Professor says Astra drafted five NIH R01 grant proposals in an hour for ~$20 of compute
mmbronstein · x · 2026-09-07
A biomedical researcher had Astra review his published science, identify new directions, and draft five NIH R01 proposals — multiyear $1M-$2M grants backing most academic biomedical research.
In about an hour, using roughly $20 of compute, the model produced entirely reasonable proposals grounded in his work and structured to appeal to study section reviewers, closely mimicking what an experienced academic would write.
He calls it a concrete AGI data point: producing the core work of highly trained professionals, at near-zero cost.
Related event: Professor Uses AI to Draft Five NIH Grant Applications in an Hour(2 posts)→
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