UK Accelerator welcomes eight companies into DIANA programme

Land December 15, 2025

Oracle, who just saw their future predicted earnings triple to $455 billion last week, have announced new AI innovations as part of a commitment to delivering $5 billion in UK investment over the next five years

A new cohort of eight technology companies has been selected to join the UK Accelerator for the 2026 NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) programme.

The companies, which specialise in developing solutions for Contested Electromagnetic Environments, were chosen following a highly competitive process that saw a record 3,680 applications from across the Alliance. The successful firms represent the top four per cent of applicants.

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), part of UK Defence Innovation, is partnering with the Janus Allies consortium to deliver the programme. The selected companies are LSMedical from Estonia, Slipstream Design from the United Kingdom, FOSSA Systems from Spain, Tern AI Inc. and CX2 Inc. from the United States, Testnor AS from Norway, Oledcomm from France, and SDQ Solutions Canada. These innovators are developing technologies critical to maintaining an operational advantage for UK and NATO forces in environments where electromagnetic spectrum access is denied, degraded, or disrupted.

Over the next six months, commencing in January 2026, the cohort will undertake an intensive accelerator programme designed to support the scaling of their dual-use technologies and prepare them for defence procurement processes. The programme includes a combination of in-person and virtual training, workshops, and mentorship from experts within the UK and wider NATO defence innovation ecosystems. Each company will receive contractual funding and gain access to DIANA’s network of 16 accelerator sites and more than 200 test centres across the 32 NATO member nations.

Anita Friend, Head of UKDI-DASA, stated that the partnership is key to unlocking the potential of dual-use technologies to solve critical defence challenges and strengthen security across the Alliance. Tanya Suarez, CEO of IoT Tribe and lead of the Janus consortium, emphasised that the programme aims to ensure the UK leads in defence innovation while reinforcing allied technological sovereignty. This initiative aligns with the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, focusing on improving contact with end-users and achieving interoperability for rapid technology adoption. The programme addresses one of ten key priority areas identified by NATO Allies, which also include resilient space operations, advanced communication technologies, and data-assisted decision making.

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