Accelerating discovery for global challenges
The UK has announced a new AI for Development Science Breakthroughs programme, marking a significant step forward in how artificial intelligence is harnessed to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges. Introduced at the Global Partnerships Conference, the programme joins the GRTD portfolio and sets out a clear ambition: to use AI to accelerate scientific discovery in ways that deliver real, measurable benefits for people and communities across the globe.

Building on strong foundations
This new initiative builds on the UK’s established leadership in AI for development, particularly through the AI for Development (AI4D) programme. Delivered in partnership with Canada’s International Development Research Centre, AI4D has focused on strengthening local AI ecosystems, supporting responsible innovation, and ensuring that countries are equipped with the skills, policy frameworks and infrastructure needed to benefit from AI.

Through this work, the UK and its partners have supported research labs across Africa, enabled locally led innovation in more than 35 countries, and contributed to national and regional AI strategies. Building on this work, the new AI programme announced at the conference aims to make emerging ‘AI for science’ tools and approaches more globally inclusive and impactful.

From innovation to discovery
The AI for Development Science Breakthroughs programme will focus on how AI can transform the process of scientific discovery itself. It will support research that tests new AI approaches in areas where faster progress could have a profound development impact.

Priority areas include:

• Weather prediction and hazard warning, helping communities better anticipate and prepare for climate-related risks
• Crop engineering, supporting food security and more resilient and productive agricultural systems
• Drug discovery, accelerating the development of treatments and improving health outcomes

By investing in targeted research, the programme aims to unlock new knowledge and speed up the path from insight to application.

Demonstrating the potential of AI

The programme builds on a growing body of evidence that AI can deliver practical, life-changing results. Existing initiatives supported through AI4D have already demonstrated how AI-driven tools can improve everyday outcomes.

These include:

• AI-enabled healthcare solutions supporting safer pregnancies
• Assistive technologies expanding access to education for people with disabilities
• Digital advisory services helping farmers improve yields and resilience

Such innovations illustrate how AI can be applied across sectors to address diverse development needs, from health and education to agriculture and climate resilience.

A partnership-driven approach

Central to the programme is a commitment to collaboration. Tackling complex global challenges requires bringing together governments, researchers, the private sector and civil society. The UK has played a leading role in building these partnerships, including through the AI for Development Funders Collaborative, which coordinates international investment and expertise.

The new Science Breakthroughs programme will extend this approach, fostering partnerships that ensure AI-driven advances in science are inclusive and aligned with global development priorities. This includes working across regions, particularly in Africa and Asia, and ensuring that local expertise shapes innovation.

Ensuring inclusive and responsible innovation

While AI presents significant opportunities, the programme recognises that technology alone is not sufficient. Delivering meaningful impact requires careful attention to how AI is developed and applied. This includes ensuring that benefits are shared widely, rather than concentrated in areas of highest commercial return, and that innovation addresses the needs of underserved populations.

The UK’s existing work has emphasised responsible and inclusive AI, supporting policy development and promoting ethical approaches to data and technology. The new programme will continue this focus, embedding these principles into research and partnerships.

Unlocking a new era of scientific discovery

The launch of the AI for Development Science Breakthroughs programme signals the beginning of a new phase in the UK’s research and innovation agenda. By building on existing investments and pushing into new frontiers, it aims to accelerate the pace of discovery and ensure that scientific advances translate into real-world outcomes.

From predicting extreme weather events to developing new medicines and strengthening food systems, AI has the potential to transform multiple sectors. By harnessing this potential through strong partnerships and a clear focus on development impact, the UK is helping to shape a future where scientific progress works for everyone.