NATO DIANA Accelerator Brainport Eindhoven, The Netherlands
The Netherlands is ready to launch its DIANA accelerator. The Dutch ministry of Defense and the ministry of Economic affairs and Climate have partnered with Brainport Development, Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and the Province of North-Brabant to strengthen the innovative capacities and expertise of dual-use technologies. The consortium partners collaborate in Brainport Innovation and Technology for Security (BITS) (i.f.) to connect and mobilize public-private partnerships for groundbreaking results in the application of dual use technology.
Brainport Eindhoven Accelerator Site
The Netherlands has one of the most competitive economies in the world. The Brainport ecosystem is the economic engine of the development of deep tech and key enabling technologies. With over 34,000 people engaged in R&D activities, the region can provide the required brainpower thanks to its bright people and numerous research and educational institutes. This leads to a unique and globally recognized knowledge position in the field of multiple key enabling technologies.
While the Brainport Ecosystem used to be associated with the consumer products of Philips, today it involves companies like ASML, DAF, NXP, VDL, Signify, and Prodrive Technologies, all of which develop advanced technical products and systems for business-to-business industrial markets, characterized by high complexity and low volumes. In order to enlarge the number of successful startups all regional partners have joined forces with extensive connections to the national ecosystem.
Accelerator Operator for DIANA startups
The consortium partners of BITS (i.f.) have agreed on mobilizing the expertise and infrastructure available for the DIANA accelerator programme. With the partners in the startup ecosystem everything is in place to develop and execute excellent dual use startup support. The Gate, incubator in the Brainport ecosystem, functions as a hub for these services and acts as Accelerator Operator for DIANA startups and offers access to the relevant sites, shared facilities (ranging from housing, prototyping, cleanrooms to simulation among others) and a wide and open innovation network available in Brainport. In fact The Gate as thé portal for the whole regional ecosystem, can act as accelerator site where startups can tap into world class facilities and networks that fit their technological and business needs and ambitions.
The Gate is the go-to partner for deep tech start-ups in the Brainport Ecosystem and will additionally act as the go-to partner for the DIANA accelerator programme. Its mission is to create societal impact by guiding deep tech start-ups to success. To do so, it provides development support and access to and collaboration with key partners across the Brainport ecosystem. The Gate serves as an information and advice platform and is accessible both physically and digitally. A dedicated team and network of partners is there to help start-ups with advice on, among other things, intellectual property, financing, housing or training through various programs. Operating as a DIANA accelerator site would further strengthen the ability to create impact by supporting deep tech talent.
Deep tech companies in the ecosystem combine multiple technologies for new solutions in, for example, healthcare, energy storage, mobility, robotics, agriculture, and safety & security. In these application areas, deeptech products and systems create well-protected innovations with, for instance, new synthetic materials, artificial intelligence, embedded software, mechatronics, electronics, photonics, and precision engineering. This means that Brainport Eindhoven is in an excellent position to contribute to the strategic ambitions of NATO to strengthen its strategic position in the development of deep technologies.
The DIANA accelerator in Brainport will start on the 13th of January 2025.
For detailed information about the DIANA programme in Brainport download the brochure. If you want to know more about the NATO DIANA programme itself, visit the NATO website.
Download the Brainport BITS DIANA brochure
