This is an exciting time for the field of bio-nano science: enormous progress has been made in recent years, especially in academic research, and materials developed and studied in this area are poised to make a substantial impact in real-world applications. Herein, we discuss ways to leverage the strengths of the field, current limitations, and valuable lessons learned from neighboring fields that can be adopted to accelerate scientific discovery and translational research in bio-nano science. We identify and discuss five interconnected topics: (i) the advantages of cumulative research; (ii) the necessity of aligning projects with research priorities; (iii) the value of transparent science; (iv) the opportunities presented by "dark data"; and (v) the importance of establishing bio-nano standards.