The development of novel mixed lanthanide-transition-metal (f-d) based supramolecular self-assemblies made from neodymium-and ytterbium-based tetraamide-functionalized cyclen complexes bearing a single 1,10-phenanthroline moiety coordinating to a Ru-II-(bipy)(2) (bipy = bipyridine) unit is described. Excitation of the Ru(II) metal-to-ligand charge-transfer band in water gave rise to long-wavelength sensitized emission from the Yb(III) or Nd(III) centers, observed in the near-infrared.