Researchers and engineers from the University of Bath, the University of Glasgow and the OpenFlexure Project set up the charity in 2025.

The idea is easy to explain and hard to pull off. They want to take technologies that work in the lab and get them to the people who need them most. They do this by publishing open designs that anyone can build, repair and adapt locally, without depending on expensive equipment or fragile supply chains.

The Trust’s first project is the OpenFlexure Microscope, an open-source automated digital microscope. Microscopes are used in research, in diagnosing disease and in teaching. Even so, modern automated microscopes are still hard to get hold of in much of the world. OpenFlexure has now been used in at least 75 countries, and on every continent, including Antarctica.

Dr Julian Stirling, the Trust’s Chief Executive, says the charity exists to fill a gap that commercial investment tends to leave open:

Universities are fantastic at creating technologies that could transform millions of lives. But taking a technology to market usually means focusing on the customers who can generate a return for investors, rather than the people who could benefit from it most.

The move follows a grant of 800,000 USDC from the Balvi Philanthropic Fund, which Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin set up (USDC is a digital currency pegged to the US dollar). The grant pays for an 18-month programme to develop the microscope further and help manufacturers and organisations adopt it. Part of that work is supporting partners in countries such as Brazil and Kenya so they can 3D print their own diagnostic microscopes.

Andrea Kelly, Innovation Centre Manager, said:

We're delighted to welcome the Humanitarian Technology Trust. Democratisation of microscopy is so important to ensure the diagnosis of disease is not limited by expensive equipment. The Trust, through supporting open-sourced technologies, puts vital scientific tools into the hands of the people who need them most. We're proud to see this pioneering work being led from Bath, demonstrating how innovation from our region can deliver meaningful social impact on a global scale.