Anthropic opens life sciences research program with free access to internal AI models

University, nonprofit and government research teams can apply for 8–12 weeks of collaboration with Anthropic scientists, with applications open for approximately 14 days

Anthropic has opened applications for a life sciences guest investigator program offering selected research teams direct collaboration and use of internal AI models at no cost.

Anthropic has opened applications for a new life sciences guest investigator program, offering selected researchers the opportunity to work directly with its scientific teams and use internal AI models and research tools at no cost.

The program is aimed at principal investigators and research groups at universities, nonprofit research organizations and government laboratories. Successful applicants will collaborate with Anthropic researchers over eight to 12 weeks, using the company’s AI models and internal research harnesses to investigate scientific questions and produce findings, analyses or tools.

Applications opened on October 22, 2026, and will remain open for approximately 14 days. Anthropic is seeking proposals across five fields: causal human biology, structural and computational molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, drug discovery and clinical science.

Rather than offering unrestricted access to its technology, Anthropic is asking researchers to identify a specific problem that would benefit from working with its team. Proposals must demonstrate how a useful research output could be produced within the collaboration period.

Anthropic seeks research results within 12 weeks

The company is prioritizing projects that can deliver preliminary discoveries, answers to open scientific questions, open-source datasets or other public research resources.

Anthropic acknowledges that validating scientific discoveries can take considerably longer than the program allows. Applicants are therefore not expected to resolve complex research questions completely, but must make a credible case for producing preliminary evidence within eight to 12 weeks.

Some projects may qualify for extensions beyond the initial collaboration period.

Nathan Frey, who works in life sciences at Anthropic, emphasized the role of researchers in directing the work in a LinkedIn post announcing the program.

"We want humans to remain at the center of scientific discovery, deciding what questions to pursue, and how to pursue them," he wrote.

The arrangement gives participating research teams access to Anthropic’s internal expertise and research systems, with the company responsible for running the models and harnesses needed for the agreed projects.

Researchers retain data rights as Anthropic plans open-source outputs

Anthropic says guest investigators will retain the rights to their data throughout the collaboration, as well as the rights to any independent follow-on research.

The company plans to publish the resulting research outputs jointly with participants and open-source accompanying data and code, allowing other researchers to build on the work.

Importantly, applicants are not required to hand over their research datasets to Anthropic, either during the application process or throughout the collaboration. The company specifically instructs applicants to include only publicly available information in their proposals.

The guest investigator program adds another route for scientific researchers to work with Anthropic’s technology. Its existing AI for Science initiative provides Claude credits to support scientific research, while its Life Sciences Verification Program offers eligible scientists access to its most capable publicly available models for biology.

The new program differs by offering direct collaboration with Anthropic’s research team and the use of internal models and harnesses for defined research projects.

Who can apply 

Applicants must be researchers affiliated with an academic institution, government laboratory or nonprofit research organization.

Graduate students and other research trainees can apply on behalf of their principal investigator and act as the main point of contact.

Proposals must explain the research problem, why the applicant is qualified to investigate it, the anticipated outcomes and why direct collaboration with Anthropic would provide a particular advantage.

Anthropic estimates that the application form takes less than 30 minutes to complete.

Applications are available through Anthropic’s Guest Investigator Program, with selected projects expected to run for eight to 12 weeks.

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