By Dr. Ann Griffiths, 11 July 2025
A few days ago, I had a very pleasant conversation with John Brannen of the new NATO office in Halifax. The Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) office is still finding its feet but is already making contacts and getting to work. The idea, as the name suggests, is to assist/encourage the development of innovative defence technology. To quote NATO, DIANA is “an organisation established by NATO to find and accelerate dual-use innovation capacity across the Alliance.” The focus will not necessarily be on traditional organizations that do defence work but on entities that are working on projects like, for example, new energy sources that could be used in defence capabilities, or cutting-edge dual-use technologies, or disruptive technologies with possible defence uses. The office – and the other DIANA offices in London, UK, and Tallinn, Estonia – receives proposals, assesses them and, once accepted, assists by introducing them to useful contacts, helping them get exposure at technology/defence/security expos, and providing some assistance in navigating government processes. To quote again, it “provides companies with the resources, networks and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges.” I had many questions. We’ll find out more soon – John was very happy to arrange an interview with me/CNR in the fall. Stay tuned.
Image: Minister Sean Fraser officially opened the North American regional office of NATO DIANA in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and announced MGen Paul Peyton as the NATO DIANA Military Deputy Director for North America on 2 October 2024. Credit: National Defence via X
