Polish NATO DIANA accelerator to train innovative start-ups

150 start-ups have joined the 2026 cohort of companies within the latest DIANA's Challenge Call. Seven of them will cooperate with FORT Kraków, a Polish operational NATO DIANA accelerator led jointly by the AGH University of Krakow and the Krakow Technology Park. In January 2026, FORT Kraków will start a six-month series of intensive training courses and mentoring meetings that will help given start-ups develop dual-use technologies.

A record number of innovators from all NATO member countries, exactly 3,680, applied in the 2026 call. The qualified entities will gain access to the international acceleration network and test centres in Europe and North America, where, together with experts, they will adapt their own hitherto civilian technological solutions to the security, defence, and resilience needs of NATO. The process will involve all stages, from research and development, through testing, to implementation.

As emphasised by Izabela Albrycht, Rector's Proxy for NATO DIANA, the implementation of the programme promotes the exchange of competencies between the alliance's member states:

Companies to work with FORT Kraków

• Alpha Autonomy (Greece)
• AegisX (Sweden)
• Arcani Systems Ltd. (United Kingdom)
• Mara Solutions inc. (United States)
• Picogrid (United States)
• Robotto (Denmark)
• Wave Sciences LLC (United States)

DIANA, or the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, connects innovative companies with the military, mentors, and investors, thus accelerating the development, testing, and implementation of technology that help the Alliance face pressing operational challenges and maintain a decisive defensive advantage. The programme is implemented through a network of centres supporting the development of technologies, accelerators, and test centres, strategically located across NATO countries. The centres offer support to start-ups developing dual-use technologies, i.e. solutions that can be applied in the military and civilian sectors.

FORT Kraków, a consortium of AGH University and the Krakow Technology Park, is one of 17 (and the only Polish) operational accelerators in NATO DIANA. It is also a partner of the EUDIS Business Accelerator organised by the European Commission. It focuses on deep and defence tech within emerging and disruptive dual-use technologies (EDT) for security, defence, and national resilience. It acts as a bridge between the scientific community, technology companies, the armed forces, the defence industry, and public administration.

In the coming years, the activities of FORT Kraków will develop thanks to funding from the acceleration programme "DUET - Dual-Use Emerging Technologies" part of a programme of the Minister of Finance and Economy to support competencies in the field of dual-use innovation.