NATO’s High-tech Defense Innovation Network to Expand in Hungary

NATO is expanding its defense innovation network in Hungary, the Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.

NATO DIANA, the defense innovation organization of the military alliance, announced that it will significantly expand its presence in Hungary with the inclusion of accelerator and test centers for technological development in its research and development network. The organization’s aim is to ensure that defense-based innovation, beyond the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies and the production of defense equipment, produces added value that can be used by a wide range of societies, they added.

Hungary will join the military alliance’s dynamically growing defense innovation network with an accelerator center and test centers, to strengthen both domestic and international research and development cooperation within NATO and the exploitation of new technologies. The possibility of dual use, defense and civilian, will contribute to the development of Hungarian industry, according to the ministry’s statement. The process of acceleration supports Hungarian companies to showcase and sell their products at NATO level, which creates additional jobs and has a stimulating effect on the economy.

The first DIANA accelerator center in Hungary will start operating under the name VIKI-Nokia, as a result of the cooperation between the Defense Innovation and Research Institute of Hungary (VIKI) and Nokia Solutions and Networks Ltd.

The country’s role within NATO will be further strengthened by the accreditation of six DIANA test centers.

The centers have been established by the University of Pécs, the University of Óbuda, BHE Bonn Hungary Electronics Ltd, Alverad Technology Focus Ltd, ITSec Area Ltd., and Nokia Bell Labs.

Two Hungarian test centers have already been included on the map of NATO’s innovation network in 2023; the ZalaZONE Automotive Test Track and the ZalaZONE Research and Technology Center are also accredited DIANA test centers.

The statement quoted Brigadier General Imre Porkoláb, Ministerial Commissioner for Defense Innovation, as saying: “This means that Hungary is now represented in the DIANA ecosystem by nine institutions.

This is a testimony of an outstanding domestic knowledge base, expert community, and state-of-the-art infrastructure in the fields of artificial intelligence, automation, and 5G.”

“One of DIANA’s strengths is its unique transatlantic network of talent hubs and innovation leaders working towards a common goal. The breadth and diversity of DIANA’s network partners accelerates the development and deployment of groundbreaking solutions for defense, security, and peace,” Deeph Chana, DIANA’s Executive Director, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Via MTI, Featured image: honvedelem.hu