GHGA 2

GHGA - The German Human Genome-Phenome Archive, 2. phase

01/10/2025 to 31/12/2028

GHGA, the German Human Genome-Phenome Archive, is a national infrastructure that
facilitates the secure archival, sharing, and processing of access-controlled human omics
data. It is connected to national data providers and scientific communities using omics
technologies, and it collaborates with European resources and initiatives such as the
European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA), the European Genomic Data Infrastructure
(GDI), and the 1+ Million Genomes project (1+MG).
During its initial project phase, GHGA established a multi-disciplinary team, created a legal
framework, and set up services for managing omics data. We launched the GHGA Metadata
Catalog, Germany’s first national omics data repository, recently expanded by the GHGA
Archive, a full-fledged archive for access-controlled human omics data. GHGA has
established omics metadata standards, unified data workflows, and connected national
stakeholders to key international initiatives.
GHGA has developed an integrated legal, ethical, and technical framework to address
human omics data sharing, establishing a foundation for future growth. GHGA is positioned
as a prominent infrastructure for omics data in Germany, facilitating strategic connections
nationally and internationally. GHGA is the German node for the federated European
Genome-Phenome Archive (fEGA) and is a member of the national initiatives forum of the
Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH). These activities will naturally also
contribute to upcoming developments such as the European Health Data Space.
The engagement in national strategic initiatives has created key connections and enabled an
extended mandate that is fully aligned with, but extends beyond, the scope of the NFDI. In
particular, GHGA has been a major driver of strategic national developments in genome
medicine, and the consortium has been mandated by national ministries to operate core
infrastructure components for the Model Project Genome Sequencing (MV GenomSeq),
connecting this major programme to the European Genomic Data Infrastructure Initiative.
In the next funding phase, we will consolidate our activities, and build on the commitments of
key data providers to grow the archive. With the core infrastructure operational, we will
reinforce our efforts to enable the community to deposit data. A second focus area is the
establishment of secure processing environments in order to create new secondary use
1opportunities aligned with national needs. We have initiated driver projects with our core
communities to pilot new services and showcase the added value of GHGA. Finally, building
a sustainable long-term business model based on income from GHGA-associated research
and infrastructure projects will ensure the future of GHGA as a national research data
infrastructure.