Developing new materials with special properties is of crucial importance for scientific progress in areas such as energy, construction, environmentally responsible technologies, transport and electronics. Aarhus University has therefore established the interdisciplinary Centre for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), hosted by Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), which opened on 15 August. iMAT will support a number of industries and generally meet some of the global challenges we face in the future.