Summary
Anthropic is inviting research teams at academic institutions, nonprofits and government labs to propose 8–12-week life-sciences projects using Claude. The company says it will provide its models and harnesses at no cost and plans to publish the project outputs with accompanying data and code open-sourced.
Anthropic has invited principal investigators and their research groups at academic institutions, nonprofits and government laboratories to propose life-sciences projects using Claude. In an announcement published on October 22, 2026, the company said selected guest investigators would work directly with Anthropic researchers for 8–12 weeks, with access to its models and harnesses at no cost.
The proposed work can address causal human biology, structural and computational molecular biology, medicinal chemistry, drug discovery or clinical science. Anthropic is looking for projects that can produce useful analyses, tools or other outputs within the collaboration period, including preliminary evidence on questions whose full investigation may take longer.
A short collaboration aimed at useful outputs
The programme is structured around a defined project period rather than an open-ended research grant. Applicants are asked to explain how direct collaboration with Anthropic researchers would benefit their work and to make a reasonable case that the proposed outputs can be produced in 8–12 weeks. Some projects may be extended beyond that initial period.
Anthropic says it will work with investigators to publish the outputs and open-source accompanying data and code. Investigators retain rights to their data throughout the project and rights to independent follow-on research arising from the collaboration. The company says applicants do not need to provide their data, either in applications or during the collaboration; application materials should contain only publicly available information.
What applicants are being asked to deliver
The announcement identifies possible outputs such as preliminary discoveries, answers to open questions, open-source datasets and public resources. It also recognises that validating results on most open problems will take longer than the initial collaboration. The programme is therefore seeking short-term contributions that can inform further work, rather than suggesting that complex life-sciences questions will be fully resolved within a few months.
Applications are to remain open for approximately 14 days. Anthropic said it would strive to notify selected participants by email approximately 14 days after applications close. The company described this as one of several efforts to support life-sciences and broader scientific research, alongside its Life Sciences Verification Program and AI for Science initiative.