITE – Brave NATO on the Brave1 portal Ministry of Defence of Ukraine: UNITE – Brave NATO opens for applications
In depth

The programme in detail

DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) is NATO’s accelerator for dual-use technology. Allies agreed to create it at the Brussels Summit in June 2021, endorsed its charter in 2022 and launched the first three pilot challenges in June 2023. Its task is to find and accelerate new technology and help Allied forces adopt it. The network has 16 accelerator sites and more than 200 test centres.

The main instrument is the annual Challenge Programme. A company applies to one challenge, goes through selection and joins a six-month accelerator with EUR 100,000 in contractual funding. The strongest then move to the Mission Track and receive up to EUR 300,000 for a further six months. The 2026 cohort had 150 companies from 24 NATO countries across ten challenge areas, selected from more than 3,600 proposals. A separate format is Dynamic Challenges for urgent needs: the first, “Decision Superiority for NATO Warfighters”, ran from 20 April to 5 May 2026, required TRL 7+ and gave ten companies EUR 100,000 each with no accelerator.

For Ukrainian companies the main barrier is eligibility. According to the official Q&A and the proposal portal FAQ, the applicant must be incorporated in a NATO nation, have its headquarters and principal place of business there, and be majority owned and controlled by nationals of NATO nations. The 2026 cohort list contains no Ukrainian company. The memorandum of 29 October 2026 speaks of access to NATO expertise, a shared technology catalogue, planned joint competitions and testing, including in Ukraine, but names no amounts or mechanism for “additional funding” and does not change the eligibility rules.

So for a Ukrainian team DIANA today is a reference point, not a call to apply to directly. The real entry points into the NATO ecosystem are different: UNITE – Brave NATO for joint teams with a company from an Allied nation, NATO Innovation Challenges run with JATEC in Bydgoszcz, and, for researchers and non-profit institutions, the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme. If your group includes a genuine company in a NATO nation that is owned and controlled by nationals of those nations, it applies on the general terms.

Access from Ukraine: No direct entry from Ukraine

A company registered in Ukraine cannot apply to DIANA challenges: incorporation, headquarters and principal place of business in a NATO nation are required, along with majority ownership and control by nationals of NATO nations. The DIANA–Ukraine memorandum of 29 October 2026 does not change these rules. The annual call for the 2027 cohort closed on 3 July 2026; DIANA holds its next annual call in June and may launch Dynamic Challenges at any time.

Programme terms

Key facts about “NATO DIANA”

Only what is confirmed in the official programme sources, as of 13.11.2026.

What the programme gives

A six-month accelerator starting in January: EUR 100,000 in contractual funding, an assigned accelerator site, mentors, investors, military end users and a network of more than 200 test centres. The amount also covers mandatory travel (up to six trips).

Mission Track

After the accelerator there is a competitive down-selection for the Mission Track: up to EUR 300,000 more for a further six months. In the 2026 cohort, 15 of 150 companies got there.

Who can apply

A company incorporated in a NATO nation, with its headquarters and principal place of business there, majority owned and controlled by nationals of NATO nations, and qualified for public contracts. A consortium is allowed only if every member meets these rules.

Ukraine

On 29 October 2026 DIANA and Ukraine signed a memorandum – DIANA’s first with a partner country. It covers helping Ukrainian innovators with NATO requirements, testing and scaling. It announces no admission of Ukrainian companies to the challenges.

The open route: UNITE – Brave NATO

A joint NATO–Ukraine programme for teams of one Ukrainian company and one company from a NATO nation. The first competition is EUR 10 million, with grants of up to EUR 250,000 or EUR 500,000 per side depending on the topic, TRL 6+. Expressions of interest for the first competition closed on 3 August 2026.

Calendar

The annual call opens in June: in 2026 it ran from 1 June to 3 July. DIANA says outcomes for the 2027 cohort come later this year, and the programme starts in January 2027. Dynamic Challenges are announced during the year.

Sources: NATO DIANA: challenges and selection criteria, NATO DIANA: accelerator programme, DIANA challenge call Q&A: who can apply (25.06.2026), DIANA proposal portal and FAQ, NATO: DIANA and Ukraine strengthen cooperation (29.10.2026), Ministry of Defence of Ukraine: memorandum with NATO DIANA, UNITE – Brave NATO on the Brave1 portal, Ministry of Defence of Ukraine: UNITE – Brave NATO opens for applications.

Check terms and deadlines on the official programme page before applying: they are updated from round to round.

Expert consultation

Discuss with an expert which route into NATO programmes is open to you

A one-hour online session with a GetGrant specialist who works with this programme. You get an honest answer on whether you qualify and a plan for the coming weeks.

How we help with this programme

  • We check whether your group has a legitimate route into DIANA: jurisdiction, ownership and control. If there is none, we say so in the first conversation.
  • We pick an alternative for your stage: UNITE – Brave NATO with a partner from an Allied country, EUDIS, BraveTech EU or Brave1 grants.
  • We prepare the proposal in English around the challenge scenario: short and long forms, the plan for using the funding, and the defence and commercial case.
Analysis

Requirements, stages and what to watch for

Our analysis is based on the official programme rules and GetGrant materials. Check the current call before applying: conditions change from round to round.

01Applicant requirements

  • The company is incorporated in a NATO nation and has its headquarters and principal place of business there.
  • Majority ownership and control rest with nationals of NATO nations; the company is qualified for public contracts. Eligibility is checked at “Step 0”, and national authorities may run a security review.
  • Under the bidding terms, all activity related to the bid is conducted within NATO nations. A consortium is allowed only if every member meets the requirements.
  • Universities, public bodies and non-profit organisations cannot apply.
  • TRL 4 and above, with a sweet spot of 5–6; TRL and revenue are not formal eligibility tests. No security clearance is needed to apply.
  • Official sources describe no workaround for Ukrainian companies. On our reading of the rules, a subsidiary in a NATO nation that remains majority owned or controlled by Ukrainian nationals does not qualify; there is no official clarification on this.

02What is funded and on what terms

  • Accelerator: EUR 100,000 in contractual funding, paid to the company in full before the start. It also covers mandatory travel – up to six trips over the programme.
  • Mission Track: up to EUR 300,000 more for a further six months after a competitive down-selection at the end of the accelerator.
  • It is a contract, not a grant: a final report on progress and spending is required, and invoices are kept for audit.
  • DIANA takes no equity and no intellectual property: all rights stay with the innovator.
  • Beyond money: mentors, work with military end users, investors of the DIANA Capital Network (the NATO Innovation Fund is among the first 24) and additional competitive funding for testing at the test centres.
  • The Rapid Adoption Service lets DIANA award follow-on prototype contracts for Allies without a new competition.

03Selection stages and timing

  • Submission is through the proposals.diana.tech portal. A new account is created each year; login uses an authenticator app.
  • One proposal to one challenge: eligibility questions, a one-page short form and a long form, submitted together. Up to two images in the short form and three in the long form.
  • Selection: eligibility check, Step 1 – short form, Step 2 – long form, Step 3 – virtual panel. A DUNS number is required before Step 3.
  • Criteria: alignment to the challenge, novelty, feasibility, defence relevance and impact, commercial viability, team resources and suitability for the programme.
  • Call for the 2027 cohort: 1 June – 3 July 2026, six challenges (human survivability, autonomy of uncrewed systems, sensing and data processing for intelligence, resilience in contested environments, logistics, countermeasures for air defence). Step 1–2 outcomes by the end of August, panels in September, onboarding in December, start in January 2027.

04Specifics and pitfalls

  • The most common mistake, in DIANA’s own words: describing the technology in general instead of answering the challenge scenario and end-user context.
  • Without either of the two forms the bid is ineligible. Images containing narrative text can make it non-compliant.
  • Companies from previous DIANA cohorts cannot reapply; unsuccessful applicants can.
  • The proposal must show how the EUR 100,000 will be used, and the team must have capacity: about three full-time people are expected.
  • English only, no external links, no changes after the deadline; DIANA does not answer individual questions about proposals.
  • We could not confirm from official sources the NATO Innovation Fund’s terms for Ukrainian companies, so we advise against counting on the Fund investing in a Ukrainian legal entity.

05Routes for a Ukrainian company

  • UNITE – Brave NATO: a joint team of one Ukrainian company and one company from a NATO nation. On the NATO side contracts are issued by NCIA; the Ukrainian side is funded through Brave1. The first competition is EUR 10 million with a planned scale-up to EUR 50 million; up to EUR 250,000 or EUR 500,000 per side, TRL 6+. Expressions of interest for the first competition were accepted via Prozorro from 28 July to 3 August 2026; dates for the next round have not been published.
  • NATO Innovation Challenges run with JATEC (Bydgoszcz) and Allied Command Transformation: a Ukrainian team took third place in the challenge on airfield denial.
  • NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme: Ukraine is an eligible partner country, but for-profit companies cannot apply; co-directors must come from governmental, academic or non-profit institutions. Multi-year projects typically run 24–36 months at around EUR 400,000.
  • European instruments where Ukrainian companies are already eligible: the EUDIS Business Accelerator, DefTech Forges under BraveTech EU, and Ukraine Support Instrument calls under EDIP.
  • What to prepare now: an English description of the solution framed around NATO scenarios, TRL evidence, a disclosed ownership structure and a partner from an Allied nation.
Support

What we do

You are not left alone with the application form: we prepare the document package and support you until the decision.

  1. 1

    Review and eligibility check

    A short call or email exchange: whether you and the project meet the conditions, which programme and amount fit, and what is missing.

  2. 2

    Application in the programme format

    We write the application exactly in the form the programme requires: business plan, technology description, financial plan and budget that are consistent with each other.

  3. 3

    Documents and verification

    We collect annexes: cost estimates, supplier quotes, pitch deck, documents for premises or land. Everything is checked against the requirements before submission.

  4. 4

    Submission and defence

    You sign and submit the application; we stay with you at every step and prepare you for the interview, pitch or jury session.

For this programme

  • We check whether your group has a legitimate route into DIANA: jurisdiction, ownership and control. If there is none, we say so in the first conversation.
  • We pick an alternative for your stage: UNITE – Brave NATO with a partner from an Allied country, EUDIS, BraveTech EU or Brave1 grants.
  • We prepare the proposal in English around the challenge scenario: short and long forms, the plan for using the funding, and the defence and commercial case.
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What we say plainly

  • No grant is guaranteed. The decision is made by the funder: the state, a fund or a jury. We build a strong and consistent package, but we do not influence the decision.
  • You submit the application yourself. The applicant submits and signs the application in Diia, on the USF portal or the EU portal. We prepare the documents and support you, but do not apply on your behalf.
  • We quote the price after the first conversation. The scope depends on the programme, the amount and what you already have. We state the cost and timing before work begins.
Our services

How GetGrant can help with this programme

Choose the format: a one-hour expert consultation, a turnkey application or preparatory work. Prices are listed where they are fixed; for the rest we quote after a short conversation.

Consultation

Consultation with a GetGrant expert

An online meeting on your project: eligibility, realistic amount, weak points of the application and a preparation plan.

€92 · per hour

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Service

Grant application writing

We prepare the application for the call you chose: from structuring the idea to the budget and a final review before submission.

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Project commercialisation

We move your development into market terms: who buys it, at what price, and which steps come first.

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Project audit

An independent check of a project already running: whether you are on schedule and on budget, and what the donor will see in the report.

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