Nanotechnology has been and still is a ‘hot’ research topic, and the Netherlands have a forefront position in the scientific field. The expectation is that nano will be fuelling new applications and functionalities. Time has come to exploit the potential and create real impact in industry and society. To this end, TU Delft has initiated the Nano Engineering Research Initiative (NERI), a collaborative research programme aimed at moving nano from lab to app. On 25 October 2017, NERI went public officially. An inspiration event was organised to mark the occasion.