HARVARD BIOSCIENCE INC

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

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Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

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April 21, 2026

Dear Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Annual Meeting will be held by virtual meeting only. You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. To be admitted to the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HBIO2026, you must enter the control number found on your proxy card, voting instruction form or notice you previously received. You may vote during the Annual Meeting by following the instructions available on the meeting website during the meeting. At the meeting, we will be voting on the matters described in the accompanying proxy statement.

We are using the Internet as our primary means of furnishing the proxy materials to our stockholders. This process expedites the delivery of proxy materials, ensures materials remain easily accessible to stockholders, and allows stockholders to receive clear instructions for receiving materials and voting.

We are mailing the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to stockholders on or about April 23, 2026. The proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “Annual Report”), are available at www.proxyvote.com.

The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions for our stockholders’ use of this process, including how to access or receive copies of our proxy statement and Annual Report and how to vote by Internet or mail. To the extent you receive a proxy card, such proxy card will also contain instructions on how to vote, including the option to vote by telephone.

If you are unable to attend the meeting virtually, it is still important that your shares be represented and voted. Therefore, regardless of the number of shares you own, PLEASE VOTE THROUGH THE INTERNET, BY TELEPHONE OR BY MAIL. Any stockholder who attends the meeting virtually may vote through the meeting website, even if he or she has already voted through the Internet, by telephone or by mail.

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on April 7, 2026 as the record date for determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. OUR ANNUAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AS A VIRTUAL MEETING. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE ONLINE, BY TELEPHONE OR BY COMPLETING, DATING, SIGNING AND PROMPTLY RETURNING YOUR PROXY CARD OR VOTING INSTRUCTION CARD IN THE POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE (WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED TO THOSE STOCKHOLDERS WHO REQUEST TO RECEIVE PAPER COPIES OF THESE MATERIALS BY MAIL) BEFORE THE ANNUAL MEETING SO THAT YOUR SHARES ARE REPRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING.

Sincerely,

John Duke

President and

Chief Executive Officer

(508) 893-8999

______________________

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on Tuesday, June 2, 2026

_____________________

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held on June 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET. The Annual Meeting will be held by virtual meeting only. You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. To be admitted to the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HBIO2026, you must enter the control number found on your proxy card, voting instruction form or notice you previously received. You may vote during the Annual Meeting by following the instructions available on the meeting website during the meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held for the following purposes:

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on April 7, 2026 as the record date for determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. Only holders of our Common Stock of record at the close of business on that date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. Each of the items of business listed above is more fully described in the proxy statement that accompanies this notice.

The Board of Directors of Harvard Bioscience, Inc. recommends that you vote:

● ”FOR” the election of the nominees of the Board of Directors as Directors of the Company;

● ”FOR” the proposal to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026;

● ”FOR” the proposal to approve, by a non-binding advisory vote, of the compensation of our named executive officers;

● ”FOR” the proposal to adopt and approve an amendment to the Harvard Bioscience, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock available for issuance by 120,000 shares of common stock; and

● ”FOR” the proposal to adopt and approve an amendment to the Harvard Bioscience, Inc. 2021 Incentive Plan to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock available for issuance by 400,000 shares of common stock.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting to be Held on June 2, 2026. The proxy statement and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the“Annual Report”) are available at www.proxyvote.com. The Annual Report, however, is not part of the proxy solicitation material.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

John Duke

President and

Chief Executive Officer

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. OUR ANNUAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AS A VIRTUAL MEETING. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE ONLINE, BY TELEPHONE OR BY COMPLETING, DATING, SIGNING AND PROMPTLY RETURNING YOUR PROXY CARD OR VOTING INSTRUCTIONS CARD IN THE POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE (WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED TO THOSE STOCKHOLDERS WHO REQUEST TO RECEIVE PAPER COPIES OF THESE MATERIALS BY MAIL) BEFORE THE ANNUAL MEETING SO THAT YOUR SHARES ARE REPRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING.

Proxy Statement

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(508) 893-8999

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**PROXY STATEMENT