AEW Europe enters German life sciences market

Global real estate investor AEW Europe has made its first foray into the German life sciences market by purchasing a new, fully occupied 10,900 m2 property in Gräfelfing, Munich. 

Gräfelfing life sciences hub

The building, acquired off-market from Aventin Real Estate, is a state-of-the-art, six-story facility with offices and laboratories. It's fully leased to three top international life sciences companies with an average lease term of about 10 years.
Built between 2022 and 2024, the property is highly sustainable, featuring solar panels, district heating, EV charging stations, and smart building systems, earning it a LEED Platinum certification.
The location is a prime spot within Germany's leading life sciences and biotech hub, home to over 450 life science companies within a 4 km radius. Munich's metropolitan area alone houses 21% of Germany's biotech firms, including major players like GSK and Moderna. Tenants also benefit from proximity to renowned research institutions such as Ludwig Maximilians-Universität München and various Max-Planck Institutes. The area is well-connected by both road and public transport.
Jeffrey King, senior fund manager at AEW Europe, commented: “This acquisition represents our first in the German life sciences sector and builds on our existing investments in this asset class in Denmark. The life sciences sector continues to thrive in Germany, supported by strong industry fundamentals, which are driving increasing demand from tenants for modern space situated in established life science and biotech hubs such as Gräfelfing. For these reasons, we maintain our conviction in this sector, which we believe offers an attractive risk-return profile for our investors. This investment seeks to continue to secure long-term and indexed income from three major players in this space.”
Niklas Räther, head of Investment Germany at AEW Europe, added: “Munich remains one of AEW Europe’s key target markets in Germany, with strong fundamentals and proven liquidity across all real estate sectors. With this acquisition, we further strengthen our footprint in the market, adding an asset that underlines our commitment to a resilient, long-term real estate investment.”
AEW Europe received advice from Greenberg Traurig, Drees & Sommer, and BNP Paribas Real Estate, while Aventin Real Estate was advised by Sozelio Rechtsanwälte.