Against the backdrop of increasing private-public partnerships over the last decades, we are able to see the first promising signs in terms of research output, proxied by patents. Although the dominant innovation model seems to remain independent research and development, the partnering motion has the potential to remedy the criticized lack of technology transfer in the nanotechnology field. Nations entering the nano-space can strengthen their potential for growth by capitalizing on collaborative environments. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.