Novacium Consortium Wins RAPID Funding for Green Hydrogen Project – News and Statistics

Nov 14, 2026

A consortium led by Novacium, together with AxelOne and AD-VENTA, has secured funding from France’s Defence Innovation Agency and the Directorate General for Armaments under the RAPID program, a dual-use innovation support scheme known for its selectivity, according to Hydrogen Central. The funding agreement for the METAGENE project was finalized in June 2026 but could not be disclosed earlier for confidentiality reasons, the report said.

The METAGENE project aims to develop and validate a self-contained, high-pressure green hydrogen production station, moving the technology from Technology Readiness Level 3 to TRL 5-6. The 30-month effort began on September 1, 2026, with a total budget of EUR1.2 million subsidized at the program’s maximum rate of 80%, representing nearly EUR1 million in public funding. A first funding payment was made in summer 2026.

Technology and Partners

METAGENE is described as a patented process for producing green hydrogen without electricity, intended for both civilian and military uses. Hydrogen is generated at the point of use from a solid metallic fuel based on aluminum and silicon that releases hydrogen when it contacts water in the presence of an activator. The process requires no electricity source, generates no greenhouse gases and leaves an inert solid by-product, while the fuel in solid bulk form is inert and not classified as hazardous, simplifying transport and storage. The fuel is cited as having an energy density of about 1.25 cubic meters of hydrogen per kilogram.

Novacium leads the consortium, develops the metallic fuel and reactor and manages the project. AD-VENTA, a specialist in high-pressure hydrogen systems, is adapting its compression and dispensing station to integrate the reactor. AxelOne, a collaborative platform focused on chemistry and the environment, contributes gas analysis and characterization capabilities along with experience in reactors and hydrogen purification.

The technology has previously drawn two industrial partnerships: a memorandum of understanding with recycled aluminum producer GLD Alloys in April 2025 to secure low-carbon aluminum supply, and an industrial cooperation agreement with AD-VENTA in December 2025 covering integration of the METAGENE reactor into a high-pressure dispensing station capable of delivering up to 20 kilograms of hydrogen per day. The RAPID funding will support development and validation of that station.

Market Outlook

The report cites BloombergNEF estimates that the global green hydrogen market could reach approximately US$500 billion by 2030, with the mobility segment alone estimated at about EUR25 billion and autonomous energy systems for defence applications representing an estimated EUR5 billion to EUR10 billion. By producing hydrogen at the point of use without electricity or major infrastructure, the solution is positioned to avoid costs and constraints of transporting and storing pressurized hydrogen, which the report says often exceed EUR50 per kilogram. The fuel’s raw material cost is cited at approximately EUR20 to EUR30 per kilogram of hydrogen produced on site.

Novacium’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Jed Kraiem, characterized the selection as recognition of the team’s work and the consortium’s combined expertise, while AD-VENTA President and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Luc Mussot said the funding would allow integration of Novacium’s reactor into its dispensing station and validation under real-world conditions, according to the report.