$30 million global fund targets AI driven breakthroughs in health, life sciences, climate resilience and environmental science
Selected projects can receive $500K to $3M plus Google Cloud credits and six months of technical support
Initiative aligns philanthropy, cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities to speed scientific discovery with societal impact
Google.org is launching a $30 million Impact Challenge focused on AI for Science, aimed at accelerating breakthroughs in human health and climate systems. The global open call seeks to equip researchers and mission driven organizations with funding, technical expertise and cloud infrastructure to tackle scientific questions with high societal stakes.
The initiative builds on Google.org’s earlier AI for Science fund and reflects a growing push to apply artificial intelligence to complex biological and environmental systems. By combining catalytic funding with engineering support, Google aims to help researchers move from theory to application faster.
“AI is a critical lever to unlock scientific breakthroughs and understand the fundamental mechanisms of human health and climate systems,” the organization said in its announcement.
Funding structure and technical support
Nonprofits, academic institutions and social enterprises are eligible to apply. Selected organizations will receive grants ranging from $500,000 to $3 million, along with access to Google Cloud credits and technical resources.
Participants may also join a Google.org Accelerator program that provides six months of pro bono technical support from Google engineers and AI specialists. The program focuses on deploying generative AI and agent based systems to scale scientific solutions.
Beyond funding, the accelerator is designed to help organizations operationalize research, strengthen data pipelines and build deployable tools.
Focus areas: health and climate resilience
According to Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, the initiative targets projects in two priority areas.
“We are launching a new $30 million Google.org Impact Challenge focused on AI for Science,” Brandt wrote. “The pace of scientific discovery is accelerating at an extraordinary rate. At Google, we are committed to helping organizations everywhere harness this momentum to unlock breakthroughs that benefit both people and the planet.”
She added that Google is “specifically looking for projects pursuing high impact research in two areas: AI for Health and Life Sciences and AI for Climate Resilience and Environmental Science.”
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Selection process and partnerships
Applications are open through April 17, 2026. Submissions will be evaluated by Google.org and internal subject matter experts, along with external reviewers including Renaissance Philanthropy and the Centre for Public Impact.
The review process emphasizes scientific merit, potential social impact and the ability to scale solutions using AI tools.
Brandt noted that successful applicants will receive more than financial backing. “We know that innovative breakthroughs require holistic support beyond funding, so selected organizations will also have the opportunity to participate in a Google.org Accelerator and receive engineering support, technical mentorship and Google infrastructure to scale their solutions.”
Strategic implications for climate and health innovation
The challenge reflects a broader trend in climate and health innovation: pairing AI capability with philanthropic capital and cloud infrastructure to accelerate applied research.
For climate resilience, AI driven modeling can improve early warning systems, water management and ecosystem monitoring. In health and life sciences, machine learning is accelerating drug discovery, disease detection and genomics research.
For investors and policymakers, such initiatives highlight the increasing role of big tech in shaping scientific infrastructure and innovation pipelines. They also raise governance questions around data access, equitable deployment and responsible AI use in sensitive domains.
What leaders should watch
Executives and sustainability leaders should track how AI enabled scientific solutions move from pilot projects to scalable tools that support climate adaptation, public health systems and resilience planning. Partnerships between technology providers, nonprofits and academic institutions are becoming central to innovation ecosystems.
As Brandt urged, the call extends beyond the research community. “If you know a friend or colleague you think is on the road to a Nobel worthy scientific breakthrough, please pass it on.”
With applications now open, the challenge positions AI as a force multiplier in solving complex global challenges and underscores the growing convergence of climate science, public health and digital infrastructure.
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