&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "OpenAI to give 100,000 researchers free access to its most powerful AI models in push to speed up scientific discovery")
OpenAI is taking its biggest step yet to bring frontier AI into research laboratories. The company has announced ChatGPT for Academic Researchers, a programme that will give 100,000 researchers at eligible universities and research institutions free access to its most advanced AI models. The goal is simple: let scientists use AI to solve the problems they understand best instead of having OpenAI decide what should be researched.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman welcomed the initiative on X, saying the company is "very close to models that will significantly accelerate scientific discovery" and that "the best way to do this is for us to empower scientists, not to try to figure out everything ourselves."
How the programme will work
The rollout will begin this summer with 10,000 researchers, before expanding to 100,000 participants by 2027. Eligible researchers will receive access to GPT-5.6 Sol Pro, OpenAI's flagship reasoning model, and will be able to invite up to four collaborators from the same institution. Beyond ChatGPT, the package includes more than 75 specialised life science skills covering genetics, genomics, protein modelling and drug discovery. Researchers will also gain tools that connect to scientific papers, genomic databases, satellite imagery and computational notebooks, alongside Codex, OpenAI's coding assistant for analysing data and writing research software.
Why OpenAI believes this could speed up science
The company says its latest models are becoming increasingly capable of handling research-level reasoning. According to OpenAI, GPT-5.6 Sol scores 83% on FrontierMath Tier 4, up from 72.5% for its previous model. On GeneBench Pro, which measures biological data analysis, the model completes just over 31% of complex tasks. OpenAI will also provide training sessions so researchers can learn how to use the tools effectively.
Part of a bigger scientific push
The initiative forms part of OpenAI's broader $250 million commitment to scientific research through 2027. It builds on programmes including NextGenAI and the company's partnership with the US Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, reflecting a growing effort to position AI as a research partner rather than simply a chatbot. Applications are now open for eligible degree-granting institutions with established research programmes.
Trending Stories
)
Lift accident? Maintenance, builders & makers are ALL liable now, rules Supreme Court: 3 major regulations | WION Decodes
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Delhi Consumer Court fines Indian Railways Rs 25,000 for making RAC passengers share one blanket
)
Kangana Ranaut clarifies her 'Generation Gutter' remark: 'Gen Z of our country are taking us to such heights' - watch
)
Assam floods 2026: Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and other Bollywood celebrities extend support to affected families
)
India avoids higher US tariff, secures lower 10% rate. Here's how
)
Netanyahu spent thousands of dollars on garden maintenance in wartime, report says | Gravitas
)
Ramayana trailer X review: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash shine in a visual spectacle fans call 'cinema at its finest'
)
28-year-old woman PhD scholar dies of electrocution on Panjab University campus
)
‘One in Russia, another 20 km away’: Students claim they were wrongly named in Bihar NEET protest case
)
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke returns to Maharashtra, receives grand welcome in hometown
)
Ramayana Part 1 trailer out! Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash lead Nitesh Tiwari’s epic saga
)
Brewery offering 'free beer' the day Trump dies has license revoked - 'Will have to pry me out of my taprooms'
)
'There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir': Indian Embassy in US calls out 'misleading' NYT headline
)
3.6mn people track 24hr Qantas flight from Melbourne to Toulouse: Pilot shifts, fuel tank and other details
)
ITR filing without Form 16? Here’s how salaried taxpayers can submit returns before July 31 deadline
)
Cat’s bizarre reaction before Japan earthquake goes viral: Did it detect the tremors?
)
DSP among 7 policemen killed as militants storm Pakistan checkpost; 8 attackers dead
)
NEET Protests riddled with misinformation? Delhi Police blocks 480 Pakistan-based handles spreading 'fake news' since Operation Sindoor
)
British Airways flight comes close to 'nosediving' over London
)
North Korean colonel killed by firing squad for stealing grain as 'deeply shaken' officers watched
)
'Powerful response': US launches fresh revenge strikes on Iran after Trump vow to 'hit back hard'
)
Mysterious projectile leaves massive crater in Poland near Ukraine border, probe launched
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
Are you an Indian on an H-1B visa? New US bill could make getting Green Card easier
)
582 tonnes, 150 million°C, 60 years: WION Decodes the mind-boggling numbers behind China's 'Artificial Sun'
)
Claude AI down? Anthropic confirms outage as users face errors across chatbot and API
)
Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 8: India's full schedule, medal events and match timings
)
Student denied admission to IIT Kanpur's cybersecurity program hacks websites to prove a point
)
Nearly Rs 29 crore cash, 15 kg gold found at ex-bus driver's house in West Bengal
