HALIFAX — Defence Minister Anita Anand announced today a proposal to establish an innovation hub in Halifax for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The goal of the hub would be to promote co-operation between NATO’s military members and the technology sector, including tech startups and academic researchers.

Anand says the proposed hub will focus not on building weapons but on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, big-data processing, quantum-enabled technologies, biotechnology and novel materials.

NATO has yet to approve the proposal.

If accepted, the regional office in Halifax would be part of a NATO network known as the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA.

Anand says the plan is to create a network of innovation sites across North America, and a similar office will be established in London to support a European network.

The minister says Halifax was chosen as the proposed site for a DIANA hub because of its 300 science and technology startups, its seven universities and its large military bases, which include Canada’s Atlantic naval fleet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2022.

The Canadian Press