Royal DSM, a global company in Health, Nutrition & Bioscience, and ASR Dutch Science Park Fund announced on Thursday, April 6, a long-term partnership to transform the Biotech Campus Delft (BCD) into a world leader in bioscience.
Through this collaboration, the two organisations will work together to expand the bioscience ecosystem in Delft, the Netherlands, and boost the Dutch knowledge sector, sustainable food innovations, and the bio-based economy.
Pumping hundreds of million
As a part of the collaboration, ASR Dutch Science Park Fund will provide several hundred million euros to support the open innovation campus’s growth.
It will include the construction of new offices, shared facilities, and laboratories, as well as the acquisition of existing buildings.
The campus is set to bring together top-class research institutes, R&D, startups, scale-ups, fermentation expertise, and commercial activities at scale in one location.
Invest up to €500M in real estate
As part of the collaboration, the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund will acquire the existing offices and labs that DSM rents to startups and other tenants on the campus, and invest up to €500M in real estate at the location over 20 years.
DSM will remain the owner of the Rosalind Franklin Biotech Center and landlord of the Biotech Campus Delft, including the infrastructure and the utilities.
DSM will also improve the accessibility of the campus to enable its long-term development.
Enjoyable eating and drinking experiences
The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund will also invest in the new global head office building for DSM’s Food and Beverage business group, which, following the completion of the proposed merger with Firmenich, will become a new, combined unit Taste, Texture & Health.
The new unit will create a global leader in serving the food and beverage industry with extensive capabilities, helping customers provide more enjoyable eating and drinking experiences through improved taste and texture and supporting health through better nutrition.
The new, sustainable, and energy-efficient building, with a BREEAM Outstanding certificate, will house around 500 employees and will be completed by early 2025.
These will help customers to expand their portfolio with more delicious, nutritious, and sustainable food products, such as plant protein-based alternatives for fish, meat, and cheese, and other solutions for the dairy, baking, and brewing industry.
Development of science parks
Additionally, the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund is already investing in the development of science parks through partnerships, such as with the Technical University of Delft and Kennispark Twente.
These partnerships allow the fund to invest in the broad scope of real estate to service and further develop the ecosystems in these locations.
However, a.s.r. Real Estate emphasises that investing, in addition to the chance of a return, also entails risks.
Marja van Bijsterveldt, mayor of Delft, says, “Great that DSM and the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund are joining forces to further develop the Biotech Campus Delft into a global leader in biosciences.”
“With the fund’s investment, Delft, the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund, and DSM will make a tremendous, even bigger contribution to the bio-based economy in the coming decades. It is important that Delft and DSM take up this development, which will also have an impact on the city, together,” adds Bijsterveldt.
Dimitri de Vreeze, Co-CEO of DSM, says, “We can be proud of the Dutch food system knowhow, the knowledge ecosystem and the innovations that arise from it. Delft is a pivotal place for DSM in food and biosciences. We must transform our food system and make our food more sustainable, healthier, more nutritious, and better tasting with respect for the wishes of producers, farmers, and consumers.”
Jos Baeten, CEO of a.s.r., says, ‘With this long-term investment in the Biotech Campus Delft, the ASR Dutch Science Park Fund contributes to stimulating the Dutch knowledge sector.”
“Through the realisation of offices and laboratories, companies and scientists can work together on important innovations in the field of food and the development of new products needed for a more sustainable future. This is what the fund’s participants, including a.s.r. and other Dutch insurance companies and pension funds, are keen to contribute to,” adds Baeten.
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