AEW completes first German life sciences investment with acquisition of 10,900 sqm asset in Munich
December 04, 2025
AEW, one of the world’s largest real estate investment and asset managers1, announces the off-market acquisition of a 10,900 sqm newly built, fully let life sciences asset from Aventin Real Estate, in Gräfelfing, Munich, one of Germany’s and Europe’s leading life sciences hubs. This transaction marks AEW’s first investment in Germany’s life sciences market.
This Grade A asset features modern and flexible office and highly efficient laboratory spaces across a six-storey building. It is fully let to three international leading life sciences companies and primary institutional-grade tenants. The asset has a WAULT of c. 10 years.
Constructed between 2022 and 2024, the building boasts strong sustainability credentials, including PV installations, district heating, e-charging facilities, and smart building and heating systems. It obtained the LEED Platinum certification.
Strategically situated in one of Germany’s foremost life sciences and biotech clusters, more than 450 life science companies are located within a 4 km radius of the asset. Notably, 21% of the country’s biotechnology firms are based in the Munich metropolitan area, which includes prominent companies such as GSK, Biogen, MSD, Moderna, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Occupants in this cluster also benefit from proximity to the Ludwig Maximilians-Universität München, the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, the Max-Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence as well as the Innovation Centre of Biotechnology. The location offers excellent connectivity by road and public transport, including the A95 and A96 motorways and an S-Bahn link into Munich.
Jeffrey King, Senior Fund Manager at AEW, 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 generates secure, long-term, and indexed income from three major players in this space, while its outstanding ESG credentials support our sustainability strategy.”
Niklas Räther, Head of Investment Germany at AEW, added: “Munich remains one of AEW’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 AEW’s commitment to a future-proof asset class.”
AEW was advised by Greenberg Traurig, Drees & Sommer and BNP Paribas Real Estate. Aventin Real Estate was advised by Sozelio Rechtsanwälte.