26 May 2026

LEAD, an innovation incubator based in Östergötland, has been appointed Swedish accelerator for NATO DIANA – NATO’s innovation programme for the development of new technologies with both civilian and military applications. The appointment entails, among other things, a clearer role for Sweden in NATO’s work with strategically important technology, such as hardware, AI and unmanned systems.

En man som sitter vid ett bord framför ett fönster.
Jan-Ingvar Jönsson, Vice-Chancellor of  . 

The work that has now led to the appointment has been ongoing since 2023, when LEAD was recommended as Sweden’s candidate for NATO DIANA by the Swedish Armed Forces, Vinnova, the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency and the Swedish Research Council.

“This appointment is of course very gratifying, but I’m not surprised: it’s a recognition of the inherent strength of the innovation system surrounding Linköping University, one example being our collaboration with LEAD,” says Jan-Ingvar Jönsson, Vice-Chancellor of Linköping University.

He also emphasises LiU’s long-standing tradition of combining excellent research with entrepreneurship and close collaboration with industry and societal actors, which provides good conditions for contributing to the development of future strategically important technologies within NATO DIANA.

“Sweden has world-leading expertise in advanced technology, research and deep tech. Through NATO DIANA, Swedish companies will also gain better access to international networks, capital and test environments. This strengthens Swedish competitiveness as well as our long-term innovation and security capabilities,” says Catharina Sandberg, CEO of LEAD.

-------------------------------------------

Further reading

(Pressrelease from the Swedish Government)

Latest news from LiU

A view of a space shuttle flying over the audience in the dome.

Anyone can land on the moon with a new immersive film

The film Once Upon the Moon allows the audience to experience the moon landings as if they were there themselves. Authentic footage, astronauts’ own stories and the latest visualisation technology make this possible.

A woman standing in front of a laptop computer.

LiU educates elected representatives on AI and societal impact

LiU is launching a learning platform that gathers research-based knowledge about the impact of artificial intelligence and digitalisation on our democracy. The aim is to equip politicians for a new reality where AI is an integral part of society.

En man som håller en presentation för en grupp människor.

launches excellence centre for analytical sociology

has launched a new Excellence Centre in Analytical Sociology. The initiative will strengthen theory-driven research, international collaboration and long-term development in one of LiU’s internationally leading research fields.