MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Oktopi has been awarded a significant grant from the Gates Foundation to advance global access to high-quality medicine development expertise, with a particular focus on supporting innovators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

This funding will enable Oktopi to build and expand its AI-informed knowledge and workflow engine, bringing best-practice to the critical decisions in developing medicines.  The engine integrates expert-derived taxonomies, evidence expectations, and decision pathways to increase efficiency and the probability of success. The grant supports the delivery of medicine development tools that give biopharma access to stronger rigor and improved decision traceability across diverse R&D environments.

By combining structured knowledge, human-guided AI, and a global community of collaborators, Oktopi aims to help teams, regardless of geography or resourcing, work with clarity, consistency, and confidence. The foundation's support accelerates efforts to make high-quality development capability more accessible across the global health ecosystem.

Dr Craig Rayner AM
CEO 
"Medicine development is entering a structural and epistemological reset. The grant from the Gates Foundation catalyses our work to democratise development capability. It enables global health R&D teams to help define the next-generation operating model. One that delivers better decisions, faster translation, and real patient impact."

Michelle Rayner
COO
"This grant accelerates our ability to convert knowledge into tools that reduce friction, strengthen decision consistency, and support teams working under real constraints. Partnering with global health innovators ensures what we build is grounded, usable, and immediately impactful."

Mark Sullivan AO
Chairman
"Successfully navigating the complexity of pharmaceutical development has been dependent on having the right expertise at the table at the right time. Oktopi is founded on best practice in pharmaceutical development and is democratizing access to communities where access has been impossible to achieve. This support strengthens the foundations of equitable access to these skills delivering for patients everywhere."

About Oktopi

Oktopi is an AI-informed knowledge and workflow engine designed to strengthen decision quality, transparency, and efficiency across the medicine development lifecycle. The platform integrates expert-built taxonomies, logic, and human-guided AI workflows with a growing global community of contributors.

Oktopi helps teams and governance bodies work with greater clarity and consistency, supporting developers of all sizes, including those in LMICs, to operate at globally recognized best practice standards.

www.oktopi.com