NATO DIANA officially opens North American headquarters in Halifax

The first North American regional office for NATO DIANA was officially opened in Halifax, Nova Scotia, earlier this month.

On hand for the media announcement were Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, accompanied by Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, on behalf of Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, and Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, with NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Managing Director, Professor Deeph Chana.

“Establishing NATO DIANA in the Halifax Regional Municipality is a testament to our region’s extraordinary growth trajectory and capacity to support organizations across the globe,” proclaimed Min. Fraser. “Our region is well-positioned to support DIANA with deep military traditions, best-of-class technology, and some of the brightest innovators.”

Military Deputy Director for North America Announce

Minister Fraser also announced the appointment of Major-General Paul Peyton as the Military Deputy Director for North America for NATO DIANA. Major-General Peyton brings more than 35 years of experience in leadership roles to this new position – most recently as Chief of Force Development with the Canadian Armed Forces.

According to the media release, NATO DIANA was created to help develop dual-use technologies that address challenges affecting security and defence.

Best and Brightest Innovators

“Nato Diana brings together the best and brightest innovators from key sectors across the Alliance to help NATO maintain its technological edge, defend its one billion citizens, and preserve peace and security. Canada is supporting the opening and operating of this office with an initial investment of $26.6 million over six years,” added the minister.

Through NATO DIANA, innovators can access Alliance-wide resources, including grant funding, commercial advice, and other acceleration services to adapt their solutions for defence and security needs.

Min. Fraser added that the Halifax Regional Municipality provides an excellent backdrop to support DIANA moving forward. With a thriving innovation ecosystem – sustaining more than 300 entrepreneurial science and technology start-ups – it is also home to several major universities and research centres, as well as Canada’s Atlantic naval fleet.

“Rapid advances in technology and an evolving security environment call on us to find innovative solutions to address the emerging threats of today,” said Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, in the media release. “The NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic is a hub for experts to find new solutions to bolster the capabilities of Canada and our NATO Allies. We are proud to host the North American regional office in Halifax, a city with an advanced science and technology community and host to our Atlantic Navy fleet.”

DIANA North American

The DIANA North American regional office is located at the TD Centre at 1791 Barrington Street in Halifax. It will house up to 10 NATO international staff, increasing to 25 when fully staffed.

“DIANA is committed to solving the world’s most complex security, defence and resilience problems through technological innovation,” proclaimed Professor Deeph Chana, Managing Director of DIANA.

“Canada has been a key part of our success so far, and with our North American Headquarters now up and running, we look forward to further tapping into the innovation capacity across Canada, the United States, and all 32 nations in the Alliance. Together, we can build greater pathways between technologies and those who need them to make our world a safer, more resilient and more peaceful place.”

NATO DIANA is coordinated by regional offices – one in Halifax, Nova Scotia and one in London, UK, along with a regional hub in Tallinn, Estonia.

Solving Challenges

In March 2024, NATO DIANA announced the addition of 11 accelerators, two of which are Canadian, and 92 test sites, 13 of which are Canadian, to its growing network. The additional sites bring the NATO DIANA network to 20 accelerators and 180 test sites.

According to the announcement, DIANA issues ‘challenges’ in specific problem areas and asks innovators to bring forward solutions. In its pilot year, 2023, those challenges were energy resilience, undersea sensing and surveillance, and secure information sharing.

This summer, DIANA issued challenges on energy and power, security and surveillance, human health and performance, critical infrastructure and logistics, and data and information security.