European natural hydrogen exploration company Mantle8 has secured €2.06m in funding from the Just Transition Fund to support the development of a suite of technologies designed to locate and analyse natural hydrogen resources.
The project will be based in Grenoble and forms part of a broader natural hydrogen research and innovation initiative worth €4.84m.
The grant sits within the FEDER/FSE+/JTF 2021–2027 programme, administered by the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The funding programme aims to strengthen industrial capabilities in regions undergoing structural change linked to the energy transition.
Mantle8 will use the funding to increase the maturity of several core technologies that underpin its natural hydrogen exploration platform.
The company’s development plan focuses on advancing subsurface imaging, geochemical analysis and modelling tools to support the identification of hydrogen-bearing geological systems.
Emmanuel Masini, CEO and Founder of Mantle8, commented: “This funding allows us to strengthen the core technologies that underpin our entire platform.
“It gives us the means to scale our tools, improve their robustness and move closer to industrial deployment.”
Scaling key exploration technologies
The project centres on four technologies developed by Mantle8: GeoLogix, APoGeH, HOREX, and Simul8. Together they form a technical framework intended to improve the detection, analysis and modelling of naturally occurring hydrogen in geological formations.
One area of investment will expand the HOREX pilot system currently operating in the Comminges region of southern France.
According to the company, the system has demonstrated the ability to generate high-resolution data over large areas, which is considered critical for identifying potential hydrogen reservoirs underground.
Mantle8 also plans to establish a dedicated APoGeH geochemistry laboratory at its headquarters in Grenoble. The facility will allow researchers to conduct hydrogen system analyses internally rather than relying on external laboratories, potentially accelerating research and data interpretation.
Additional funding will support the automation of the GeoLogix platform, a tool used for imaging geological structures below the surface.
Meanwhile, development will continue on Simul8, a multiphysics modelling engine designed to simulate the behaviour of hydrogen within geological systems.
Such modelling tools are increasingly important as researchers attempt to better understand how natural hydrogen forms, migrates and accumulates underground.
Research partnerships and workforce expansion
Part of the funding will also be directed toward recruitment. Mantle8 plans to hire specialised researchers, including doctoral candidates working in collaboration with universities and members of the company’s scientific advisory network.
The programme includes joint techno-economic studies with industrial partners aimed at evaluating potential pathways for deploying natural hydrogen technologies at commercial scale.
These studies are expected to address both operational feasibility and cost structures for future exploration activities.
All research activities supported by the grant will take place in Grenoble and the wider Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, an area with a long history of geoscience research and energy technology development.
Supporting industrial transition in energy regions
The Just Transition Fund was created by the European Union to assist regions transitioning away from carbon-intensive industries. Funding is directed toward projects that diversify local economies and foster new industrial capabilities linked to low-carbon energy systems.
While Mantle8’s programme does not directly finance field exploration campaigns, the initiative focuses on preparing technologies for large-scale deployment.
By improving accuracy, automation and laboratory capacity, the company aims to shorten development timelines and reduce the cost of identifying natural hydrogen resources.
The funding agreement runs until 2028 and will operate under the monitoring and reporting framework required for EU-supported research programmes.
