The UK Accelerator welcomes eight companies into the 2026 NATO DIANA Programme
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-11)

A new cohort of innovative companies specialising in Contested Electromagnetic Environments is joining the UK Accelerator 2026 NATO DIANA Programme.

Janus Allies consortium (Janus), in partnership with the Defence and Security Accelerator, part of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI-DASA), welcomes a new cohort of innovative companies into the 2026 NATO DIANA Programme.

This year NATO DIANA received a record-breaking 3,680 submissions across all NATO member states for this year’s call. The 2026 NATO DIANA cohort has 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 eight companies joining the Janus UK Accelerator Programme are:
- LSMedical from Estonia
- Slipstream Design from the United Kingdom
- FOSSA Systems from Spain
- Tern AI Inc. from the United States of America
- Testnor AS from Norway
- Oledcomm from France
- SDQ Solutions Canada from Canada
- CX2 Inc. from the United States of America
Tanya Suarez, Founder and CEO of IoT Tribe, lead of Janus consortium welcomes the new Janus cohort:

As we enter our second year delivering the NATO DIANA programme with UKDI-DASA, we’re building on the momentum to strengthen the UK’s role in NATO priorities in line with the Strategic Defence Review. More contact with the end-user and better interoperability for adoption at pace. We are welcoming a new cohort with technologies that address the contested electromagnetic environments that can deny, degrade and disrupt operations. They are absolutely critical to maintaining operational advantage for the UK and NATO allies. These innovators shape capabilities that matter, and our goal remains clear: ensure the UK leads in defence innovation, while reinforcing allied technological sovereignty.

Anita Friend, Head of UKDI-DASA said:

We are delighted to welcome another cohort of innovators to the UK Accelerator, and are excited to see how their innovative technologies could help shape the future of defence. The UKDI-DASA partnership with NATO DIANA and the delivery of the UK Accelerator programme, is key to unlocking the potential of dual-use technologies to solve critical defence challenges and create solutions that strengthen security across the Alliance and we look forward to supporting these innovators in their innovation journey.

Over the next six months, the innovators will work closely with the Janus Allies team and partners to support the scaling of their solutions and accelerate adoption across the Alliance. The Janus programme offers a mix of in-person and virtual training: workshops, lectures, mentorship, and guidance aimed to support their dual-use strategies.

By working with experts from defence innovation ecosystems in the UK and the wider NATO alliance, the 2026 cohort will be prepared for defence procurement while broadening their commercial opportunities. The strongest dual-use ventures learn to align mission and margin, and the London site is set up to help them do exactly that.

More about the NATO DIANA 2026 Innovators:

All the companies selected to start in January 2026, will receive contractual funding and gain access to DIANA’s expanding network of 16 accelerator sites and more than 200 test centres across the 32 NATO nations. They will be working on solutions across 10 areas drawn from key priorities identified by Allies.

They are:
- Energy and Power
- Advanced Communication Technologies
- Contested Electromagnetic Environments
- Human Resilience and Biotechnologies
- Critical Infrastructure and Logistics
- Operations in Extreme Environments
- Maritime Operations
- Resilient Space Operations
- Autonomy and Unmanned Systems
- Data Assisted Decision Making
Information about the companies can be found at 2026 Cohort of Companies (https://www.diana.nato.int/about-diana/2026-cohort-of-companies.html). For further information, please contact xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

About NATO DIANA

NATO DIANA finds and accelerates cutting-edge technologies to deliver battle-winning defence and security solutions for the Alliance, while fostering deep-tech innovation. As a cornerstone of NATO’s innovation and technology strategy, DIANA brings together world-class talent and the latest advancements to maintain the Alliance’s technological edge. Leveraging a network of leading accelerator sites, test centres, expert mentors, and Allied expertise across 32 nations, DIANA empowers innovators working at the intersection of defence readiness, commercial potential, and technological breakthroughs.

About Janus

Named after the Roman god of duality to reflect its approach to support dual-use applications, the Janus consortium is a four-partner, delivery-ready consortium with skills and expertise across business support and growth, science and technology, defence and security and deeptech investment.

Led by the Defence and Security Accelerator, part of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI-DASA), Janus is a consortium in partnership with IoT Tribe, a specialist deeptech accelerator ecosystem; Atmos Ventures, a trans-Atlantic deeptech and defence investor; and the SETsquared Partnership, a dynamic collaboration between six leading research-led UK universities.

Janus aims to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of NATO’s defence industrial base and expand the range of innovative capabilities available for acquisition and deployment by civilian, defence and security customers in the UK and internationally by strengthening the pipeline of talent and new, innovative companies operating in the defence and security markets