Evion Group (ASX:EVG) said the European Union offered to provide "very significant" grant funding to Evion to support the early-stage development, training, and preparation of the local community in relation to the Maniry graphite project in Madagascar, which the firm said would create employment for at least 300 members of the local community, according to a Thursday Australian bourse filing.

The firm aims to receive confirmation of grant funding available to it in the short term.

It is currently assessing plans to expand this scoping study to a feasibility study to consider whether the firm would, in time, be able to produce battery anode material from graphite concentrate at Maniry, based on feedback from EU advisers.