OpenAI launches free ChatGPT programme for 100,000 researchers
OpenAI has announced an initiative that will provide free access to its most advanced AI models for 100,000 academic researchers.
The ChatGPT for Academic Researchers programme will begin this summer with an initial cohort of 10,000 researchers from selected institutions, including the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in the US and France’s École normale supérieure (ENS). OpenAI plans to expand the programme to 100,000 researchers by 2027.
Participants will receive access to OpenAI’s frontier models, including GPT-5.6 Sol Pro at launch, and will be able to invite up to four collaborators from their institution into secure research workspaces. OpenAI said the workspaces will include enterprise-grade privacy and security protections, with research data not used to train its models by default.
The company says the programme is designed to support researchers throughout the research lifecycle, from literature reviews and grant applications to hypothesis testing, genomic analysis, protein modelling and manuscript preparation. Researchers will also receive training, hands-on support and opportunities to share feedback with OpenAI and collaborate with peers.
The initiative will be integrated with existing ChatGPT Edu deployments, allowing participating institutions to manage access through their existing educational workspaces.
The announcement forms part of OpenAI’s broader commitment to invest more than $250 million in external scientific research by 2027. This includes its $50 million NextGenAI initiative and collaborations with the US Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, which aims to provide frontier AI capabilities to researchers working in national laboratories and universities.
OpenAI said the programme reflects its belief that the benefits of frontier AI should be widely distributed rather than concentrated among a small number of organisations.
“We believe the benefits of frontier AI should not be concentrated in a few companies and well-resourced labs,” the company said. “Scientific progress depends on researchers asking the right questions, testing new ideas, and building on what others have discovered.”
The announcement comes amid rapidly growing adoption of generative AI within the research community. According to OpenAI, approximately 1.3 million people now use ChatGPT each week for advanced science and mathematics, generating around 8.4 million messages. The company also highlighted increasing use within mathematical research, noting that a growing number of published papers now acknowledge ChatGPT’s contribution.