CFPs: DIANA Challenge Programme 2024

NATO operates in a world marked by systemic, global risks and challenges, including pandemics, climate change, resource scarcity, cyber security, nuclear threats, and the potential misuse of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology. Such risks threaten NATO’s core objectives of collective defence for the preservation of peace and security. Together with its partner organisation, the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), DIANA is creating and strengthening effective and responsive pan-NATO ecosystem from which advanced solutions will emerge. As global security challenges are rapidly evolving, complex, interconnected and increasingly interdependent, this ecosystem must be flexible, resilient, scalable and sustainable, adopting a risk-based approach to support the development of technology solutions across a broad set of problems. Throughout the fulfillment of its objectives, DIANA will be guided by principles of responsible technology development and innovation, striving for solutions that are effective, ethical and accountable.

For its 2024 call, DIANA will seek solutions in a Challenge Programme comprising five Challenge Statements that address key focus areas from the Strategic Direction; these challenge statements are further refined by three cross-cutting themes.

Themes

• Three cross-cutting themes are designed to encourage innovators to consider the interconnection of applications and technologies across different domains.
  • Space: The environment of space represents a vast and largely unexplored frontier with immense potential for scientific discovery and technological innovation. It encompasses a wide range of technical challenges, from space exploration and astronomy to satellite technology and spacebased communication systems and sensing. Cutting across the challenges, space-based technologies involve, or are implicated in, topics that span climate change, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing.
  • Resilience: This theme emphasises the need for solutions and technologies that can withstand and quickly recover from disruptions or threats. With this theme, DIANA seeks resilient energy systems, secure and robust data infrastructures, rugged sensing and surveillance systems, adaptable human health and performance systems, and strong critical infrastructures that can withstand various operational environments and challenges.
  • Sustainability: DIANA seeks to emphasise the importance of developing and implementing environmentally friendly, energy-efficient technologies and practices that ensure long-term viability. A key part of responsible innovation, this objective is designed to encourage solutions that meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Challenges

• Energy & Power Challenge: The domain of energy generation and provision faces significant challenges, including increasing demand, aging infrastructure, environmental impact, systemic resilience issues, and cyber-physical security threats.
  • Exemplar Descriptive Attributes: The aim of the Energy & Power Challenge is to develop innovative solutions that may:
    • Enhance the resilience of power generation systems, enabling them to withstand various threats and adapt to changing conditions.
    • Improve the efficiency and reliability of energy storage systems, ensuring a steady supply of energy even during peak demand periods or power outages.
  • Potential Enabling Technologies and Technical Approaches: May include, but are not limited to the following:
    • Renewable Energy Technologies: harnessing power from renewable and ambient sources such as solar, wind, hydro, kinetic and geothermal.
    • Synthetic Fuels and Biofuels: can be used as alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, providing potential practical solutions and reducing dependency on oil.
• Data And Information Security Challenge: In the interconnected world, reliable data and information is society’s backbone. The secure and trustworthy generation, exchange, computation, and verification of data and information are vital for both societal resilience as well as Allied defence and security.
  • Exemplar Descriptive Attributes: The Data & Information Security Challenge seeks to develop innovative solutions for secure generation, transmission, storage and exploitation of information as well as support for rapid integration of heterogenous systems that may:
    • Enhance the security and trustworthiness of data generation, exchange, and computation across disparate devices and systems in multi-domain environments.
    • Develop advanced low-power encryption methods, such as homomorphic systems, that ensure data security while maintaining computational efficiency.
  • Potential Enabling Technologies and Technical Approaches: May include, but are not limited to the following:
    • Quantum and Post-Quantum Cryptography: secure data and prevent it from being intercepted or altered, and advance new algorithms against potential attacks from quantum computers.
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): examples include predictive analytics, anomaly detection, privacy protection, intelligent authentication, AI-driven encryptions, etc.
• Sensing And Surveillance: The Alliance operates in an environment in which sensing technologies are pervasive, ranging from Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices to space-based Earth observations and cellular biomarker detection.
  • Exemplar Descriptive Attributes: The aim of the Sensing and Surveillance Challenge is to develop innovative (hardware, software, algorithms) solutions that may:
    • Enhance the capabilities of multi-modal sensing technologies, improving their accuracy, range, and reliability in various dynamic complex operating conditions.
    • Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of interconnected interoperable multiple sensor systems, enabling them to monitor large complex areas with greater detail and accuracy.
  • Potential Enabling Technologies and Technical Approaches: May include, but are not limited to the following:
    • Quantum Materials: can be used to develop high sensitivity and precision sensors for detection, navigation, communications.
    • Novel Materials for Sensing: examples include smart materials, nanomaterials, biodegradable materials, photonic crystals, graphene, etc.
• Human Health & Performance: Human health and performance is a multifaceted issue that intersects human health, wellbeing, performance, and recovery, covering both physical and psychological aspects. This challenge seeks to stimulate innovative dual-use solutions that enhance theri understanding and monitoring of human health and performance in extreme and complex environments such as military operations, disaster relief, sports and athletics, and space exploration.
  • Exemplar Descriptive Attributes: The aim of the Human Health & Performance Challenge is to develop innovative solutions that may:
    • Integrate of advancements in neuroscience, material science, AI, autonomy and other relevant fields.
    • Provide real-time monitoring and prediction of physical and psychological stress load (i.e., stress load analysis).
  • Potential Enabling Technologies and Technical Approaches: May include, but are not limited to the following:
    • Next-Gen Wearable Technologies: examples include lightweight, non-intrusive, ultra-low power, high accuracy physiological detectors and sensors; flexible materials with embedded electronic; wearable biosensors, self-powered or body-power generated devices; and wearables that synchronise across users in complex environments.
    • Personalised Healthcare: examples include additively manufactured prosthetics and other equipment, pharmaceutical or vaccine modelling, digital twins, regulated health applications, and tele-medicine.
• Critical Infrastructure & Logistics: The interconnection between critical infrastructure and supply chains presents a complex challenge due to their mutual vulnerabilities and risks.
  • Exemplar Description Attributes: The aim of the Critical Infrastructure & Logistics Challenge is to develop innovative solutions that may:
    • Operate in various environments, including remote or disaster-hit regions, maritime, underwater, land, and space.
    • Prioritise technologies that can integrate rapidly into existing systems (e.g., IT system) for ease of adoption.
  • Potential Enabling Technologies and Technical Approaches: May include, but are not limited to the following:
    • IoT Technologies: connecting multiple devices and sensors to provide real-time monitoring and control and to aid predictive maintenance, automating re-supply, enable interoperability and communication between different organisations, and applications to provide early warnings to the emergency services or other relevant stakeholders.
    • Component Integration: examples include effective integration of sensors into existing infrastructure and cyber-physical components and components for complex infrastructure inspection.

Funding Information

• The funding of EUR 100,000 provided to the selected companies is payment towards their participation in the DIANA Accelerator Programme enabling them to continue iteration of their proposed solution through an ongoing transparent and competitive process, covering the first six months.
• Following a competitive down-selection, participants may receive up to EUR 300,000 for an additional six months. The base currency is Euros. DIANA can accommodate payments in any NATO national currency but any foreign exchange risk remains with the participants. Funding may also be obtained to support testing activities.
• The funding is for the company, not an individual, and is paid in full prior to the start of the DIANA Accelerator Programme.
• While companies participating in the challenge programmes are not exempt from regular taxation, the DIANA funding is tax-exempt.
• Innovators are generally responsible for their own travel arrangements.

Eligibility Criteria

• Basic eligibility criteria include:
  • Company details: Companies are required to provide identifying information such as  legal name, place of registration and DUNS number.
  • Company size or type: DIANA will accept proposals from all companies meeting the basic eligibility criteria. However early-stage start-ups or small and medium-sized enterprises with limited experience in defence and security will benefit most from the unique DIANA Accelerator Programme.
  • Universities and non-profit groups: Universities and non-profit groups are not eligible to apply, although they foresee opportunities in future years.
  • Technologyor product maturity: DIANA seeks technology solutions at maturity levels of TRL 4 and above. However, lower TRL solutions with potential disruptive impact will be considered.

For more information, visit DIANA.