DigNA

The European Innovation Council launched the EIC Pathfinder Challenge "DNA-based digital data storage" in 2022, recognizing that the exponential growth of digital data demands revolutionary storage solutions. The challenge seeks projects to explore scalable and reliable high-throughput approaches for using DNA as a general data storage medium.

Projects funded under this challenge address the complete pipeline for DNA data storage: encoding digital data into DNA sequences, synthesizing DNA, storing it safely, and reading it back through sequencing and decoding. The nine selected projects form the DigNA portfolio, coordinating their efforts through four collaborative working groups:

• Technical Synergies – Sharing research advances and aligning technical approaches

• Outreach and Public Engagement – Communicating DNA data storage to the public

• Metrics as a Foundation for Standards and Roadmapping – Establishing common benchmarks

• Protection and Exploitation – Managing intellectual property and commercialization

To learn more about the challenge, visit the EIC Pathfinder Challenge page. For a deeper dive into how DNA data storage works, read our blog post on DNA Data Storage.

The DigNA portfolio hosts a series of free educational webinars aimed at informing the public and scientific community about the latest developments in DNA data storage technology. The main goal of this series is to share expertise within the DigNA portfolio and share know-how useful to progress in the interdisciplinary field of DNA data storage. Recordings of past webinars are available on the PEARL-DNA YouTube channel.

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Webinar 5: Chemical Synthesis of DNA – From Solid-Phase Synthesis to Large-Scale Libraries and Microarrays Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 10:00–11:00 CET | Zoom Speakers: Martin Jost (Kilobaser) and Mark Somoza (University of Vienna) This webinar outlines the basics of solid-phase synthesis as well as modern approaches for large-scale synthesis of DNA libraries and microarrays, including applications in digital data storage. Register now | Read more

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Webinar 4: Protection and Exploitation of IP and the Value of Patent Intelligence December 4, 2025 Speakers: Robert Harrison (European Patent Attorney) and Lluís Gimeno-Fabra (Advisor to the Vice-President Patent Granting Process) Exploring intellectual property strategies for protecting and exploiting DNA data storage innovations, including approaches to pooling IP and coordinating patent filing strategies within multidisciplinary consortia. Watch recording

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Webinar 3: Reading DNA – Sequencing Technologies October 8, 2025 Speakers: Laurent Farinelli (NGS pioneer, CEO of Genesupport SA) and Doron Lipson (Tech/Data/Strategy advisor, Ex-CSO Ultima Genomics) An overview of DNA sequencing technologies and their role in reading data stored in DNA. Watch recording

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Webinar 2: Introduction to Error Correction and Coding for DNA Storage February 27, 2025 Speakers: Eitan Yaakobi (Technion & DiDAX) and Thomas Heinis (Imperial College & NEO/DNAMIC) Exploring the critical role of error correction and coding techniques in enabling reliable DNA data storage, with focus on how advanced coding schemes address data integrity challenges. Watch recording

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Webinar 1: State of the Art of DNA Data Storage December 12, 2024 Speakers: Robert Grass (DiDAX) and Tomaž Karčnik (PEARL-DNA) A general introduction to DNA data storage covering the history, current state of the art, synthesis and sequencing technologies, potential applications and a discussion on costs and scalability. Watch recording