Finland has been a member of NATO for over a year. Membership has required a change in our thinking. In addition to defending our own country, we are now a member of the Alliance. It is our duty to ensure that, in addition to reconciling NATO's needs, our NATO partners understand our specificities and needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a member of NATO, Finland has joined NATO's research and innovation initiatives. Especially important for Oulu was the decision of NATO's DIANA programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DIANA stands for Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic. DIANA implements NATO's innovation policy, which is based on new disruptive technologies. In Finland, the structure of the DIANA programme is a national business accelerator and two test centres, a 6G test centre coordinated by the University of Oulu, and another VTT test centre for space and quantum technology. In addition to Oulu and Espoo, DIANA has offices in Sodankyl\u00e4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a grand power competition, disruptive technologies are vital for maintaining a competitive advantage in the field of common defence and security. The sector must have access to the latest information on the latest technologies. This information is often found in small start-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past, many disruptive technologies were developed for defence use, from where they spread to civilian use. A famous example of innovations funded by the Defense Administration is the US ARPANET, which evolved into the Internet. Today, the situation has been partly reversed. Technology is developing rapidly and in a business-driven manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not all entrepreneurs necessarily perceive the defence industry as the sector they want to target first and foremost. The idea of the DIANA programme is to look for and find civilian applications that could also be used in the defence sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In particular, DIANA is looking for innovative solutions with a critical dual-use capability. The application can therefore be used on the civilian and military side. There's a lot of classified information in the defence industry. The objective of DIANA is, in principle, to be a programme of information in which the information is not confidential. If a civil technological application is exploitable in the defence sector, the nature of the matter will change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intellectual property rights (IPR) created in the DIANA accelerator remain with the companies. The idea is to bring different people together physically, so that different problems are better understood depending on the point of view from which the matter is viewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The entire test centre network of the DIANA programme is at the disposal of companies. The aim is for the company to understand the nature of the defence sector market. DIANA is part of NATO's activities, providing access to the markets of NATO and allied countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DIANA programme is accessible through a challenge programme for companies. The company selected for the DIANA programme will receive a six-month intensive training and mentoring package for access to the defence market. The Enterprise Development Programme supports technological development and demonstration to accelerate business activity in the defence sector. Mentoring is offered by a variety of experts from industry, finance, the research sector, end-users and government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim is to apply for participation in the business development programme with the help of an annual challenge campaign. Challenges are the themes of the program. Last year there were three challenges and this year there are five. The application form for participating in the challenge campaign is simple, which is why it is worth investing in presenting your idea clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first phase of the challenge campaign, the company receives \u20ac100,000. A reduced number of companies will be selected for the second phase, and 300,000 euros of funding will be provided. At this point in time, the issue will also be discussed with potential investors. DIANA offers a reliable network of investors, including Finnish Industry Investment TESI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year's DIANA themes were energy security, secure information sharing and observation and monitoring systems. The security threats posed by climate change and digitalisation apply equally to civilian and military applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The development of energy networks is a good example of this. Climate change and the green energy transition will affect the resilience and energy security of NATO and EU Member States\u2019 military transport infrastructure and capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Finnish business accelerator and test network will be fully operational in January 2025, when it will be fully involved in supporting the companies selected this year under the DIANA programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DIANA offers companies the opportunity to improve their business opportunities by networking in NATO's transatlantic ecosystem. It also strengthens national technological and industrial know-how and is a place to coordinate and embrace NATO's RDI philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanna Honkam\u00e4kil\u00e4 is Head of International Affairs at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hannu Nikurautio is Research Director at the University of Oulu's Wireless Communications Research Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n