Basecamp Research Announces Malawi Biodiscovery Partnership in Series of New Collaborations Across Three Continents at UK Government Nature Action Event

Partnerships with Malawi, Hungary, and other new partners will rapidly expand BaseData, the largest biological protein database designed specifically for training generative AI foundation models to improve drug discovery and planetary health.

Collaborations demonstrate the success of Basecamp Research’s model to incentivise responsible nature conservation by sharing benefits, including upfront investment, training, equipment, scientific collaboration, and royalties; Company works with more than 125 biodiversity partners worldwide.

Basecamp Research presented at the UK Government’s ‘Nature Action: Mobilising Frameworks and Finance’ event, attended by about 100 CEOs, government ministers, philanthropic organisations, civil society, and Indigenous leaders, followed by a reception attended by His Majesty King Charles III.

LONDON and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Basecamp Research, an AI company dedicated to using nature to solve the most pressing challenges in the life sciences, today announced the acceleration of its biodiscovery programme with the addition of a new partnership with Malawi, alongside collaborations with Hungary and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, significantly scaling its biodiscovery efforts to rapidly expand BaseData, the world’s largest proprietary biological protein database, designed for AI-driven drug discovery and planetary health.

Solving the planet’s most pressing problems requires an unprecedented level of international cooperation to equitably unlock the data hidden inside its trillions of species across land and water. Basecamp’s pioneering economic partnership-based model incentivises the collection of these microbial species, such as bacteria that are invisible to the naked eye, across the planet’s most extreme and biodiverse environments. Teaching AI models these species’ properties and applications gives scientists new ways to solve scientific challenges, from improving pollution control to overcoming antibiotic resistance.

“AI has a profound role to play in advancing human and planetary health by helping scientists identify patterns and properties that the unaided human mind cannot,” said Glen Gowers, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Basecamp Research. “But these powerful AI models are only as good as the biological data on which they’re trained. We’re proud to have built the leading database of new biological protein sequences and show it’s possible to do this in a way that equitably compensates the countries whose biodiversity makes this possible.”

Dr. Gowers announced the biodiscovery expansion at the UK government’s ‘Nature Action: Mobilising Frameworks and Finance’ event during London Climate Action Week. The UK Government brought together foreign governments, business, finance and Indigenous leaders to increase the flows of private finance to nature conservation at an event today (25 June) at Lancaster House, London. His Majesty the King attended a reception at Lancaster house following the event. Gowers was selected to present Basecamp Research’s economic model, as a showcase case study at the event for incentivising nature conservation by sharing benefits, including upfront investment, training, equipment, scientific collaboration and royalties on revenue derived from novel solutions that the company develops for the life sciences sector. Basecamp Research is training a new class of biological foundation models with the goal of unlocking generalisable biological design and accelerating drug discovery.

Malawi, one of the world’s most critical biodiversity hotspots, offers a uniquely rich landscape shaped by the Great Rift Valley, elevated plateaus, and Lake Malawi, renowned as one of the most biologically diverse lakes on Earth. The country’s strong conservation ethos, embedded in national biodiversity strategies and community-led resource stewardship, makes it a natural partner for Basecamp Research. In collaboration with Malawi Environment Protection Agency (MEPA), Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and researchers at the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), Basecamp has established an Access and Benefit-Sharing agreement that encompasses data sharing, joint scientific research, funding, skills, technology transfer, and monetary benefits from future commercial applications.

In Hungary, a successful 12-month pilot project with the Balaton Limnological Research Institute has paved the way for a nationwide expansion. Following the project’s strong results, the Hungarian government has now agreed to scale up the collaboration across all of the country’s national parks. This marks a major step forward in cataloging Central Europe’s biodiversity.

Basecamp Research is partnering with scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography to investigate one of Earth’s most mysterious biological time capsules: ancient seafloor sediments. Using advanced DNA sequencing and specialized lab techniques, the collaboration is analyzing deep ocean sediment cores, including those from some of the planet’s most remote marine basins housed within Scripps’ renowned Core Sediment and Microfossil Collection. The goal is to uncover preserved genetic material and identify previously unknown species hidden in these time capsules of marine biodiversity.

Basecamp Research is also teaming up with Vancouver-based nature tech company veritree to pilot new and more accurate approaches to environmental data collection that could be expanded globally. The project combines veritree’s on-the-ground biological research with satellite images to better understand key ecosystem health metrics. By connecting what’s seen from space with what’s happening on the ground, veritree’s goal is to make carbon and biodiversity credits more accurate and trustworthy, demonstrating how nature-based partnerships can quickly support real-world conservation and restoration.

About Basecamp Research
Basecamp Research is solving the most pressing challenges in the life sciences by exploring Beyond Known Biology. We build foundational AI models on top of the world’s largest, ethically-sourced database of biological information to give AI the most complete understanding of biology ever. This allows us to design more complex biological systems with performance improving dramatically as AI sees more diversity and context. Basecamp Research collaborates with biopharma companies and academic research institutions to design novel protein sequences and biological systems that can transform therapeutic research and development. Our team of explorers, scientists and policy experts proudly work with more than 125 biodiversity partners in 27 countries across the globe, allowing us to deliver breakthroughs that can have a profound impact on healthcare and the lives of patients. Fast Company named Basecamp Research one of biotech’s top 10 Most Innovative Companies in 2025. For more information, visit basecamp-research.com.

Media Contact:
Adam Silverstein
SCIENT PR
adam@scientpr.com

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