Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, accompanied by Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence...

“Rapid advances in technology and an evolving security environment call on us to find innovative solutions to address the emerging threats of today. 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 out 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.”

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence 

“As home to several major universities and research centres, hundreds of science and technology start-ups and Canada’s Atlantic naval fleet, Halifax is well-positioned to support DIANA, as well as innovators and industry across the country. By working together, we're ensuring that NATO DIANA's presence here supports Canada's commitment to being an active NATO member and to preserve the security and peace of our country.”

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada

“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. Our region is well-positioned to support DIANA with deep military traditions, best of class technology, and some of the brightest innovators.”

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“DIANA is committed to solving the world’s most complex security, defence and resilience problems through technological innovation. 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.”

Professor Deeph Chana, Managing Director of DIANA

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

• 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.

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

• DIANA issues ‘challenges’ in specific problem areas and asks innovators to bring forward solutions. In its pilot year in 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. 

Related products

• Canadian test centres and accelerators join NATO DIANA network
• Minister Blair congratulates successful Canadian innovators in first NATO DIANA challenges
• Government of Canada proposes Halifax as North American location for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic
• Minister Blair announces defence investments in Halifax at 15th Halifax International Security Forum

Associated links

• NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic
• Defence Research and Development Canada

Simon Lafortune
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: Simon.Lafortune2@forces.gc.ca 

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca