Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA)

What Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA) does

The Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA) is a non-profit international academic consortium founded in 2019 and headquartered at the Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre, University of Iceland. Its core offering is a competitive annual fellowship program that selects 16 emerging international security professionals — typically with 3–5 years of experience in arms control, negotiation, or international security — and trains them over a 10-month curriculum delivered through three boot camps (two virtual, one in-person in Reykjavík). The program is structured around negotiation techniques, historical case studies of arms control, and collaborative research on pressing international security topics, and fellows receive a Certificate in Arms Control Negotiation upon completion.

ACONA operates as a consortium rather than a traditional company, with two primary convening institutions — the Höfði Peace Centre (University of Iceland) and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) — and several affiliated academic partners including the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard, the International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. There is no commercial revenue model: the academy charges no tuition to fellows and instead covers the cost of travel, accommodation, course materials, and select meals from grant funding sourced annually from governments (Icelandic government), foundations (Lounsbery Foundation, Frankel Foundation, Reagan Institute, Fondation 'Avec et pour autres'), and academic institutions.

Beyond the fellowship, ACONA runs an annual public conference in Reykjavík (held since 2022) and produces collaborative research outputs (policy briefs and memos) co-authored by fellows. Marketing and recruitment are driven through the official website (in English, Russian, German, and Icelandic), LinkedIn, and direct outreach, with the program's brand anchored by the symbolic location of the 1986 Reagan–Gorbachev summit at Höfði and an advisory board featuring former senior officials including a former NATO Deputy Secretary General and former U.S. Under Secretary of State.

Name

Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA)

Legal name

Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA)

Website

https://armscontrolnegotiationacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACONA is a non-profit international academic consortium, headquartered in Reykjavík, that runs a selective annual 10-month fellowship training 16 emerging security professionals in arms control negotiation through three boot camps, funded entirely by grants from governments, foundations, and partner institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arms Control Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Peace, Security & Arms Control Organizations (BPADAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), Defense, Security & Emergency Management Congresses (THAHAJAG), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Arms control training
• International security education
• Negotiation fellowship
• Nonproliferation studies
• Diplomatic training

Headquarters

HQ city

Reykjavík

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Sponsorship: ACONA operates as a consortium-funded educational program. The academy receives funding from various sponsors including governments, foundations, and academic institutions. Sponsors have included Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Icelandic government, University of Iceland, Negotiation Task Force, Lounsbery Foundation, Reagan Institute, Fondation 'Avec et pour autres', and Frankel Foundation. No commercial revenue model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACONA operates a highly selective annual fellowship program for approximately 16 rising international security experts and practitioners. The 10-12 month program consists of three boot camps (two virtual, one in-person in Reykjavík), immersive negotiation exercises, collaborative international research projects, and culminates in a Certificate in Arms Control Negotiation. The program is run as an international academic consortium led by the Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre at the University of Iceland and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.

Product overview

The Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA) offers a unified fellowship program consisting of a 12-month professional development course with three boot camps (virtual and in-person in Reykjavík), culminating in a Certificate in Arms Control Negotiation. The program includes annual conferences and collaborative research outputs through ACONA Research Papers, forming an integrated educational experience for training the next generation of arms control negotiators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACONA Fellowship Program A 10-12 month high-level professional development program for a competitively selected cohort of approximately 16 rising international security experts and practitioners, focusing on arms control negotiation skills. Designed for emerging professionals with 3-5 years of experience in arms control, negotiation, or international security.
• ACONA Boot Camps Three intensive boot camps (Boot Camp 1 in September, Boot Camp 2 in February, Boot Camp 3 in May in Reykjavík) with two delivered virtually and one in-person, covering negotiation techniques, historical case studies, and technological know-how in arms control.
• ACONA Conference Reykjavík Annual public conference in Reykjavík bringing together world-renowned experts, emerging leaders, and global audiences to explore intersections of technology, security, and diplomacy in arms control. Free admission to the public.
• Certificate in Arms Control Negotiation Formal certification awarded upon successful completion of the 10-month ACONA program, recognizing proficiency in arms control negotiation, technical know-how, and historical case study analysis.
• ACONA Research Papers Policy briefs, memos, and research publications produced collaboratively by ACONA fellows on pressing international security and arms control issues, including nuclear nonproliferation, strategic stability, and emerging technology risks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Certificate in Arms Control Negotiation issued upon successful completion of the 10-month program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered affiliated and core.

• Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard UniversityaffiliatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Brings people together to learn about Russia and Eurasia through innovative scholarship, creative teaching, and broad learning within a research university. Educates future leaders who make enduring contributions to contemporary problems.
• Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) at Harvard Kennedy School Belfer CenteraffiliatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Conducts and disseminates policy-relevant research on nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, and nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Supports pre- and post-doctoral fellows and experts working on these issues.
• International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School Belfer CenteraffiliatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The oldest research program at the Belfer Center, addressing the most important challenges to U.S. national security and international security. Publishes the leading peer-reviewed journal in the field, International Security.
• James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS)affiliatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues. Located at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
• Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre (University of Iceland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Leading consortium organization. A collaborative effort of the City of Reykjavík and the University of Iceland, serving as a forum for international multidisciplinary cooperation with emphasis on the role of small states in promoting peace. Named after the house where Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1986.
• Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Leading conflict resolution think tank in Europe conducting knowledge-driven and applied basic research. One of the leading institutions in the consortium providing curriculum development and research expertise.
• Negotiation Task ForceaffiliatedStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer founding partner that left the consortium in July 2023. Previously part of Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NATO Defense College: NATO's primary strategic-level military education institution, training mid-career officers and civilian officials. A Junior Associate Fellow from ACONA's 2026 cohort is currently at NATO Defense College; comparable in training future leaders in defense and security decision-making, though at a much larger scale.
• Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center — International Security Program: Oldest research program at the Belfer Center, addressing challenges to U.S. and international security and publishing the leading peer-reviewed journal in the field. ACONA consortium affiliate; comparable as a hub for academic and policy expertise in arms control with significant training and convening capacity.
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Globally recognized independent research institute on peace and security, with training and fellowship programming in arms control and nonproliferation. Comparable as a senior training/policy hub for emerging security professionals; broader scope and larger institution than ACONA, and ACONA has placed fellows into SIPRI research roles.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): Global think tank providing strategic analysis, conferences, and training programs to governments and security professionals. Overlapping audience (emerging security professionals, diplomats, defense officials) and overlapping subject matter (arms control, strategic stability); larger, broader, and more established than ACONA.
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW): Intergovernmental organization administering the Chemical Weapons Convention, with formal education and outreach programs and an Advisory Board on Education and Outreach on which ACONA-affiliated figures sit. Comparable as a global institution conducting training and capacity building in a specific arms control regime.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — Nuclear Policy Program: Major think tank with a leading Nuclear Policy Program (and Carnegie China) conducting research and hosting next-generation fellows on nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation, and emerging military technologies. Overlapping subject matter and alumni network with ACONA; broader remit and significantly larger footprint.

Direct peers

• PIR Center: Russia-based think tank running the long-running Summer School on Global Security and other training programs on nuclear nonproliferation. Directly comparable to ACONA in subject matter (nuclear nonproliferation, arms control) and target audience (emerging international security professionals), though currently constrained by Russian geopolitical access.
• Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP): Vienna-based non-profit providing capacity-building, training, and research on nonproliferation and disarmament. Closely comparable to ACONA as a small, training-and-fellowship-oriented outfit operating at the intersection of academic expertise and diplomatic practice in the same arms control subject area.
• James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS): Largest U.S. non-governmental organization devoted to nonproliferation research and training. A core ACONA consortium affiliate, CNS runs the largest portfolio of training programs in the same arms control and nonproliferation subject area and serves overlapping emerging-professional audiences.
• EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium: Network of European research institutions coordinating on nonproliferation and disarmament policy research and outreach. ACONA Executive Board member Christopher Daase sits on its Executive Board; comparable as a multi-institutional platform advancing the same subject area through research, training, and convening.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acona-iceland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA)