RAISE: Europe Opens Its Scientific AI Models to Researchers

Rather than trying to compete with the general-purpose models coming out of the United States and China, Europe is changing the playing field. With the RAISE program (Resource for AI Science in Europe), launched in mid-October 2026 at a European summit on artificial intelligence in Dublin, the European Commission is giving 200 researchers direct, free access to Google DeepMind's most advanced scientific models. The goal: to put European research, not the general public, back at the center of the race for scientific AI.

Five tools, one goal: accelerating science

Google DeepMind and Google Cloud are making five “frontier” models available, each tailored to a specific field of research. Beneficiaries also receive $3 million in computing credits to run them on the company's cloud infrastructure:

• AlphaFold 3: prediction of protein structures and their molecular interactions
• AlphaGenome: analysis of the impact of DNA variants on gene regulation
• AlphaEvolve: automated algorithmic discovery
• AlphaEarth Foundations: satellite-based Earth mapping and observation
• WeatherNext: weather forecasting and climate modeling

These are the same building blocks that, on the consumer side, power the artificial intelligence agents showing up in more and more industries. Here, they are redirected toward a strictly scientific use, far from the consumer-facing autonomous systems dominating tech headlines.

The European Commission is in charge, not Google

One detail changes the nature of the project: it is the European Commission, not Google, that selects the 200 participating researchers and oversees the program's governance. Google provides the technology and infrastructure; Brussels decides who benefits and under what terms. The stated goal is to give European public research computing power and models it could not afford on its own, without becoming dependent on a private company for its scientific choices.

This approach stands in contrast to this month's more spectacular announcements: OpenAI, for instance, claimed that its models had produced three novel results in mathematics, theoretical computer science, and physics. Those results still need to be independently verified — unlike the RAISE tools, which have already been validated and published for several years in peer-reviewed journals.

Why this changes the game for researchers

For a European university lab, access to these models usually represents an investment well beyond reach, both in licensing and computing power. The RAISE program removes that barrier for a limited number of teams, in fields ranging from structural biology to climatology. The choice of the five tools is no accident: it covers health, the environment, and fundamental computing all at once — three stated priorities of European science policy for the years ahead.

One fundamental question remains, already raised about other initiatives involving artificial intelligence tools funded by major American companies: what happens once the funding program itself comes to an end? The Commission has so far announced no end date and made no commitment to continuity beyond the pilot phase. It's a topic likely to come up at the next Science Festival (France's Fête de la Science), where several beneficiary teams are expected to present their first results.

Another issue being closely watched by the selected researchers: the security and confidentiality of research data entrusted to a third-party tool — an already sensitive subject for other AI agents used in business settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can benefit from the RAISE program?

The program is reserved for 200 European researchers selected by the European Commission, based on scientific criteria tied to their ongoing research projects.

Do researchers have to pay to use the models?

No, access to the five models and the associated $3 million in computing credits are provided free of charge to the selected teams as part of the program.

Does Google have any say in who is selected?

No, selection and governance of the program are handled by the European Commission; Google DeepMind and Google Cloud only provide the models and the technical infrastructure.

Sources

• Tech Insider — RAISE: Google donne l'IA scientifique à 200 chercheurs UE
• Techzine — Google gives European researchers access to AlphaFold 3
• AI Polix — Google DeepMind and Google Cloud open frontier science models to 200 European researchers

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy