Oxford Spin-Out OXCCU Raises €2 Million ATI Non-CO₂ Grant For SAF

Delivered in partnership with the Aerospace Technology Institute the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation), the ATI Programme supports innovation in aerospace. OXCCU is the first SAF company to receive this grant, which will be used to study the non-CO2 effects of its synthetic crude, OXFUEL.

“This ATI Programme funding not only enables us to advance our technology but also supports our ambition to lead the industry in producing cleaner aviation fuels with a reduced contribution to global warming,” said Andrew Symes, CEO of OXCCU.

The ATI Non-CO₂ Programme grant reflects a broader trend of 2025 investment in Europe’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and e-fuels sector. Across the continent startups are moving from pilot projects to commercial scale. For example, Spark e-Fuels in Germany raised €2.3 million to build its first e-fuel pilot plant, Catalyxx in Spain secured €3 million to advance its sustainable chemicals and SAF R&D, and Brineworks in the Netherlands obtained €6.8 million to scale its direct-air-capture technology for e-fuel production.

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OXCCU has been featured several times by EU-Startups. In 2023 it was highlighted for raising €20.6 million to convert CO₂ into sustainable aviation fuel, showcasing its early funding and commercial ambitions. In 2024 it was included in a feature on 10 promising UK biotech startups cementing its position as an emerging leader in life sciences and climate tech.

Most recently, in September 2025, EU-Startups reported on OXCCU’s €23.7 million round, emphasizing the company’s growth from an Oxford University spin-out to a key player in Europe’s SAF sector.

“Non-CO2 effects are an area of emerging science that could have substantial implications for climate strategy in aviation. This funding will provide critical insights as we work to validate and scale our OXFUEL product,” added Symes.

Founded in 2021, OXCCU is a ClimateTech spin-out from the University of Oxford developing innovative catalysts and reactor designs to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons for fuels, chemicals, and plastics. The company is headquartered in the UK, with operations at Begbroke Science Park, Oxford, and London Oxford Airport.

OXCCU has secured €3.4 million in co-investment from industry and the UK government through the Department of Business and Trade. Running from July 2025 to June 2027 the project aims to better understand and minimise the non-CO₂ effects of its sustainable aviation fuel, OXFUEL, supporting the development of cleaner fuels with lower carbon intensity.

Backed by the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme, the research will explore how OXFUEL, produced with OXCCU’s novel Fischer-Tropsch iron-based catalyst, could reduce warming linked to non-CO₂ effects, including soot particles that influence cloud formation at high altitudes.

OXFUEL’s process offers high selectivity for jet-fuel-range hydrocarbons in a single step requiring less hydrogen and fewer processing stages than traditional methods, lowering both capital and operating costs. Validated at the OX1 demonstration plant at Oxford Airport in 2024, OXCCU is refining the most efficient, low-cost pathways for direct CO₂ hydrogenation, bypassing complex intermediate steps, and advancing the UK’s goal of 10% SAF in jet fuel by 2030.

About OXCCU

OXCCU Tech Ltd, a University of Oxford spin-out, transforms waste carbon into fuels, chemicals, and plastics. Led by CEO Andrew Symes and co-founders Dr Tiancun Xiao, Dr Jane Jin, and Dr Benzhen Yao, the company develops low-cost, low-emission pathways for sustainable aviation fuel and hydrocarbon products, reducing climate impact while supporting continued use.