Brussels is a far cry from Silicon Valley. But one of the leading organizations based in the Belgian city, NATO, is in some ways competing with firms from the famous Californian tech hub. And it's not just by seeking out and supporting ventures focused on developing technology for military use.

The organization launched last year the so-called Defense Innovation Accelerator North Atlantic (DIANA), a $1 billion fund to incubate startups of various types, including ventures focused on developing energy solutions. While its gestation began before Russia's invasion of Ukraine - the initiative emerged at the 2021 Brussels Summit - the conflict underscored one of the initiative's objectives: to promote the development of technology-focused startups to improve the resilience of energy grids.

In part, this interest is related to the risks the risks that climate change and access to resources are generating at the geopolitical level. geopolitical risks that climate change and access to resources are generating.

The accelerator actually provides limited financial resources. Its main contribution is to providing access to centers with sophisticated research infrastructure and facilitating the connection of entrepreneurs with both military and commercial with networks of both military and commercial clients.

The accelerator should be fully operational by 2025. Its areas of interest include artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, hypersonic systems, new materials, energy and propulsion, among others.

Interested? This is DIANA's site https://www.diana.nato.int/