The development of optical coatings experienced rapid growth in the last few decades for a wide range of applications. The strong demand is motivated by the progress of new generation sources, large-scale facilities, new lithography arrangements, innovative methods for materials science investigation, biosensors, and instruments for space and solar physics observations. The research activities carried out at the Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (Padova) of the National Research Council range from the design and characterization of optical components for space activities to the development of nanostructured coatings for several tools, including biosensors and surface plasmon resonance devices. The expertise, the recent results, the ongoing activities and the future developments will be presented and reviewed in this forum.