This IRSES proposal has the objective to design innovative functional magnetic or fluorescent materials and probes based on metallacrown complexes.The project involves six research groups (4 EU and 2 from Other Third Countries) with complementary expertise and the common aim to develop new metallacrown complexes with novel magnetic, photophysical and structural properties be used as tools in bio- or nanotechnological devices. The partners involved in this project have already collaborated in the past and served as co-authors in several joint papers.Here, the partners aim to set up a common platform to promote and strengthen their joint activities through the support of the secondments of their researchers. Through this network, they will take advantage of the expertise and techniques available at their institutions on the synthesis, characterization and organization on surfaces of metal complexes to obtain materials, devices and probes for bio-nanotechnological applications. Training aspects will be considered in the project activities: graduate students and early career scientists will significantly improve their skills and expertise through their secondments to other laboratories, while the hosting institutions will benefit from visits of senior scientists and collaborators. Regular workshops and seminars delivered at the hosting institutions by the seconded researchers will also increase the visibility of the project.This IRSES eventually aims to establish and support multilateral transfer of knowledge and expertise among the involved EU and Extra-EU research teams. On one hand this will stimulate the aggregation of scientists into an EU to worldwide network on the research on functional materials and molecular devices, increasing in turn the competitiveness of ERA and its attractiveness to foreign researchers. On the other hand, this network will promote the set-up of new future research projects and new long-term collaborations between the partners.