Applying to NATO DIANA is not just about presenting an innovative technology. It is about showing how your solution can respond to real defence and security needs, and how DIANA can help you accelerate towards adoption across the Alliance.
For innovators, a strong application should do three things clearly. It should explain the problem you solve, show why your solution is relevant in an operational context, and demonstrate how DIANA can help you reach your next milestone.
DIANA’s role is to help innovators translate commercial traction into defence relevance, understand operational requirements, access testing pathways and build the credibility needed to engage with end users across the Alliance.
Start with the challenge, not with the technology
The strongest applications begin with a clear understanding of the challenge.
Before writing your application, take the time to read the challenge statement carefully. Look at the capability gap, the operational context and the scenario being described. DIANA challenges are not generic innovation themes. They are designed around needs that matter to NATO, Allied nations and operational stakeholders.
Your application should show that you understand the challenge in practical terms. Avoid only describing what your technology can do in general. Instead, explain how it helps address the specific problem described in the challenge.
A useful way to frame your response is to ask yourself what changes for the end user if your solution is deployed. Does it help them move faster, make better decisions, reduce risk, protect people, save energy, detect threats or operate in more complex environments?
That is the level of clarity evaluators need.
Be specific about the operational context
When pitching to a dual use ecosystem, operational relevance matters.
Innovators should explain how their solution would work in the real world. This means showing who would use it, where it would be deployed, what constraints it would face and how it would support a mission or operational need.
A strong application does not simply say that a solution is relevant for defence. It explains why it is relevant, how it would be used and what problem it helps solve for an operational stakeholder.
For example, if your solution has already been validated in a commercial environment, explain what can transfer to a defence context. If adaptation is needed, be clear about what still needs to be tested, integrated or refined.
DIANA can help innovators frame their solutions in terms that are relevant to operational stakeholders. But the application should already show that you have thought seriously about the end user problem set.
Treat dual use as a strategy
Dual use is not just a category. It is a strategy.
Innovators should be clear about the pathway they are pursuing. Some companies have built commercial traction first and are now exploring defence relevance. Others are defence first and use operational customers to build credibility. Some are developing commercial and defence lines of business at the same time.
All three approaches can be valid. What matters is that your application tells a clear story.
Evaluators should understand where your technology is coming from, what market or mission need it already addresses and how you plan to develop it for defence and securityuse cases.
This is where DIANA can play an important role. DIANA helps innovators navigate the complexity of dual use, translate commercial traction into defence relevance and identify the steps needed to move towards adoption.
Use traction to build credibility
Commercial traction matters, even in defence.
If your solution has already been tested, purchased, deployed or adopted in a commercial market, that evidence can help build confidence with defence stakeholders. It shows that your team can deliver, that users see value in the product and that the technology has been exposed to real world conditions.
This does not mean your product needs to be fully ready for defence use. It means you should use your existing evidence wisely.
Relevant proof points may include customer use cases, pilots, revenue, field testing, partnerships, technical validation, user feedback or repeat adoption. The goal is to show that the solution works, that there is demand and that your team has the ability to scale.
For defence stakeholders, credibility is not only technical. It is also about execution, reliability and the ability to work with demanding end users.
Explain the milestone DIANA can help you reach
A strong application should be clear about why DIANA is the right programme for you now.
DIANA is not only a source of acceleration support. It helps innovators reach the next milestone on the path to operational relevance and adoption.
That milestone may involve placing the solution into an operational environment, understanding security standards, accessing test centres, integrating into a platform, refining the use case with end users or validating the solution in exercises.
The more specific you are, the stronger your application will be.
Rather than saying that DIANA will help with visibility or networking, explain what kind of validation, testing, feedback or adoption pathway would make the biggest difference for your technology.
DIANA’s value is in helping innovators get the stamp of validation that makes a solution more credible and relevant for end users across the Alliance.
Show that you understand adoption
For DIANA, the objective is not innovation for its own sake. The goal is to help promising dual use technologies move closer to adoption.
Your application should therefore show that you understand what the path to adoption could involve for your solution. This includes the type of end user it could support, the environment in which it could operate, the requirements it may need to meet and the barriers that may need to be addressed before an Allied stakeholder can trust, test or deploy it.
You do not need to have every answer at application stage. But you should show that you understand the journey from technology to operational use.
This is especially important for innovators coming from commercial markets. Defence and security adoption can involve specific constraints, including security standards, integration requirements, procurement pathways, testing environments and user trust.
A strong application recognises these realities and explains how DIANA can help address them.
Submit a clear and focused application
Evaluators need to understand your solution quickly.
Be concise, but not vague. Avoid broad claims and focus on concrete evidence. Use plain language. Explain the problem, the user, the context, the technology, the traction and the next milestone.
Your application should make the relevance of your solution easy to see.
Before submitting, check whether your application answers these questions clearly:
- What challenge are we responding to?
- What specific problem does our solution solve?
- Who is the end user or operational stakeholder?
- How would the solution work in an operational context?
- What evidence shows that the technology is credible?
- What is our dual use strategy?
- What milestone can DIANA help us reach?
- How could this solution move closer to adoption across the Alliance?
- What is the development roadmap to mature the product from its current maturity to adoption readiness?
- What is the current commercial maturity of the company?
Submitting early also matters. It gives your team time to review the application, refine the narrative and make sure the operational relevance is clear.
Final advice for innovators
DIANA is looking for innovators who can connect technology to mission needs.
The best applications are not necessarily the longest or the most technical. They are the ones that clearly explain why the solution matters, how it could support defence and security users, and what DIANA can help unlock.
Read the challenge carefully. Engage with the scenario. Show that you understand the operational problem. Use evidence to build credibility. Explain the next milestone on your path to adoption.
DIANA is here to help innovators translate potential into operational relevance, and to support technologies that can make a real difference for the Alliance.