PIQL AS

Their core work

PIQL AS is a Norwegian technology SME that develops ultra-secure, long-term data storage and digital preservation solutions. Their core product, piqlFilm, is a high-resolution photosensitive film designed to store digital and analogue data for centuries without degradation or technology obsolescence. The company has followed a classic SME scale-up trajectory through H2020 — from feasibility study to market deployment — focused on making data preservation physically durable and independent of rapidly changing digital formats.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

PIQL followed a textbook SME instrument progression. In 2015, PreserviX (SME-1, €50K) validated the feasibility of their digital preservation concept. By 2018, they secured two larger grants — Piql-GO (IA, €1.99M) and piqlFilm-GO (SME-2, €645K) — to scale up both the service platform and the physical film manufacturing process. The shift is from concept validation to industrial-scale production and market deployment.

PIQL is moving from R&D into commercialization of their film-based data storage technology, suggesting they are now seeking market partners and early adopters rather than research collaborators.

How they like to work

PIQL coordinates all of its H2020 projects — they are firmly in the driver's seat. Their consortia are very small (only 3 unique partners across 2 countries), indicating they prefer tight, focused teams rather than large multi-partner collaborations. This is typical of product-focused SMEs that use EU funding to scale their own technology rather than to conduct broad collaborative research.

PIQL has a compact network of just 3 partners across 2 countries, reflecting a product-centric SME that builds focused project teams around its own technology rather than extensive research networks.

What sets them apart

PIQL occupies a rare niche: physical-medium data preservation in an era dominated by cloud and magnetic storage. Their piqlFilm technology addresses the "digital dark age" problem — data stored on film can survive centuries without migration, electricity, or software dependencies. For organizations needing guaranteed long-term archival (governments, cultural institutions, critical infrastructure), PIQL offers a solution that no cloud provider can match on durability timescales.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Piql-GO
  Largest project at nearly €2M, an Innovation Action aimed at bringing their ultra-secure data storage platform to market.
• piqlFilm-GO
  Dedicated to scaling up manufacturing of the physical piqlFilm product, showing the company's transition from prototype to production.