Moving ahead into 2025 with a sound financial basis: ESPG invests in portfolio development

Moving ahead into 2025 with a sound financial basis: ESPG invests in portfolio development

• Sound financial basis following the successful conclusion of the StaRUG process: EUR 12.8 million provided for the restructuring and capitalization of the association.
• In Ulm, ESPG is preparing to re-let the "Science City" science park after Nokia exercised a termination option.
• New rental agreements with Nichia and Meknes GmbH confirm the high demand for highly specialized Science Park space.

Cologne, 20 March 2025: The European Science Park Group (ESPG), a real estate company specializing in science parks, is focusing on the further development of its science park portfolio in 2025. With the successful conclusion of the StaRUG process, the company's financial basis has been secured for the long term and a solid foundation for further business development has been created. This step should increase the equity reported in the balance sheet to EUR 83.7 million. Investors have provided new liquidity amounting to EUR 12.8 million, which will enable the company to secure a sound financial basis, undertake required investments in the portfolio and path the way for a successful future of ESPG.

Ralf Nöcker, Executive Board Member of ESPG AG: "With the successful conclusion of the restructuring process, we have created a stable basis for the targeted further development of our portfolio. The new funds enable us to carry out the required investments in our portfolio to keep our properties competitive. This allows us to react flexibly to market changes and at the same time increase the attractiveness of our science parks considerably."

Re-letting in Ulm: Investments ensure property quality standard
One focal point for ESPG in the ongoing optimization of the Science Park portfolio is currently the re-letting of space in the Science Park "Science City" in Ulm. The telecommunications group Nokia has exercised a contractual termination option at at the end of 2025. ESPG is already in talks with potential new tenants to ensure a swift re-letting. The overall objective is to strengthen the property in the long term and to increase its attractiveness for new tenants.

New rental agreements confirm high demand for Science Park space
The latest rental contract conclusions confirm that specialized science parks remain to be popular. The world's leading LED developer Nichia has expanded its rental space in the BlueCircle Science Park in Würselen by 222 m² to a total of 1,146 m². Nichia will  use the additional space for its research with prototypes. At the same time, the site is benefiting from Meknes GmbH, which is opening a 1,000 m² nursing school there. This aims to train urgently needed specialists for the healthcare sector and integrate international talent into the German labour market. Nichia's long-term commitment confirms the attractiveness of the BlueCircle Science Park as a centre of innovation in the Aachen technology hub. At the same time, the Meknes nursing school strengthens the location by training urgently needed specialists.

ESPG starts 2025 with a precise strategic focus
With a stable financial position and planned targeted investments in the portfolio, ESPG is strengthening the competitiveness of its properties and is creating long-term prospects for tenants. The continuing high demand for specialised scientific space confirms the focus on technology-driven companies and research-related locations. With this distinct strategic approach, ESPG is entering the 2025 property year with confidence - with a portfolio that is geared towards sustainable growth and provides optimum support for innovative tenants.

Markus Drews, Executive Board Member of ESPG AG, adds: "With the newly acquired stable financial basis and our clear strategic direction, we believe that ESPG is once again well positioned for the coming years. We are focusing on further enhancing our locations, entering into new rental partnerships and making targeted investments in our portfolio. In this way, we not only create sustainable value for our stakeholders, but also strengthen the innovative power of the companies that research and work in our science parks."

About ESPG
The European Science Park Group (ESPG) is a real estate company specialising in science parks. The company focuses on the development of science parks, predominantly characterised by tenants from future-oriented sectors such as life sciences, green technologies or digital transformation, which benefit from their proximity to each other and their direct proximity to universities, hospitals or research locations. ESPG's portfolio already comprises 16 science parks across Europe with a total area of 126,000 square metres. The sites are generally located outside metropolises, in areas that are considered science clusters or have a high concentration of innovative companies.

Press contact:
Jan Hutterer
T +49 40 60 91 86 83
M +49 172 3462831
espg@kirchhoff.de