NanOp is the national network for the application of lateral nanostructures, nano-analytical techniques, and optoelectronics comprising large, medium sized and small companies, national institutes for applied and fundamental research and universities. Its work is based on a coherent management strategy. The network unites nationally and internationally leading and well-recognized groups from various parts of Germany in the three above mentioned fields and the Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg, lead by Nobel price winner Zh. Alferov. It has a clearly defined profile and one goal: to speed up research in and development of nanotechnologies for radically new proprietary NanOp products, components and systems based on these components.