The project PRESPHOTO is focused at the development and optimization of new and cost-effective preservation techniques for the strains and their genomic information of two collections of photosynthetic microalgae (diatoms and cyanobacteria) belonging to the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (BCCM). This is a critical factor for the future growth and valorization of these collections. There is considerable scope for improving preservation in both collections given that thus far only classical (cryo) preservation protocols are applied, that many strains resist cryopreservation, and given recent developments in preservation techniques.