NATO DIANA Leverages the Krach Institute’s Tech Diplomacy Academy

Transatlantic Alliance Taps Leading Tech Diplomacy Education Platform
to Equip Start-Ups and Strategists for New Era of Global Tech Competition

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Today, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue (KITDP) announced that NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) is leveraging its Tech Diplomacy Academy, a first-of-its-kind, scalable online training platform built to prepare leaders at the intersection of technology, security and geopolitics. The Academy draws on the engineering strength of Purdue University, consistently ranked among the top five engineering institutions in the United States and a leader in national security innovation.

DIANA was created to accelerate dual-use innovation across the Alliance, connecting start-ups with resources, networks, and expertise to scale technologies that will shape the next generation of defense and security solutions.

This partnership reflects both institutions’ commitment to advancing freedom through trusted technology. The Tech Diplomacy Academy’s curriculum spans cutting-edge fields like AI, quantum, hypersonics, semiconductors and biotech, strengthening NATO’s technological edge across both peacetime innovation and strategic deterrence.

“NATO is the world’s most powerful defensive alliance and a cornerstone of freedom for over a billion people,” said Keith Krach, Co-founder and Chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. “By leveraging our Tech Diplomacy Academy, NATO DIANA is taking a decisive step to outpace authoritarian regimes that are weaponizing technology to undermine freedom.”

“The Tech Diplomacy Academy was built to equip leaders with the tools to ensure that innovation drives freedom, security, and economic competitiveness—not just on the battlefield, but across every domain where technology is transforming our future,” said Michelle Giuda, CEO of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. “This partnership with NATO DIANA reflects a shared commitment to empowering the startups, companies, and governments that are building the next era of global leadership through trusted technology.”

The Tech Diplomacy Academy equips leaders to make high-impact decisions at the crossroads of technology, security, and geopolitics. It empowers them to leverage emerging technologies to protect national interests, scale innovation, and outpace global competitors. DIANA’s use of the platform as a resource to support DIANA innovators reflects the growing demand for trusted, scalable education that helps leaders operate effectively in a new environment.

“Emerging and disruptive technologies are reshaping how the Alliance prepares, partners, and responds,” said Jyoti Hirani-Driver, Chief Operating Officer for NATO DIANA. “Our work with the Krach Institute’s Tech Diplomacy Academy—which draws upon the research strength of Purdue University, home to one of the world’s most respected engineering programmes—helps equip DIANA’s stakeholders and innovators with the knowledge and tools to lead in a dual-use technology landscape.”

“We are in the midst of a critical competition to develop the technologies that will determine the shape of our world in the coming century. Freedom-loving nations must maintain and expand the lead in creating and advancing trusted technologies that will safeguard freedom, or authoritarian regimes could leverage new technologies to undermine and destroy the values we hold dear,” said Mircea Geoană, former NATO Deputy Secretary General and Krach Institute Advisory Council Member. “The Tech Diplomacy Academy will play a vital role ensuring that our leaders across the NATO Alliance and beyond understand the technologies, business strategies and diplomatic tools that must be employed to secure our continuing leadership in vital tech sectors now and in the next generation.” Geoană, who chaired the NATO Innovation Board during his tenure, visited the Krach Institute in 2024 to advance joint efforts between NATO, Purdue University and the Institute.

To discover how the Tech Diplomacy Academy is shaping the future of global leadership, visit TechDiplomacyAcademy.org.

About the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue 

The Krach Institute is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader in the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom. 

Visit the Krach Institute online at TechDiplomacy.org and follow on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Enroll in the Tech Diplomacy Academy to learn what you need to know now about key emerging technologies and their impact on business, policy and the global economy. Subscribe to the Institute’s weekly newsletter Tech Diplomacy Now for the latest news at the intersection of high tech and foreign policy. 

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