Yes, ma'am. Thanks.
As I said, following national security reviews, those that are selected receive framework contacts and enter our defence-focused accelerator program. That includes curriculum delivery through a network of 16 accelerator sites; testing, evaluation, verification and validation at a network of over 200 affiliated test centres; and participation in NATO operational experimentation events.
DIANA has two particularly unique instruments in its program.
The first is the NATO DIANA capital network, which connects vetted NATO-aligned investors with our selected companies, ensuring that they receive the capital required to scale.
The second is the rapid adoption service regulation, which allows NATO and the allies to contract with innovators for follow-on development and prototyping contracts without competition. Also, under this regulation, validated prototypes can be procured through NATO's procurement agencies, again without the need for further competition.
We started program operations in June 2023, with our pilot launch of three challenges, or problem statements, issued to innovators across the alliance. In 2024, that grew to five challenges, and in July 2025, we launched 10 challenge statements. We now have 267 companies that are part of our portfolio, all of which are solutions available to the alliance's defence and security entities through the rapid adoption service.
Our organization's main headquarters is in London, U.K. There is a regional hub in Tallinn, Estonia, and the North American regional office opened here in Halifax in late 2024.
Throughout DIANA's brief history, Canada has played a significant role. As you can tell by my uniform, I'm a Canadian Army officer, one of two general officers in the program, and I've been with DIANA since October 2024. I'm grateful to have the support of a small but very mighty team of Canadian Armed Forces members and civilians, including the regional director for North America, Christine Hanson. These Canadians serve as exceptional ambassadors to our multinational team of professionals from six allied nations here at our Halifax office.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is home to one of DIANA's 16 accelerator sites, the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship, or COVE, whose team provides outstanding mentorship to assigned DIANA innovators and significant exposure to defence investment opportunities. They work closely with Communitech, from Kitchener-Waterloo, in supporting COVE in program delivery.
Within Canada, 16 test centres located in six provinces provide scientific testing support opportunities to the eligible DIANA program participants. Our expanding program also relies on the generous support of 52 Canadian professionals who loan their expertise and experience to the program, assisting in the down selection of the most promising innovator proposals and providing mentorship during the acceleration phase.
Canadian innovators have been very well represented. In each of the program's iterations, Canada has been overrepresented in applications. In our pilot challenge launched in 2023, 211 of the 1,300 applications came from Canada, the second-highest number across the alliance. There were 44 companies selected to join the program, of which seven were Canadian. In 2024, Canada had the third-highest number of applications, at 339 of 2,600, and six of the 75 companies selected were Canadian. I am very happy to say that in our latest challenge call, we received 3,600 applications, and Canada had the highest number of applications in the alliance, with 574. Of the 150 selected companies that are currently going through the accelerator program, 22 are Canadian.
Canada has also been leading in leveraging the rapid adoption service to enter follow-on development and prototyping contracts. We were the first to exercise this process in 2025. We now have two contracts tendered, three others in which the program arrangements and specifications are being co-developed and an additional three more indications of interest.
It's also worth noting that through an initiative by DRDC called funding for Canadian innovators and accelerators of NATO DIANA, Canadian innovators selected into the program receive grants of up to $200,000 per innovator, which is in addition to the 100,000 euros that selected innovators receive from NATO DIANA. We are the only nation that provides this additional financial support.
DIANA is proving to be a very successful program. Canada is a huge part of that success. The support we receive from the Government of Canada and the level of interest from Canadian companies have been incredible. I think we can be proud of our nation's continued contributions to this important NATO initiative.
I hope that provides some value to your considerations. Thank you again for this opportunity.