At BioSonics we are continually looking to the future. We regularly ask: How can we make underwater monitoring, research, and development more environmentally friendly and efficient? How can we make the technology smaller, faster, better and accessible to all types of industries and institutions – not just now, but for future development? It’s because of this mindset that when the opportunity came along to serve as a mentor to industry innovators through NATO DIANA, we jumped at it.

DIANA, short for The Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, is an organization established by NATO. The goal is to bring together leading researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators and other disruptors to help develop and accelerate emerging technologies, as well as to promote dual-use innovation capacity across the NATO Alliance of 32 countries.

They support more than 200 accelerator sites and test centers where universities, industry, and governments work with start-ups and other innovators to solve critical defense and security challenges – and together develop technologies to keep NATO populations safe and secure.

Competition Builds Collaboration

DIANA works by running competitive industry challenges. In the last challenge there were around 1,300 applicants with 44 chosen to compete. Each challenge is based on a specific problem and asks innovators to develop technologies to solve the problem. The solutions should be dual-technology solutions that are focused on commercial markets and uses but may also have defense and security applications.

Along with access to the accelerator sites and centers, innovators receive non-dilutive grants and gain access to a network of mentors that include scientists, engineers, industry experts, end-users and government procurement experts. That’s where BioSonics comes in.

“We were honored to be asked to be a local expert and mentor,” said Tim Acker, CEO of BioSonics. “NATO DIANA fosters invaluable connections across industries and countries, and we’re happy to offer our expertise, while also ensuring that environmental sustainability stays front and center in many of the solutions.”

Supporting Innovation

The Pacific Northwest Mission Acceleration Center (PNWMAC), the innovation arm of the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC), hosts eight companies currently in the DIANA program. Recently PNWMAC held a cohort meeting in Seattle for these awardees, which included a tour of our waterside facility, followed by a reception hosted by BioSonics for the NATO DIANA participants. In attendance were representatives from all eight awardee companies:  AquaGen, Dolphin Labs Ocean, Ping DSP, Quadsat, SeaDar, Skarv Tech, Texavie, and Zepher Flight Labs.

“This type of cross-technology collaboration not only harnesses maybe previously unexplored opportunities” said Tim, “but it’s also how real change happens.”

Learn more about NATO DIANA and the PNWMAC.