The Government of Canada announced Halifax as the proposed location to host the North American Regional Office for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) initiative
Today, November 18, at His Majesty’s Canadian Dockyard Halifax, the Honourable Anita Anand, Canada’s Minister of National Defence announced that Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is the proposed location to host the North American Regional Office for the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).
DIANA is a NATO initiative that will see transatlantic cooperation on critical technologies and help NATO work more closely with industry and academia. It will work directly with leading entrepreneurs, from early-stage start-ups to more mature companies, to solve critical problems in defence and security through deep technologies, including artificial intelligence, big-data processing, quantum-enabled technologies, autonomy, biotechnology, novel materials and space.
The following is a statement from Melanie Nadeau, CEO of COVE, on today’s announcement:
“Thank you to Minister Anand and NATO for seeing the alignment of what is taking place in Halifax and the priorities of DIANA. Locating the North American regional office for DIANA in Halifax is a natural fit that will benefit NATO Allies and the advancement of innovation within Canada.
It is exciting that Halifax was chosen as the proposed location for DIANA’s North American regional office.
The Halifax region is home to Canadian Armed Forces, private, public, and post-secondary organizations driving research, development, and commercialization. At COVE, we are central to the innovation ecosystem and are home to and supporting leading Canadian and global innovators who operate in the water, on land, in the air, and via satellite—including global defence companies, universities, and R&D organizations.
Halifax has everything innovators and operational end users need to foster a transatlantic ecosystem supporting dual-use ground-breaking innovation in deep technologies.
We look forward to assisting and working with NATO and National Defence personnel on the next steps to establish the regional office. COVE is ready to be a part of the initiative and sharpen the Alliance’s technological edge.”