The NATO
Innovation Landscape

The NATO ACT Innovation, part of Allied Command Transformation, drives innovation across the Alliance and supports our headquarters’ leading role in Alliance Innovation. As the leading agent in open military innovation, we:

• Support military innovation entities in their development
• contribute to the development and implementation of Emerging Disruptive Technologies
• Actively maintain the NATO Innovation Network
• Offer innovative solutions to military capability development

Allied Command Transformation is NATO’s Strategic Warfare Development Command. Its mission is to help preserve the peace, security, and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading the strategic development of military structures, forces, capabilities, and doctrines.

From its inception in 2003, Allied Command Transformation has demonstrated the importance of transformation and development as continuous drivers for change – change that will ensure the relevance of the Alliance in a rapidly evolving and complex global security environment.

DIANA is the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, an organisation established by NATO to find and accelerate dual-use innovation capacity across the Alliance.

DIANA leverages its Accelerator Programme and test centre network to bring start-ups together with operational end users, scientists, and systems integrators to advance compelling deep-tech solutions with dual-use applications for the Alliance. DIANA provides companies with the resources, networks, and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges, from operating in denied environments to tackling threats to our collective resilience.

The Science & Technology Organization (STO)​ is a NATO subsidiary body created to meet the collective Science and Technology needs of the NATO Alliance and its partner nations. They do this by generating, sharing, and disseminating scientific knowledge, technological developments, and innovations resulting from their many activities within the Collaborative Programme of Work (CPoW).​​​​​

The STO conducts leading-edge Science & Technology programmes​ in order to help maintain the Alliance’s military advantage.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) brings together, in a single organization, acquisition, logistics, medical, and infrastructure capabilities; operational and systems support; and services for NATO nations, NATO Military Authorities, and partner nations.

As NATO’s primary enabler, its mission is to provide effective and cost-efficient multinational solutions to the Alliance, its 32 Nations, and Partners. NSPA is a customer-funded agency, operating on a “no profit – no loss” basis.

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is NATO’s technology and cyber hub. They help the Alliance communicate and work together to fulfill NATO’s mission of preserving peace and security for one billion citizens.

NCIA was established on 1 July 2012 through the merger of several NATO entities and has a 65-year legacy of supporting NATO operations, missions, and exercises. The NCIA is on the front lines against cyber threats, protecting NATO’s networks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to prevent debilitating attacks. We provide expertise and services that are critical to NATO’s ability to fulfill its core tasks of consultation, collective defence, and crisis management.

The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) is a standalone venture capital fund backed by 24 NATO allies, deploying € 1+ billion in deep-tech investments.

The NIF invests in cutting-edge science and technology, supporting ambitious founders to secure the future for the alliance’s one billion citizens – whether by protecting infrastructure from subsea to space, enabling the climate and energy transition, or ensuring resilient supply chains across all sectors.