  This article illustrates how open hardware solutions are implemented by
researchers as a strategy to access technology for cutting-edge research.
Specifically, it is discussed what kind of open technologies are most enabling
in scientific environments characterized by economic and infrastructural
constraints. It is demonstrated that do-it-yourself (DIY) technologies are
already wide spread, in particular in countries with lower science funding,
which in turn is the basis for the development of open technologies. Beyond
financial accessibility, open hardware can be transformational to the
technology access of laboratories through advantages in local production and
direct knowledge transfer. Central drivers of the adoption of appropriate
technologies in biolabs globally are open sharing, digital fabrication, local
production, standard parts use, and detailed documentation.
