We consider the derivative nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation in one space dimension, posed both on the line and on the circle. This model is known to be completely integrable and $L^2$-critical with respect to scaling. However, not much is known regarding the well-posendess of the equation below $H^{\frac 12}$. In this talk, we prove that this problem is globally well-posed for initial data in the Sobolev spaces $H^s$ for $\frac 1 6\leq s