The GA4GH Beacon is an open, global standard for discovering biomedical data across diverse domains. It allows institutions to make their datasets findable and facilitates federated data discovery across a network of independently operated Beacon instances - each responding to standardized queries while retaining local control. Beacon’s extensible data model accommodates a wide range of data types, from genomic variants to clinical data and metadata. Researchers can either check for the presence of a genomic variant (Yes/No response) or gain more detailed information through structured queries. Beacon v2 supports flexible access controls to meet project needs and legal requirements, either by keeping access public or define who can see what, and under which conditions.
Beacon has been widely adopted, with ELIXIR Beacon Network being one of the GA4GH Driver Projects. Similarly, Beacon is one of the critical components of another GA4GH Driver Project, the Genomic Data Infrastructure, that is aiming to connect European countries and facilitate genomic data sharing and analysis. Numerous Beacon implementations exist worldwide.
Beacon Project Timeline
Beacon in Numbers
The Beacon Features
Explore the features that make data sharing with Beacon simple, flexible and scalable
Announcements
Next Beacon Implementers Forum: 2026-03-25
This meeting series focuses on knowledge sharing and collaboration to support Beacon's integration and innovation. The NAGEN-Data project will present its Beacon implementation in this session.
Check it out
GA4GH April Connect 2026
GA4GH April Connect 2026 will take place in Montreal, Canada, from 14 to 17 April 2026. Please follow the GA4GH channels and website for more information soon.
Check it out