OpenAI has launched a program providing 100,000 academic researchers with free access to its frontier AI models and research tools through 2027.

ChatGPT for Academic Researchers will initially enroll 10,000 scientists, mathematicians, and engineers this summer before expanding to the full 100,000 participants. 

Access is already available at institutions including the Institute for Advanced Study and France’s École normale supérieure.

Participants will receive access to the GPT-5.6 family of models across ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex, including GPT-5.6 Sol Pro at launch.

The program also provides expanded deep research access, higher usage limits, larger context windows, and more than 75 life sciences tools covering areas such as genomics, protein modeling, sequencing, and drug discovery.

Researchers can use Codex to write and debug code, analyze datasets, and create reproducible research workflows. ChatGPT Work can support longer projects including literature reviews, grant applications, manuscript preparation, and research communication.

Each approved participant can invite up to four collaborators from the same academic institution. Every collaborator must verify their institutional affiliation and will count toward the program’s total number of accounts.

OpenAI said participating researchers will receive business grade privacy and security protections, with their data excluded from model training by default.

The company will also provide training and direct support for researchers with different levels of AI experience, ranging from introductory workflows to advanced scientific applications.

Eligible applicants must work at recognized degree granting colleges or universities with high levels of research activity. They must verify their affiliation and submit details about their current research and intended scientific use.

The initiative forms part of OpenAI’s commitment to invest more than $250 million in external scientific research and discovery through 2027. That commitment also includes its $50 million NextGenAI program and work with the US Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission.

OpenAI said around 1.3 million people use ChatGPT for advanced science and mathematics each week, producing approximately 8.4 million messages.