ASR Dutch Science Park Fund qualifies as impact investment

The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund has been classified as an impact investment by anchor investor a.s.r. and received "reasonable assurance" from fund auditor KPMG. a.s.r. real estate’s definition of impact investment has been assessed against the standards of INREV and GIIN. The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund invests in sustainable commercial real estate located on Dutch science parks. This allows the Fund to not only positively impact the ecosystems of these science parks, but to also create an ideal environment for companies that make positive contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

By providing an ideal environment on science parks for companies focussing on innovative and sustainable products and solutions, the Fund makes a valuable contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). One example is the Oldelft B.V. company. Oldelft develops medical ultrasound transducers that are most often used in the field of cardiology. Another example is Lionex International. This tenant of The Gallery in Twente is a leading global supplier of customised microsystem solutions in scalable production volumes. Its applications tie in with the themes of energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, water, and health. With this in mind, the Fund not only reports on its direct impact on the ecosystems of science parks, but also on the impact of users in relation to the UN SDG. The Fund does so on the basis of the UN PRI Impact Investing Market Map, which offers investors a practical link between the broad ambitions of the sustainable development goals and the specific opportunities for impact investment.

The Fund’s strategy and objectives in the field of impact investment correspond to the standards formulated for that purpose by the INREV (the European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles) and the GIIN (the Global Impact Investing Network).

Over 70% of the portfolio has a positive impact on the local ecosystems

The ASR Dutch Science Park Fund invests in sustainable commercial real estate that contributes to the optimisation of Dutch science park ecosystems. The Fund aims to invest at least 50% of its portfolio in real estate that has a positive and measurable impact on local ecosystems. Reports on this aim are published periodically. As of 31 December 2020, 72% of the Fund’s portfolio meets these criteria.

Partnerships with government bodies and semi-public institutions

In addition to individual investments, the Fund also invests through partnerships with government bodies and semi-public institutions; universities and local government bodies in particular. These partnerships create a low-risk environment that allows the Fund to invest in a wider range of real estate and to contribute to the further development of the science parks in which the Fund and its partners have a common interest.