NATO DIANA UK Accelerator showcases emerging Defence technologies

NATO DIANA UK Acceleratorshowcases emerging Defence technologies Official press release 9 July 2026 Eight dual-use innovators on the NATO DIANA 2026 programme demonstrated cutting-edge capabilities to defence leaders, industry and investors at the UK Demo Day, hosted at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. LONDON, 9 JULY 2026 – Janus Allies (Janus), the UK Accelerator for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), and appointed Delivery Partner on behalf of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), showcased the NATO DIANA 2026 UK cohort’s technologies to strengthen Allied capability in contested electromagnetic environments. Over six months, these companies have worked alongside end users, defence and commercial mentors and delivery partners to refine their technologies against UK and Allied operational priorities. The UK Demo Day brought together senior representatives from the UK ecosystem to engage directly with these companies and explore pathways towards adoption. Strategic context: innovation, adoption and capability The UK Demo Day featured keynote contributions from senior leaders across the defence and innovation community, highlighting the importance of accelerating the development and adoption of relevant technologies. Major General Peter Rowell MBE, Chief Executive and Commandant of the Defence Academy of the UK, emphasised the importance of leadership, collaboration and integration across government, industry and academia in driving effective adoption of innovation. “Conflict is evolving at pace, and our adversaries are already adapting and fielding capability in real time. The challenge for the UK and the NATO Alliance is not a shortage of innovation, but our ability to turn ideas into action. That is fundamentally a leadership challenge. Advantage will depend on leaders who can make decisions at speed, build trust across nations and sectors, and integrate new capabilities under pressure. Initiatives like DIANA are absolutely vital – but it is trust, and the strength of our relationships, that will ultimately determine how quickly we move from innovation to operational effect.” Ryan Benitez, Chief Commercial Officer, NATO DIANA, outlined the role of DIANA in supporting collaboration across the Alliance to accelerate the development and adoption of dual-use technologies through the Rapid Adoption Service (RAS).  “Technology moves at pace, but defence adoption has, historically, taken years. NATO DIANA exists to close that gap. We have a proven ability to meet procurement standards through a highly competitive selection process, and many innovators have secured their first contract as a direct result of this programme. NATO DIANA was purpose-built to accelerate the deployment of promising technologies, and we are now seeing tangible results from this mission.” Focus of the NATO DIANA 2026 UK cohort: contested electromagnetic environments The modern battlefield has extended into the invisible domain of the electromagnetic spectrum – where signals, satellite links and communications underpin every modern defence capability. This contested environment now determines operational success, with adversaries actively disrupting and exploiting it.  Tanya Suarez, Founder and CEO of IoT Tribe and Lead Partner of the Janus Allies consortium, said:  “Securing the NATO Alliance against emerging threats, including within Contested Electromagnetic Environments, is not about one company gaining a contract or investor backing; it’s about creating a network of technology leaders that are constantly iterating and adapting to address new challenges. All the companies that completed Phase 1 of the NATO DIANA programme this month are contributing to this mission, and with the right strategic backing from UK and NATO defence stakeholders, their ultimate impact will be felt at the very forefront of our collective security.” At Demo Day, the cohort showcased, presented and demonstrated technologies spanning electronic warfare, resilient communications and advanced positioning – each developed against real operational requirements: AMA Defence (Estonia) – Advanced protective nanocoatings designed to enhance durability and survivability of autonomous systems in harsh environments. CX2 (United States) – An airborne electronic warfare platform with RF‑sensing drone and seeker payload, enabling live detection and tracking of signal emitters. FOSSA Systems (Spain) – Nanosatellite-enabled, low‑power communications through a live satellite link transmitting field data with near real‑time verification. OLEDCOMM (France) – LiFi-based connectivity enabling secure, low‑observable drone‑to‑vehicle communications without RF emissions. SDQ Solutions Canada (Canada) – Real‑time RF threat detection and quantum‑resistant GNSS anti‑spoofing, identifying and responding to jamming and spoofing scenarios. Slipstream Design (United Kingdom) – Wideband, multimodal radar processing with live adaptive RF control and digital beamforming. Tern AI (United States) – Live trial of its alternative positioning system, delivering reliable navigation without GPS in contested environments. Testnor (Norway) – GNSS ‑denied testing environments, enabling validation of systems in realistic degraded and harsh operational conditions. Strengthening UK capability and Allied collaboration Alongside the UK cohort, the UK Demo Day featured a further 21 UK-based companies participating in the NATO DIANA 2026 programme across challenge call themes including advanced communications, autonomy, data analysis, critical infrastructure, energy systems, human resilience, and space operations – reflecting the breadth of the UK’s contribution to Allied innovation. The event brought together innovators, defence stakeholders, and potential partners to move beyond awareness and into action – underpinned by NATO DIANA’s RAS, which provides a clear pathway to evaluate and transition technologies into operational use without the procurement barriers that have historically slowed adoption. Following completion of Phase 1, selected companies will have the opportunity to continue their development through the next stage of the NATO DIANA programme. This phase will focus on further technical development, experimentation and engagement with end users to explore potential pathways toward future capability integration.  James Gavin, Deputy Director of UK Defence Innovation remarked: “Two decades of experience in the defence and security industry have taught me that the majority of the technologies that will define the next decade of defence are already out there- in a lab, a startup, a university. The work that remains is creating an environment where innovators can turn a promising technology into something a soldier, sailor or aviator can actually rely on. This is the progress that the NATO DIANA programme advances. The six-month journey of iteration and end-user engagement these eight innovators have undertaken- with a remarkable willingness to be challenged and adapt- is exactly what we need in order

NATO DIANA debuts second dual-use cohort to UK ecosystem at London launch event

NATO DIANA debuts second dual-use cohort to UK ecosystem at London launch event Official press release 5 February 2026 Eight innovators commence mission to bolster NATO’s resilience in Contested Electromagnetic Environments LONDON (5 February 2026): Janus Allies (Janus), the UK Accelerator for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and chosen Delivery Partner for UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), has welcomed a new cohort of innovators. In 2025 NATO DIANA received a record-breaking 3,680 submissions, this latest NATO DIANA cohort emerged from a highly selective process, placing them in roughly the top 4% of applicants and among the most competitive dual-use innovators in the Alliance.  The launch event for the 2026 NATO DIANA Cohort was hosted at the Churchill War Rooms, highlighting the link between historic resilience and today’s defence innovation realities.  At the event, Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Wooddisse, KCB, CBE, MC, Commander of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), spoke about the innovation and adaptation needed for the warfighter. The evening then continued with remarks on building global advantage through collaboration, exports, and innovation, before concluding with John Cunningham, Director of Defence Innovation at the Ministry of Defence, on accelerating capabilities to the front lines. “Throughout my time in the Royal Air Force, I was a direct beneficiary of some of the UK’s most cutting-edge technologies, witnessing first-hand the transformative power of collaboration between technologists, academics, defence industry personnel and policymakers. The purpose of UK Defence Innovation is to place innovative solutions into the hands of the warfighter at speed and the pace at which innovation must be developed and deployed into capability is only accelerating. The opportunity for rapid improvement lies in strategically exploiting commercial technologies through a unified public-private sector approach. The NATO DIANA challenge, UKDI and UK Accelerator embody this shift, adopting a ‘fail fast’ startup mentality to test emerging capabilities at pace. The NATO DIANA programme has already generated incredible successes within the dual-use defence sector, sending a clear message of innovation, strength and agility.” John Cunningham, Director of UK Defence Innovation within the Ministry of Defence This year, Janus, the UK Accelerator is uniquely focused on solutions for Contested Electromagnetic Environments, one of the ten priority areas defined by NATO DIANA. The electromagnetic spectrum serves as an invisible frontline for adversaries to disrupt communication channels and mask emerging threats, and, in turn, represents an all-important battle for information control.  Commencing a six-month programme to rapidly integrate their technologies into the UK dual-use sector, and with talent from seven different nations across the NATO alliance, the innovators are:   Slipstream Design, United Kingdom – SME delivering secure, reconfigurable digital-RF sensing and communications for contested electromagnetic environments. CX2 Inc., United States of America– delivering spectrum dominance to the battlefield by providing AI-enabled hardware and software that characterises, disrupts and defends the electromagnetic domain in contested environments.  FOSSA Systems, Spain– delivering sovereign, multi-mission LEO satellite constellations that combine secure low-power SatCom (IoT/D2D) with space-based signals intelligence (SIGINT).  LSMedical, Estonia– a deep-tech materials science company founded to solve one of the most critical strategic vulnerabilities facing NATO and its allies: the dependence on rare earth permanent magnets.  Oledcomm, France– a deep-tech pioneer and a global leader in optical wireless communications, specialising in Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) technology.  SDQ Solutions Canada– future-proofing the next generation of global navigation: Quantum-Resistant Anti-Spoofing Solution for Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing.  Tern AI Inc, USA – Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS™) provides assured, live vehicle positioning in contested and degraded environments operating without GNSS, satellites, signals, infrastructure or spectrum. Testnor AS, Norway– developing a modular, dual-use platform designed to validate advanced technologies in GNSS-denied, electromagnetically contested, and extreme conditions.  “Overcoming modern adversaries demands the right technological capabilities being deployed by the right people at the right time. By aligning mission with margin, the NATO DIANA accelerator ensures that startups don’t just innovate, but scale to help us gain a competitive advantage. The programme created by NATO DIANA supports the Government’s Strategic Defence Review, with a focus on accelerating innovation, enabling faster access than traditional procurement strategies and strengthening industrial defence capabilities. At Janus, we are committed to bridging the gap between innovation and deployment, ensuring that technologies are battlefield-ready to protect our allies.” Tanya Suarez, CEO of IoT Tribe and lead of the Janus accelerator NATO DIANA has been running accelerators across Allied nations for three years, with the UK Accelerator, delivered by Janus on behalf of UDKI, launching two years ago. The fist cohort, launched in 2025, is already making headlines across the ecosystem:   Slovakia-founded RV Magnetics, which specialises in developing and manufacturing the world’s smallest passive sensors. A year on from joining the UK Accelerator, RV Magnetics has now successfully tested its flagship ‘Microwire’ technology at the National Physics Laboratory and has already secured strategic defence contracts.  AI Verse has secured €5 million in new fundingto scale its synthetic data platform for high‑performance computer vision. The round was led by Supernova Invest, with participation from CAIT, Amundi AAI4, Creazur and returning investors Innovacom and Bpifrance Digital Venture.  “This milestone is a strong signal of confidence in our technology and our team. It also builds on the momentum we’ve gained through programmes like NATO DIANA, which have helped accelerate our growth and refine our approach to defence partners. Grateful to all our investors and collaborators for believing in what we’re building.” AI Verse’s Vice President of Sales, Ilya Ostrovsky The 2026 cohort will follow the same path of real‑life deployment, testing exercises and supply‑chain integration to accelerate technology adoption across the dual‑use ecosystem and, ultimately, across NATO. In this way, the UK Accelerator delivered by Janus, on behalf of NATO DIANA and in collaboration with UKDI, is helping to support NATO’s innovation and technology strategy and the UK’s defence innovation goals. “We have a collective responsibility to strengthen our Armed Forces, defend our nations, and protect our people – that is our purpose. At NATO DIANA, we exist to turn innovation into impact, connecting government, industry and cutting-edge innovators to deliver the capabilities our warfighters need to protect themselves and others. When these partnerships