In today's success story, we will be discussing Kadans Science Partner, a Dutch company that is a prominent name in the European PropSci industry, and its expansion to Paris Region. Kadans focuses on creating specialized environments for scientific organizations to promote innovation and growth in various scientific sectors. This interview will focus on Kadans' strategic move to Paris Region and explore the advantages of its ecosystem that make it the future of the PropSci market.

Could you tell us a few words about Kadans?

Kadans Science Partner is the European leader in the “PropSci” market. We invest, develop, and operate specialized assets to complement science clusters across Europe. These are not just standard workspaces. We create environments in which scientific organizations can thrive. Specialized assets that are curated to suit your needs and support future growth.

Within each specialized asset and wider science cluster you’ll find organizations of all sizes, which can help you scale or support you as you need. Whether you need access to talent, research, or capital, we can connect you with the right people, in the right organization.

We are now present in 6 countries, on 27 sciences clusters, and host more than 400 clients, who share the same DNA: innovation to overcome global challenges.

What made Kadans decide to expand to Paris Region?

In 2021 Kadans decided to take another step in its European development by opening an office in Paris.

France has many resources regarding the life science sector: great academics, very high standard fundamental research, and major industries in various fields. It also has a public sector driven through innovation, with a lot of Startup creations, and a lot of structures to help them grow (incubators, accelerators) such as the French Tech.

Paris Region attracts the majority of investments, and the best talents, 1/3 of the researchers in France are located in Paris Region. It also has the best academics, with Paris Saclay University ranking 1st in the world for Mathematics and Physics. It was a natural location to start our first development in France.

What were the ecosystem's assets compared to other EU Regions?

All locations have their qualities, but so far what we have seen in Paris Region is the collective will to make the ecosystem grow.
There is a complementarity and an alignment of interest of all stakeholders whether it is the local authorities, the academics, the research institutes, VCs, or the industrials to accelerate the innovation. We have been welcomed by Paris Region, and they helped us navigate through the different parties, which makes our integration easier.

Could you tell us about your recent acquisitions of the sites in Villejuif and Saclay? How will these two sites be used for research & innovation?

Villejuif is an incredible location in terms of connection with the arrival of subway lines 14 and 15. It is also an upcoming cluster around innovation in oncology near Gustave Roussy Hospital that illustrates what I have just said about the alignment of stakeholders. We work closely with our partners: Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC) and the local authorities to develop a new district that will be dedicated to accelerating research and cure for cancer.

Saclay is already impressive, with this major gathering of top-ranking academics, research institutes, and R&D centers. It will also benefit from a good connection thanks to the subway line 18 in 2026. We will support the growth of the ecosystem by enabling smaller and medium-sized companies to settle and grow locally.
The topics in Saclay are wide, we will focus on cleantech, agro/food tech, nanotechnologies, and biotechnology which are already strong in the area.

How do you see the PropSci market evolving in Paris Region?

It is an emerging market in Paris Region, but all the fundamentals for its growth are there:

• Research
• Talents
• Capital
• Specialized asset

With the development of initiatives such as PSCC and Ferment du futur, we can hope it will only grow even in a difficult time.

How did Choose Paris Region support you in your expansion journey? What service was most valuable to your company?

Choose Paris Region made our journey in Paris Region easier before we even recruited the French team. For two years they have been working with our local team, helping them in their prospection and communication.
Choose Paris Region is a strong partner to work with to develop.

Finally, how would you describe Paris Region in 3 words?

Talented, global, ambitious