Monaco Startup Sea Further Secures Major European Research Grant

Sea Further, a Monaco-based technology startup supported by the MonacoTech incubator, has secured funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme to advance its clean-energy innovation.

The company was selected from hundreds of applicants across Europe for an industrialisation project supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

Founded by Valentino Iakimov, Sea Further is developing a patented biological process that produces bio-optimised carbon materials, including graphene modified using marine micro-organisms. These materials are designed to significantly improve the efficiency and performance of hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, and energy storage systems.

The technology has the potential to reduce reliance on rare earth metals, which are often costly and environmentally challenging to extract, while helping accelerate the transition toward cleaner energy solutions.

Support for the successful grant application came from the Monaco Government’s Department of Finance and Economy as well as the Directorate of Economic Development, which provided guidance during the application process and helped secure funding for the research project.

The achievement represents a major milestone for Monaco’s growing innovation ecosystem and highlights the role of MonacoTech in supporting the development of cutting-edge startups capable of scaling internationally.