Tolocar/OpenFlexure Microscope in Ukraine

▼This page is part of the Tolocar project by GIZ.This content is open edit, which means we encourage you to edit and reuse all materials while respecting its license.

The project "Microscopes for Everyone" empowers makers in Ukraine to manufacture high-quality digital OpenFlexure Microscopes locally and brings them into classrooms, research labs, and healthcare institutions where they’re needed most.

The approach of the initiative consists of 3 main components:

• Enabling makers in Ukraine to manufacture microscopes locally: Makers in Ukraine are enthusiastic about creating and inventing. We organize workshops and trainings in Ukraine and support with the procurement of parts.
• Providing access to microscopes for education, research and more: Access to modern equipment is lacking, impeding scientific progress and practical education. We equip institutions with high quality, locally produced microscopes.
• Building a decentral manufacturing network in Ukraine: By linking Ukrainian makers with each other and with end users, we’re creating a resilient network that enables local production and sustainable business models.

One of the first OpenFlexure microscopes in Ukraine was built in the context of #Tolocar in partnership with the NGO Okhtyrka Youth Center.In the beginning of 2024, the Okhtyrka District Department of the State Institution “Sumy Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” received a digital microscope for the institution's microbiological laboratory from the energetic and active youth team assembled by the energetic team of Okhtyrka Youth Center. This enables the research center to obtain high-quality epidemiological evidence for making informed decisions when responding to the emergence of an infection - at a fraction of the cost of traditional microscopes.

The initiative “Microscopes For Everyone” initially came together mid 2024, when a team of motivated people from different organizations (GIZ Ukraine, Humanitarian Technology Trust and Fab Foundation Europe) applied for GIZ Innovation Fund. This is an ideas competition open to GIZ employees and their external partners to promote innovation enhancing the effectiveness of development cooperation. Over the course of a year the participating teams go through several phases and selection or voting processes. During their learning journey, the teams do research, talk to their target groups, refine their approach, create prototypes, and receive feedback by peers. In June 2025, the “Microscopes for Everyone” team received the GIZ Innovation award for their initiative and now continues to break down barriers to science, education, and healthcare in Ukraine.

With the prize money, the team conducts multiple building workshops. The first microscope building workshop was hosted in Mykolaiv: Together with Mykolaiv Water Hub, we brought together an inspiring group of experts and young changemakers to build OpenFlexure Microscopes in Mykolaiv. Nine professionals from the Ukrainian water sector joined forces with ten young scholarship holders from the “Girls in STEM” program to learn how to manufacture high-quality digital microscopes. Despite interruptions from air raid alerts, the participants successfully assembled five microscopes in one day. These microscopes will support efforts to monitor water quality and environmental risks in Mykolaiv—a region deeply affected by the war. The workshop was more than a technical training; it was a powerful demonstration of how local innovation, cross-generational collaboration, and youth engagement can directly strengthen public services and community resilience.

All rsources (bill of materials, assembly instructions

etc.) can be found on the OpenFlexure website.

More information about the initiative can be found on the "Microscopes for Everyone" website.