Improving the detection of cancerous cells during surgery – this is the goal of the European research project CARMEN. The research institutes Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) from Germany and Multitel asbl from Belgium work together with companies from both countries, JenLab GmbH, DELTATEC, and LaserSpec, to develop a novel, compact and multimodal imaging system. This could even allow the examination of tissue samples directly during surgery.