Romania strengthens position in NATO’s innovation network with five new DIANA test centers

The Board of Directors of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), the NATO body tasked with identifying and fostering innovation to generate defense and security benefits, has approved a budget for next year that includes five new DIANA test centers in Romania.

The budget approval was announced by the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics – ICI Bucharest and represents an expansion of Romania’s role in the DIANA network. ICI Bucharest welcomed the decision and vowed to support the development of national research, testing, and innovation infrastructures relevant to the field of emerging and dual-use technologies.

“The approval of the proposal to include five new DIANA test centers in Romania in next year’s budget is an important achievement for our country. For ICI Bucharest, it is essential that expertise in research, technology, and cybersecurity can be connected to NATO initiatives dedicated to innovation and dual-use technologies,” said Adrian-Victor Vevera, Director General of ICI Bucharest, as quoted in the statement.

The five test centers proposed for Romania are expected to contribute to expanding DIANA’s capacity to assess, validate, and accelerate technologies with both civilian and defense applications. Their inclusion in next year’s budget represents an important step for the continuation of the administrative and operational process, the cited source stated.

During the same board meeting, the initiative for a nationally affiliated DIANA Accelerator was also advanced, which is to be hosted by the Polytechnic University of Bucharest.

DIANA is the North Atlantic Alliance’s program designed to identify and support startups and innovators developing civilian technologies with potential defense applications. This initiative connects researchers with a vast network of test centres and accelerators across member states.

(Photo source: ici.ro)