NATO DIANA Program Enables R&D Contract with HonuWorx

NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), on behalf of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) has awarded an R&D contract to UK‑based technology company HonuWorx, marking the first research and development contract awarded on behalf of an Allied nation under NATO DIANA’s Rapid Adoption Service.

The contract follows DRDC’s decision to engage NATO DIANA and its Rapid Adoption Service to identify a DIANA innovator capable of addressing a Canadian capability need. Through this process, HonuWorx was selected to undertake a targeted engineering study as a follow‑on activity from NATO DIANA’s challenge program.

The Rapid Adoption Service enables NATO Allies and NATO bodies to co‑develop, prototype and, ultimately, acquire technologies at speed and at scale. Under the Rapid Adoption Service framework, DIANA can award R&D and prototype contracts on behalf of Allies through an “opt‑in program,” reducing administrative barriers and accelerating adoption timelines. Successfully demonstrated prototypes can then transition through to production without further competition.

HonuWorx, headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, was selected in 2025 for NATO DIANA’s Critical Infrastructure and Logistics Challenge. During Phase 1 of the DIANA program, the company was paired with COVE, the DIANA accelerator site in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where it worked closely with end