ANU partners with AI safety company Anthropic to strengthen its AI research and teaching

The Australian National University (ANU) is one of four research institutions across Australia to partner with AI giant Anthropic under its AI for Science program to advance the University’s AI research and teaching as well as improving disease diagnosis and treatment. 

Anthropic’s AI for Science program provides API credits to researchers at academic and non-profit institutions working on high-impact scientific projects. 

The ANU School of Computing is embedding Claude into new courses to train the next generation of Australian developers and scientists, preparing students for an era in which agentic AI tools are fundamental to how software is built and computer science research is conducted. 

Associate Professor Alex Potanin, who is leading the GenAI deployment for students at the School of Computing, said: "this partnership with Anthropic ensures that every student in our School has meaningful access to state-of-the-art AI tools as part of their coursework.

"Our TechLauncher teams are already using Claude and Claude Code this semester, and next semester we're rolling it out across more courses school-wide. Anthropic's AUD $500,000 donation means that we can do this responsibly and at scale.”

In Semester 2 2026, Dr Ben Swift will launch a new course on rapid prototyping for the web, and the first-year course COMP1730 will use these credits for its large cohort of students. COMP4130 will also switch to using these credits, with other courses expected to join over the next couple of years as the ANU School of Computing reassesses the impact of GenAI.

"I'm in the process of spinning up a new 'AI native' software development course called Agentic Coding Studio (COMP4020/8020),” says Dr Swift. “This support from Anthropic will allow us - and especially our students - to really test the limits of the cool things one can build by harnessing these tools."

"Generative AI tools like Claude represent a sea change in the way software developers work, yielding significant productivity gains. Students need to be prepared for success in the new world of agentic software development,” Professor Antony Hosking, Director of the School of Computing, said.

"There has never been a better time to learn the fundamentals of computing that are necessary for success in use of these new tools,” says Professor Hosking. 

Another ANU multidisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Dan Andrews is using Claude to analyse genetic sequencing data to help tackle rare diseases. The team is building AI tools that encode decades of specialised clinical and scientific knowledge into reliable, reproducible systems so that diagnosis is no longer contingent on the availability of individual specialists. 

The potential extends beyond diagnostics to uncovering hidden links between genetic variations and disease could reveal biology that was previously unknown, with direct implications for precision medicine and targeted treatments. 

"Turning genomic data into real diagnoses has always depended on highly specialised knowledge — expertise built over decades of clinical experience and deep familiarity with the scientific literature,” Associate Professor Andrews, from the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), said. 

"Until now, that knowledge couldn’t be automated. The clinical payoff will be transformative: more patients diagnosed, with direct implications for precision medicine.

"With Claude Code, we’re creating bespoke AI tools so quickly that it’s forced us to think much bigger than we ever imagined. The size and importance of the problems we can now practically contemplate solving is revolutionary, and we’re only just at the very beginning of what is possible.” 

Professor Joan Leach, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) at ANU, said the University welcomes partnerships that strengthen its research and teaching and support capability development in an increasingly AI-enabled environment. 

"Initiatives such as this can help expand access to emerging technologies, supporting more equitable access for students and enabling teaching that is practical, ethical and grounded in real-world application. They also provide opportunities to advance research capability across areas including medical science, and to engage more deeply with the policy and societal implications of advanced AI,” Professor Leach said. 

"We will continue to work with a range of partners to build capability in areas of national importance, including the development and application of trustworthy AI.” 

It comes as the Australian Government signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Anthropic to cooperate on AI safety research and support the goals of Australia’s National AI Plan. Central to the MoU is a commitment to work with Australia’s AI Safety Institute.

"Australia’s investment in AI safety makes it a natural partner for responsible AI development. This MoU gives our collaboration a formal foundation,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said.

"I'm particularly excited by the work Australian research institutions will be doing with Claude to advance disease diagnosis and treatment."

About Anthropic 

Anthropic is an AI safety company that builds frontier AI systems, including Claude, and conducts research to make AI safe and beneficial. Founded in 2021, Anthropic is a public benefit corporation dedicated to the responsible development of advanced AI. Anthropic’s AI for Science program provides free API credits to researchers at academic and nonprofit institutions working on high-impact scientific projects around the world.

Related: School of Computing staff attended the Anthropic Futures Forum