From January to June 2025, RVmagnetics had the privilege of participating in the NATO DIANA Accelerator, an ambitious, high-impact program designed to elevate dual-use technologies for the security and defence sectors. This journey has now reached its first major milestone: the successful conclusion of Phase 1.
DIANA is the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, an organisation established by NATO to find and accelerate dual-use innovation capacity across the Alliance. The program provides companies with the resources, networks, and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges, from operating in denied environments to tackling threats to our collective resilience. The last five programs were Energy & Power, Data & Information Security, Sensing & Surveillance, Human Health & Performance, and Critical Infrastructure & Logistics. Successful applicants enter a six-month programme delivered by accelerator sites across the Alliance. They also gain access to NATO mentors, end-users, and unique test centers.
RVmagnetics was a part of the Sensing & Surveillance program. The final two weeks of the program marked the culmination of a dynamic, high-pressure experience that demanded rapid innovation, strategic execution, and deep reflection. It also offered us an invaluable opportunity to test and strengthen our capabilities in a setting designed for both challenge and collaboration.
Acceleration programs are more than just structured growth paths, they’re crucibles where innovation is stress-tested, sharpened, and propelled. DIANA was no exception. For RVmagnetics, it meant stepping into a high-stakes environment that pushed us to validate and further de-risk our technology, relentlessly advance its development and application, and proactively prepare for market entry, with the defence industry as a focal arena.
This mindset permeated every week of the program, from deep-dive mentoring sessions to hands-on development sprints and field engagements.
Throughout Phase 1, our team made significant strides in both product development and market positioning. Key accomplishments include:
Beyond technical progress, we also laid the groundwork for broader commercial and defence-sector engagement. This included:
These outcomes speak not just to our progress, but to the trust we’ve started building within the defence ecosystem.
Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation — it’s powered by people, partners, and shared purpose. We’re deeply grateful to the incredible mentors, collaborators, and supporters who contributed their expertise, time, and confidence in our mission.
Special thanks to our mentors and advisors:
Tanya Suarez, Ph.D., Jo Symonds, David Plant, Sami Moughrabie, Jane Osborne Buglear, Sam Bird, Hattie Mellor, Fabrizio Berizzi, Caroline Thompson
Program collaborators and experts from:
Janus Allies, NATO DIANA, DASA — including Toby McCrinde, George Likourezos, Silver Lätt, Adrian Kirk, Bryan Sergeant
Media and visibility partners:
Isabella Cutler and Niamh Chapman at FieldHouse Associates
Technical enablers and industry partners:
Will Mitchell, Claudio Risi, and Bill Ramsdale at Arrow Electronics
Fellow innovators:
Charles Altuzarra and Yash D. Shah from Metahelios Ltd.
Veikka Nikander, Arto Aho, Ville Polojärvi from Winse Power Ltd.
Ilya Ostrovsky and Aleksandra Kiesak from AI Verse
Mikko A. Juntunen, Antti Haarahiltunen, Juha Heinonen from ElFys, Inc.
And to our team:
Prof. Dr. Rastislav Varga, Ladislav Galdun, PhD., Pavol Lipovský, Michal Borza, and Vladimir Marhefka — thank you for your vision, resilience, and drive.
While Phase 1 has come to a close, it marks only the beginning of our journey in the NATO DIANA innovation ecosystem. The foundations we’ve laid in both technology and partnerships will serve as the launchpad for the next phase of our growth. We move forward with clarity, commitment, and momentum.
To everyone who has been a part of this incredible chapter: thank you. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and we’re energized by what lies ahead.