Grenoble, 10^th March – Mantle8, a European natural hydrogen exploration company, has been awarded a €2.06M grant under the European Union’s Just Transition Fund to accelerate the development of its natural hydrogen technology platform in Grenoble.

The funding is part of the FEDER/FSE+/JTF 2021–2027 programme managed by the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and supports a €4.84 million research and innovation programme designed to increase the Technology Readiness Level of Mantle8’s four core technologies: GeoLogix, APoGeH, HOREX and Simul8.

Scaling core technologies

The subsidy primarily supports the industrial strengthening of Mantle8’s technology stack, including:

• Further development and scaling of the HOREX pilot in Comminges, which has demonstrated strong resolution and large-scale applicability
• Construction of the Mantle8 APoGeH geochemistry laboratory at its Grenoble headquarters, allowing the company to conduct its own hydrogen system analyses in-house
• Automation upgrades to GeoLogix to enable faster and higher-resolution subsurface imaging at scale
• Continued development of Simul8, the company’s multiphysics digital twin and modelling engine
• Recruitment of specialised staff, including PhD researchers working in partnership with universities and Mantle8’s scientific board
• Industrial techno-economic studies with strategic partners to prepare future deployment pathways

All funded activities are anchored in Grenoble and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Whilst the programme does not finance exploration campaigns directly it accelerates the industrialising Mantle8’s technologies so they can be deployed faster, at lower cost and with greater precision.

“This funding allows us to strengthen the core technologies that underpin our entire platform,” said Emmanuel Masini, CEO and Founder of Mantle8. “It gives us the means to scale our tools, improve their robustness and move closer to industrial deployment.”

Supporting regional re-industrialisation

The Just Transition Fund was created to support economic diversification and re-industrialisation in regions adapting to the energy transition. Mantle8’s programme builds on decades of scientific leadership in geoscience in Europe, and particularly in Grenoble, by transforming advanced research into scalable industrial technology.

The agreement runs through 2028 and is subject to EU monitoring and reporting requirements.