Berlin, December 23, 2025 – The ‘Berlin CGT’ (Cell and Gene Therapies) life science project, situated near Berlin’s Central Station, has successfully secured its financing. Hamburger Sparkasse is providing over 100 million Euros for the ambitious undertaking by iQ spaces and UBS Asset Management. This brings one of Europe’s most ambitious research construction projects significantly closer to realization.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Held in September 2025
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new ‘iQ space Berlin-Mitte’ research center, which will feature ten floors and approximately 20,000 square meters of usable space, took place on September 16, 2025, with all project participants present. The project’s total volume is estimated at around 200 million Euros, making it one of the most significant life science developments in Europe and a central component for biomedical research in Germany. Completion is scheduled for 2028.
A Hub for Collaboration: Research, Clinic, and Industry
The project is set to emerge in the vicinity of the Bayer Open Innovation Campus, close to Berlin’s Central Station and the Charité University Hospital Berlin-Campus Mitte. iQ spaces and UBS Asset Management plan a ten-story innovation center for biotechnology and life science companies, spanning approximately 20,000 square meters of usable space.
According to the project participants, the building will not only offer laboratory and research areas but is envisioned as a place where science, clinical practice, and industry will collaborate closely. The objective is to accelerate development processes and bring new therapies to application faster.
Key Partners and Early Leases Secured for ‘Berlin CGT’
Several key players are involved in the project, including Bayer AG, the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, and Charité itself. The Managing Director of iQ spaces stated that the project aims to sustainably strengthen Berlin’s position as an international science hub and create new spaces for innovation. The architectural design is being handled by HENN, with SMV overseeing project management. WOLFF & MÜLLER is responsible for the turnkey implementation.
Even before construction began, significant portions of the building were leased long-term. Approximately 11,000 square meters are already accounted for. Bayer AG plans to establish the ‘Bayer Co.Lab,’ an incubator for biopharma start-ups, across roughly 4,400 square meters. An additional 6,500 square meters will be utilized by Gene and Cell Therapies Incubator Berlin GmbH, a joint venture between Bayer and Charité. This early commitment from research-oriented tenants provides additional planning security for the project.
Challenging Construction for a Technically Sophisticated Research Building
The groundbreaking for the research center occurred in September 2025. The comparatively short construction period of around two and a half years presents high demands on planning and implementation, especially given the technically sophisticated laboratory requirements. With the financing now secured, a central prerequisite has been met. Whether the ambitious goal of effectively intertwining research, clinical practice, and industry under one roof will succeed in practice will only become clear after commissioning. However, ‘Berlin CGT’ is expected to be one of the most influential research building projects in the coming years.
Source: https://www.entwicklungsstadt.de/finanzierung-gesichert-life-science-projekt-berlin-cgt-entsteht-nahe-hauptbahnhof/
