As a leading institution in marine research, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel manages a vast and diverse repository of physical samples collected from the world’s oceans. Ensuring the long-term traceability and discoverability of these materials requires robust persistent identifiers. In this presentation, GEOMAR highlighted its approach to integrating the International Generic Sample Number (IGSN) into its data and sample management workflows. The speakers shared practical insights and challenges in assigning IGSNs not only to traditional geological samples (such as sediment cores and rocks) but also to biological samples. By bridging these two distinct domains, GEOMAR demonstrated how to build a unified, FAIR-compliant pipeline that seamlessly links physical marine samples to their digital data twins.