Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging is one of the most promising emerging optical technologies that might revolutionize preclinical research as well as clinical diagnosis and medical practice. To unlock its full potential and thus to arise as the next gold standard in the biomedical field, SWIR imaging needs bright and targeted imaging agents. The BENIGN project is poised to tackle such a challenge by developing a new optical imaging solution using efficient lanthanide-based heterogeneous core-shell structures as SWIR probes. The latter will be focused on emission ranges between 1500-1700 nm and 1700-2000 nm to fully exploit the advantages of SWIR photons. With complementary skills and research expertise, the consortium between the NCT/UCC Dresden (NCT at the DKFZ) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is ideally positioned to tackle such a challenge. It is anticipated that several Helmholtz Centers doing pre-clinical imaging, would benefit from the proposed SWIR imaging solution.