Header Image: Concept art for the interior of ‘Plus Ultra Gent’ at Tech Lane Ghent Science Park.
Science buildings are the space in which the magic happens. From labs filled with workbenches, microscopes, and fume hoods, cleanrooms, auditoriums, and meeting spaces — these are the rooms where new ideas are tested, shared, and discussed.
For over two decades, Kadans Science Partner has invested in real estate for companies active in four sectors: Life Sciences & Health, Agri & Food, Chemistry & Energy, and High-Tech Systems & Materials. “These are not standard workspaces,” says Kurt De Nil, Commercial Asset Manager for Kadans Belgium. “Science companies require specialized infrastructure, which is expensive to develop, operate, and maintain.”
Unlike most real estate developers, Kadans doesn’t simply hand over the keys of a new building to a buyer. Instead, Kadans maintains ownership of the buildings, renting out space to organizations that require these kinds of specialized facilities.
“By removing that burden of capital expenditure for science companies, our tenants can instead invest their resources into R&D. We help them focus on what they do best: creating new food and health solutions for society,” says De Nil.
From Startups to Global Superstars
In European real estate, Kadans’ strategy of maintaining ownership is very rare. “We stay with some of our tenants throughout their life cycle, offering them new, larger spaces as the company grows,” explains Thomas De Greef, Development Manager of Kadans Belgium.
One example is Utrecht Science Park, where Kadans owns Genmab’s Research Center and Accelerator, “supporting Genmab’s growth from specialized biotech company to the global powerhouse that they are today,” he says.
“Very few real estate developers offer this in Europe, because designing laboratories requires a lot of technical expertise.” – Thomas De Greef
Though its long track record, Kadans has developed a standard fit out for new buildings but also works with new clients to adapt spaces to their specific scientific needs. “We make sure that when our tenants move in, they can get straight to work in a lab-ready building,” says De Greef. “Very few real estate developers offer this in Europe, because designing laboratories requires a lot of technical expertise, which takes a long time to acquire.”
Embedded in European Innovation Hubs
Given their investment model of continuous operation, Kadans requires a steady influx of new tenants, to replace companies that graduate to larger buildings or those that don’t make it. To ensure that the model is sustainable, Kadans selects sites embedded in European innovation hubs — near universities, where academic breakthroughs regularly get translated into spinouts, or in science parks, where accelerators and incubators are alive with early-stage companies.
“Lately, times have been tough for European science companies,” says De Greef. “Geopolitical tensions have resulted in conservative VCs, less willing to invest in high-risk, high-reward sectors like biotech. When companies can’t find funding, we also have a harder time finding tenants.”
“We are here to lay the groundwork, so companies will have somewhere to grow and flourish.” – Kurt De Nil
However, Kadans isn’t investing in short-term prospects — it’s developing real estate for the future of European innovation “ten, twenty, thirty years from now,” says De Nil.
“There will always be new ideas generated at our top universities and research institutes, which will need space to develop into fully fledged companies,” he says. “We are here to lay the groundwork, so companies will have somewhere to grow and flourish.”
More Space for Science
Kadans’ journey began nearly twenty years ago with the acquisition of a first building in the Netherlands, on the Wageningen Campus. Since then, its network has expanded across Europe — from the Netherlands to Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, and Spain — with over 70 buildings in 30 science clusters housing more than 500 innovative tenants.
“In Wageningen, where it all started, we have a focus on agrifood and recently signed a lease with Yakult,” says De Nil. “In France, we’re embedded in the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster, where we have a collaboration with the Gustave Roussy Hospital and partnerships with key oncology players. And in the heart of London’s financial district, Canary Wharf, we are currently building the tallest lab building in Europe. When completed in 2027, it will be about 70,000 square meters of space dedicated to cutting-edge science.”
In Belgium, Kadans has already invested in infrastructure in three key innovation hubs, with development underway for several new buildings. In the Tech Lane Ghent Science Park affiliated with UGent and VIB, Kadans is building a new accelerator in a joint venture with PMV — another Biovia member. Development is also ongoing in the Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park, where 10,000 m3 of labs and offices is being created. Meanwhile, in the Arenberg Science Park near KU Leuven and imec, Kadans has plans to expand its existing infrastructure for ventures specializing in engineering and materials science.
Read this article to learn more about how PMV supports health innovation!
“In Belgium, our ambition is to support the dynamic ecosystems that have developed around these world-class universities and research institutes,” says De Nil. “These hubs already have long track records of turning research into globally successful companies. We’re reinforcing that — by expanding infrastructure, but also by organizing events, lectures, and bringing people together.”
Connecting Over a Cup of Coffee
Kadans makes a point to connect people, not only within the innovation hubs where they are located but also across Europe. With buildings in multiple regions and countries, Kadans has set up an application to facilitate networking. “If a tenant has to travel to London or Madrid, they can book a meeting room in any of our buildings,” says De Greef. “This makes it easier for people to meet with new clients, business partners or investors.”
Another strategy is included in the architecture of the buildings themselves, which are designed to encourage informal interactions on a day-to-day basis. This includes a central atrium, where Kadans purposefully makes a lot of communal services available to tenants.
“We design our buildings so people connect naturally, striking up a conversation over lunch or a cup of coffee in a shared space.” – Thomas De Greef
“We design our buildings so people connect naturally, striking up a conversation over lunch or a cup of coffee in a shared space. These casual chats can often help people form professional connections or even serve as starting points for new spin-offs,” says De Greef.
Where the Magic Happens
Normally a real estate developer’s involvement ends when they hand over the keys to the new owners of a building. But in maintaining ownership and responsibility for operations, Kadans is a true partner to the science taking place in its spaces.
“Our clients’ success doesn’t just translate into commercial gain for us — it also helps create new solutions for society,” says De Nil.
De Greef concurs: “We provide people with state-of-the-art buildings, so that the brilliant minds of this world have the right atmosphere, tools, and facilities they need to invent new technologies and therapies. It’s an incredible feeling to tell your children that a life-saving product was created in a space you helped construct.”
