Anthropic opens 10,000 discounted Claude seats for scientists

Anthropic is expanding its support for scientific research with 10,000 free and discounted Claude subscription seats worldwide for one year. The company announced the program on Aug. 27, 2026, in Anthropic News, positioning it as a broader push to help researchers use AI in demanding scientific workflows.

The new Claude team plan for scientists offers standard seats at no cost. Premium seats, which include five times the usage limits, will cost $15 per month. The initial allocation is expected to grow beyond 10,000 seats in the coming months.

What researchers can access

Eligibility is limited to principal investigators, or equivalent leaders, at academic and nonprofit research institutions. Once approved, a lab’s lead can add researchers to the team plan. Anthropic says any researcher can separately apply to its AI for Science program for up to $50,000 in credits per project when subscription limits are insufficient.

The expansion broadens that credits program beyond its previous focus on biological sciences. Anthropic is seeking applications from researchers in other fields, including projects requiring substantial computing resources. The company points to prior work involving the Riemann zeta function and protein design as examples of the research it hopes to support.

Researchers in biology and chemistry will currently remain limited to Opus-class models. Anthropic says its Fable models will continue blocking professional biology and drug-development requests because of dual-use concerns. In partnership with the U.S. government, it has also begun enrolling participants in a separate access program for life-sciences professionals using Mythos-class models.

For AI builders in research labs, the announcement combines lower-cost access, larger usage allowances, and a path to compute credits—potentially making sustained experimentation with Claude more practical than relying on individual subscriptions.

Source: Anthropic News