Armenia to give 50,000 students and teachers access to OpenAI tools
Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport is working with OpenAI and Firebird to expand access to ChatGPT Edu, Codex, faculty training, research, and technical venture support.
OpenAI, Firebird, and Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport are collaborating to expand access to ChatGPT Edu and Codex for 50,000 students, teachers, and researchers
Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport is working with OpenAI and Firebird to give 50,000 students, teachers, and researchers access to frontier AI tools, including ChatGPT Edu and Codex.
The collaboration forms part of Armenia’s national education and innovation strategy. It connects AI access in education with faculty training, research activity, and new pathways for technical founders and engineers.
OpenAI Education said the initiative will support universities, educators, founders, engineers, and researchers in Armenia as they build practical experience with AI tools. Firebird is also launching Firebird Labs, an innovation platform focused on technical ventures in robotics and physical AI, aerospace, and life sciences.
The program will also sit alongside Generation AI and STEP.ai, two existing education programs in Armenia designed to strengthen learners’ foundational AI knowledge, creative thinking, technological competencies, and safe use of AI tools.
The next stage will include opportunities for builders, researchers, educators, and technical teams through hackathons, Frontier Fellows, research partnerships, technical support, and access to OpenAI technology.
ChatGPT Edu and Codex form part of national rollout
OpenAI will provide ChatGPT Edu and Codex to Armenia’s educational, engineering, and research communities. The collaboration also includes university faculty training programs and research.
OpenAI Education said the work is part of its Education for Countries activity, which focuses on helping education systems connect AI access with skills, training, research, and responsible deployment.
Jayna Devani, OpenAI Education, comments: "Intelligence is becoming a national utility and education has an important role to play in making sure people have both access to the tools and the skills to use them well."
The initiative is not limited to classroom access. OpenAI Education said the collaboration is designed to help students, educators, researchers, founders, and engineers use AI tools directly, while also connecting them to support for research, technical projects, and company building.
Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Armenia, says: "This is an important step in preparing a new generation of professionals who will not only use technology, but help shape its future."
Firebird Labs to support technical ventures
Firebird Labs is expected to launch in Q3 2026. The platform will invest in, incubate, and co-develop technical ventures in Armenia.
Firebird Labs will focus on three areas: robotics and physical AI, aerospace, and life sciences. OpenAI Education said the program is targeting five ventures per year and is designed for technical teams working on longer time horizons than a traditional startup program.
Selected Frontier Fellows are expected to receive support from Firebird and partners, including access to OpenAI technology for upcoming hackathons, Codex and API credits, mentoring, technical support, dedicated GPU capacity from Firebird, and workspace and ecosystem support.
The program is also expected to include structured research partnerships with Armenian, U.S., and European universities, alongside potential investment opportunities.
Alexander Yesayan, Firebird, comments: "Armenia has extraordinary talent, and giving students, educators, and researchers access to the world’s most advanced AI tools can help unlock a new generation of innovators and builders."
AI access tied to research and skills
OpenAI Education said the collaboration is intended to support universities and educators as they integrate AI into teaching and research. It also links education access with venture creation, technical support, and infrastructure.
The announcement positions Armenia’s education system as one of the main routes for expanding AI capability across research, engineering, and workforce development. OpenAI Education said the effort is intended to help people move from awareness of AI tools to everyday use, technical skill, and new forms of teaching, research, and building.
OpenAI Education said Armenia has a deep technical base, a growing innovation ecosystem, and a government investing in its future as a technology hub. Firebird’s role adds access to compute, operational support, and a platform for building companies around technical problems.
Firebird Labs is scheduled to launch in Q3 2026, with the first activity set to include hackathons, Frontier Fellows, research partnerships, and technical support. The initiative will initially cover 50,000 students, teachers, and researchers across Armenia.
