Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen’s speech at the opening of Finland’s NATO DIANA Innovation Accelerator

Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen held a speech at the opening gala of Finland’s NATO DIANA Innovation Accelerator on 22 January 2026.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, stakeholders, and partners

It is a great pleasure and an honor to welcome you all to the opening gala of Finland’s NATO DIANA Innovation Accelerator. Today marks an important milestone – not only for Finland as a dedicated Ally, but for the entire Alliance as it strengthens its technological superiority and competitiveness.

In today’s rapidly evolving security environment, innovation is not a luxury – it is a necessity. Defense innovations shape the future of our armed forces, introducing new capabilities to emerging threats with accelerated speed and precision.

On that basis, The Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic – DIANA – was created as a tailored response to ensure that NATO maintains and enhances its strategic technological advantage in a world where breakthrough defence innovations emerge faster than ever, and where strategic competitors invest heavily in technologies that may shape future conflicts.

DIANA offers a unique platform for fielding and maturation of defence innovations. It brings together startups, researchers, industry and defence end-users by creating a NATO-wide market window for promising technological solutions. Furthermore, it connects dual-use innovation with real world operational needs through continuous validation and testing activities.

I want to express deep appreciation to all NATO representatives who are here today for NATO’s commitment to foster technological excellence and support Finland’s national efforts in defence innovation scheme.  

In Finland, the Ministry of Defence has taken active role in ensuring the successful and effective implementation of DIANA, aligning our innovation ecosystem with NATO’s strategic objectives. 

Since the very beginning of our NATO accession process, Ministry of Defence of Finland has acted as a single point of authority for the national governance of NATO DIANA in close cooperation with our key stakeholders.

Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to highlight the crucial role played by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in our shared DIANA journey. VTT has supported the Ministry of Defence in an exceptionally responsive way in coordinating the national implementation of the DIANA footprint in Finland.

As a culmination of this fruitful cooperation effort between ministry and VTT, we have gathered here to celebrate the opening of the “crown jewel” of Finland’s DIANA footprint – Next Generation Communication and Quantum Accelerator.

This addition to Alliance-wide network of high-class technology accelerators demonstrates Finland’s commitment to contributing actively, and with high ambition, to NATO’s innovation and technology agenda – both as security provider and as a source of technological expertise.

Our brand-new NATO affiliated DIANA accelerator supports the implementation of strategic NATO objectives set out in Prime minister Petteri Orpo’s Government Programme. One of these goals is to strengthen Finland’s posture and role in Alliance by hosting NATO affiliated function, as well as national attachment to NATO’s value chains.

The Finnish DIANA Accelerator complements the NATO network, especially in areas of expertise where we have globally recognized world-class strengths: Next Generation Communication, 5/6G, Cyber Resilience, Quantum, and Space Technologies.

In these technological focus areas, Finland is not just a participant, but a vanguard and driver of innovations. That is really something we are proud of!

Finland’s active participation in NATO’s innovation scheme reflects a significant shift in our approach to developing national and multinational defence ecosystems.

The role of public funding is becoming more and more essential. Business Finland, which is a public organization that offers innovation funding and growth services to Finnish companies, recently released a new strategy with the highlighted defence and security focus. New funding opportunities, as stated in the strategy, enables the construction of cross-sectoral cooperation and the formation of new ecosystems and technical specializations. This is vital for maintaining future technology competence necessary for defence.

The Ministry of Defence supports the implementation of Business Finland's strategy and encourages research organizations and all companies to engage in wide-ranging cooperation both domestically and internationally.

In this regard, I also want to underline the active steps taken by the Ministry of Defence to promote Finland’s industrial capabilities and strengthen international RD&I cooperation. We have worked systematically to support export promotion, to showcase Finnish technological excellence, and to develop partnerships with companies both bilaterally and within the frameworks of the European Union and NATO.

It goes without saying, that the foundation for innovation capabilities under emergency conditions is laid under normal conditions.

Within the Finnish Defence Forces’ innovation activities and duties, we have taken significant steps forward with the establishment of a brand new defence innovation unit. This unit works as a “one-stop shop”, engaging with companies and research institutions to evaluate and integrate new ideas and innovations for defence use.

By integrating defence considerations into national innovation policy landscape, we create stronger foundations for resilience, competitiveness, and international collaboration. Above all, however the main objective is to strengthen the deterrence of Alliance.

Allow me to close with a reflection on the evolving public-private partnership model in Finland’s defence ecosystem.

Finland has a long tradition of close collaboration between the government, industry, and research communities. Our approach is built on trust and a shared understanding that national defence and societal resilience are common responsibilities. In recent years, partnerships have deepened further, driven by increasing technological complexity and new capability requirements.

VTT’s DIANA Accelerator strengthens these dynamics by offering a more systematic way to match defence needs with industrial and academic expertise. 

In conclusion, today’s event is more than a just a kick-start for the implementation of multinational innovation structures Finland – it is a practical step toward shaping the future of Public-Private Partnership Model for defence collaboration and developing innovative future warfighting capabilities.

I thank all those who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible, and I wish every success to the companies, researchers, and partners who will shape the future of defence innovation through this initiative.