In November, the Swedish Armed Forces proposed candidates for test centers for NATO's Diana program. In addition to the business incubator LEAD, four test centers were recommended: MAX IV, Marine Technology Center of Sweden, RISE, as well as a joint application from the Swedish Space Corporation, the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, and Luleå University of Technology.
This year's call includes five thematic areas:
Critical Infrastructure and Logistics
Data and Information Security
Energy and Power
Human Health and Performance
Sensing and Surveillance
Diana has described the process on its website:
To participate in the program, proposals must be submitted by August 9. A competitive selection process will then be conducted to choose the best proposals. This is Step 1 – Invitation to Submit Proposals.
If your proposal is selected, you will participate in an online meeting with DIANA and receive funding of 100,000 euros. During this step, called Step 2 – Bootcamp, you will have the opportunity to further develop and refine your idea.
At the end of Phase 1: Bootcamp, another competitive selection process will be conducted, and a number of innovators will be chosen to proceed to Step 3 – Down-selection.
During Step 4 – Growth and Phase 2: Grow, the scaling of the project begins. Additional funding of up to 300,000 euros may be obtained to demonstrate the technical solution, develop strategies, and collaborate with investors and end-users to identify paths to application over a six-month period.