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DNA Data Storage Technology for a Sustainable Digital Future

Project description

Introducing a DNA data storage solution

Thanks to IoT, computing and communications technologies play an ever-increasing role in our lives, but we are producing massive amounts of data that could soon be too much for our storage supply. With 175 zettabytes of data predicted to be produced by 2025 and only 20 % of it able to be in storage, lack of space poses a serious risk to digital infostructure and safety. Furthermore, with current storage data centres being major contributors of CO2, there is an urgent need for alternative storage solutions. The EU-funded DATANA project aims to fill this need by introducing a patented solution that would allow for the use of DNA as efficient, sustainable and abundant storage space.

Objective

BioSistemika is developing a DNA data writing technology, which is addressing the growing global problem of insufficient storage supply of the escalating world’s production of digital data. By 2025, the worldwide production of data will grow to 175 zettabytes, which is 10 times the amount of data humanity produced in 2017. The gap is rapidly widening and we will not be able to store more than 20% of produced data by 2025, a scenario which poses a serious risk to our entire digital ecosystems and digital safety. Today, digital data is predominantly stored in large datacentres that are a major contributor of CO2 emissions and a growing environmental concern. This even further promotes the urgent need of our society to shift the paradigm towards more sustainable storage technologies.

DATANA is a patented innovation that enables this shift by utilizing DNA as an abundant, sustainable, and stable solution for the storage of data. As such, DNA has a lifespan of 1000+ years and the capacity to hold 20-million times more data per gram of substance than any other existing storage technology. Due to the high costs of DNA synthesis, the utilization of DNA for data storage is today still too expensive and time consuming to be used commercially. DATANA solves this issue by using a patented data encoding algorithm and a proprietary liquid handling system that reduces the volumes of DNA synthesis to picolitre range (one billionth of a milliliter). By doing so, it enables economically viable DNA storage of data for the first time. This represents a remarkable breakthrough and a major stepping stone for humanity, as it enables us to encode data into DNA at a cost comparable to the storage media used today.

The project goal is to further optimize and scale-up our technology, which will allow for the demonstration of its potential at a commercially relevant scale and enable commercialization on the global data storage market by 2023.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

BIOSISTEMIKA, RAZISKAVE IN RAZVOJ DOO
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 867 075,00
Address
KOPRSKA ULICA 94
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Slovenija Zahodna Slovenija Osrednjeslovenska
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 667 250,00
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