NATO · NATO
NATO's dual-use accelerator runs annual challenge-based calls and puts selected companies through a six-month programme with non-dilutive funding, mentoring and access to a network of more than 200 test centres across Europe and North America. The 2027-cohort call (closed July 2026) covered six challenge areas: human survivability, multidomain autonomy of uncrewed systems, multidomain sensing and data processing for ISR, operational resilience in contested environments, responsive logistics, and scalable air-defence countermeasures. Since 2026 DIANA also operates the Rapid Adoption Service, awarding R&D and prototype contracts to innovators on behalf of individual Allies; the first such contract was signed in April 2026.
The fastest single door into NATO for a dual-use startup: non-dilutive cash, military end-users, test infrastructure, and since 2026 a direct contracting path to Allied ministries via the Rapid Adoption Service.
24 NATO Allies (standalone venture capital fund)
The only sovereign-backed VC dedicated to Alliance defence, security and resilience: patient capital comfortable with defence sales cycles, and a cheque that signals credibility to ministries and co-investors.
NATO / NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), governed by the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD)
AFSC is the largest and most complex capability procurement effort NATO has undertaken, offering sustained long-term contracting opportunities for defence and deep-tech companies across all 32 Allied nations. Companies working in ISR, unmanned systems, space-based surveillance, AI/data fusion, cloud architectures, and C2 systems are directly in scope for national and multinational development contracts tailored to AFSC requirements. Entering the Realization Stage in 2026 signals that procurement contracts for actual capability delivery—not just studies—are now on the near-term horizon.
For a defence-tech company or SME, the Demand Signal provides the clearest public articulation of what NATO and its member nations will seek to procure, enabling firms to align R&D roadmaps and investor narratives with validated Alliance priorities. It also creates a bridge to downstream procurement and adoption pathways by signalling which technology areas have the highest likelihood of translating into real contracts across 32 Allied nations. Non-traditional suppliers in particular can use the Signal to make the case to both governments and private capital providers that their technology addresses operationally urgent, institutionally recognised needs.