Innovation Fund: EU funding secured by Leclanché for battery gigafactory

It is not uncommon that the most advanced innovations need adequate financial and strategic foundations. In a highly competitive and fast-moving industry like battery manufacturing, access to public funding is both a catalyst for growth and a mark of credibility.

That is why Leclanché turned to european economics: to navigate the complexity of the Innovation Fund and secure major public support for a next-generation battery gigafactory project that will be rolling out a first-of-its-kind environmentally friendly manufacturing process.

A frontrunner in sustainable energy storage

Leclanché is one of Europe’s most established players in battery-based energy storage solutions, with decades of R&D experience and a clear commitment to accelerating the energy transition.

Its new gigafactory project in Germany, designed to supply high-performance, sustainable EV battery cells, was selected as one of six flagship European initiatives under the Innovation Fund’s first electric vehicle (EV) battery cell manufacturing call for projects (IF24 Battery). The European Commission allocated €852 million across the six selected projects.

Each project, including Leclanché’s, was chosen for its innovativeness, its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost EU industrial competitiveness and secure Europe’s battery value chain.

The challenge: structuring a high-stakes, high-impact applications

The Innovation Fund is one of the EU’s most selective public funding instruments. To qualify, applicants must meet stringent criteria across technical, operational, financial and environmental dimensions.

Leclanché faced three major challenges:

• Structuring a bankable, milestone-based financing plan,
• Demonstrating clear and measurable GHG emissions reductions,
• Aligning with EU strategic goals in terms of innovation and industrial resilience.

The solution: expert guidance from european economics

european economics provided end-to-end support throughout the application process:

• Strategic framing of the project’s eligibility,
• Guidance  on how to maximise the chances to win, securing the largest possible grant,
• Coordination between Leclanché’s internal teams, external partners and EU institutions,
• Tailored technical, financial and GHG emissions modelling to meet Innovation Fund requirements.

“
”

european economics supported us throughout the entire process, guiding us through the complex submission requirements and European administrative constraints. Their expertise in this type of submission allowed us to structure a clear and solid application file. They actively contributed to the drafting, providing a critical and constructive perspective based on their extensive experience with numerous European project submissions they have supported.

Their input had a direct impact on the success of our project proposal to the European Commission.

François JAGER
Vice President Operations, Leclanché

Impact

✔ Project selected under the first Innovation Fund Battery Call

✔ Grant of tens of millions of euros awarded (confidential amount)

✔ Secured strategic credibility and endorsement from both public and private stakeholders

✔ Stronger financial basis for industrial scale-up

Key takeaway

Public funding is not just about accessing free money. It is also about accelerating projects’ development and gaining strategic recognition. With the right partner, the most ambitious innovations can turn into EU-backed industrial successes.

Contact us to find out how we can help.