Upgrade to an existing widefield microscope

Turun yliopisto

Published: May 8, 2026

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Source: hilma_fi

About This Opportunity

Turun yliopisto Finland: Upgrade to an existing widefield microscope. Supply contract, governance & public sector. Submission deadline Nov 2026.

This is a supplies contract in the governance and public administration sector. Located in Finland, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums. Proposals must be submitted before November 8, 2026.

Published through Hilma Finland, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for the supply of goods in the governance and public administration sector. Supply contracts typically require bidders to demonstrate product compliance with technical specifications, delivery capacity, and relevant certifications. This is an advance notice — the formal tender is expected to be published shortly. Interested parties can use this time to prepare documentation and identify potential partners.

Description

Upgrade to an existing widefield microscope The University of Turku / Turku Bioscience Centre intends to procure an upgrade to an existing widefield microscope. The purchase is funded by Research Council of Finland, FIRI-grant 26081267.

The existing Nikon Ti2-based microscope system was originally purchased following an EU-wide tendering process: HILMA 2016-0016596, TED 2016/S 120-212960. The current procurement concerns a technical upgrade to this existing microscope platform, not the purchase of a new standalone system.

The intended Nikon iLas2 upgrade will provide the additional functionalities required to expand the existing microscope into a system capable of advanced TIRF imaging, FRAP, and photomanipulation. These capabilities are essential for the planned smart microscopy workflows at the Turku Bioscience Centre Microscopy Facility.

The key technical requirement is that the upgrade must be seamlessly integrated into the existing Nikon Eclipse Ti2 microscope and controlled through Nikon NIS-Elements software. This integration is essential because the microscope is used for automated and adaptive imaging workflows based on NIS-Elements JOBS. The planned smart microscopy pipelines require coordinated control of the microscope hardware, TIRF illumination angle, laser lines, photomanipulation/FRAP module, camera acquisition, filter wheels, and existing data acquisition hardware within a single software environment.

Alternative systems that are not fully integrated into Nikon NIS-Elements, or that are not fully compatible with NIS-Elements JOBS, would not meet the technical requirements of the procurement. Such alternatives would compromise the ability to run automated smart microscopy workflows in TIRF mode and would create incompatibilities with the existing microscope platform, software environment, and established imaging pipelines. Therefore, replacing the intended Nikon upgrade with components from another manufacturer or supplier would not constitute a reasonable substitute solution.

BergmanLabora AB is the sole representative of Nikon Europe B.V. in Finland, and as such is the only distributor with the right to distribute, market and sell Nikon microscopes within the jurisdiction of Finland. There are no other parties appointed by Nikon or otherwise authorized to sell Nikon microscopes in this territory. As such, BergmanLabora AB is also the only distributor authorized to deliver said upgrade in Finland.

According to the Act on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts (1397/2016) section 40 when only a certain supplier can implement the procurement for a technical reason, or for a reason related to protecting an exclusive right, provided also that there are no reasonable alternatives or substitute solutions and that the absence of competition is not due to an artificial narrowing of the terms and conditions of the procurement, the contract may be awarded only to a particular supplier, contracting authorities may award public contracts by a direct award.

Prior to making decision the contracting authority has inspected the relevant markets and available products and after careful consideration found its' conclusion grounded.,

CPV: 38518100 38000000

Organisation: Turun yliopisto

Procedure: neg-wo-call

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from Hilma Finland and was originally published on May 8, 2026. Last refreshed 6 days ago. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About Turun yliopisto

Turun yliopisto has issued 19 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 1 currently open and 10 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in General Supplies & Services, Education & Training, and Construction & Civil Works. All notices are published for Finland. Notices are distributed via Hilma Finland and TED - Tenders Electronic Daily (EU). Most recent publication: June 12, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

When does this tender close?

The submission deadline is November 8, 2026. You have 136 days left to prepare and submit your proposal to the contracting authority.

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by Turun yliopisto in Finland. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.

What type of contract is this?

This is a Supplies contract in the Governance & Public Administration sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in Finland. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit Hilma Finland to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions provided by the contracting authority.