First ofIts Kind: OXCCU Receives £1.8 million ATI Programme Grant to Investigate Non-CO2 Effects of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
OXFORD,England, 4 November 2025, 10 AM GMT - OXCCU, a leading carbon-to-value company converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), has become the first SAF company to receive funding through the ATI Non-CO2 Programme. The ATI Programme is delivered in partnership with the Aerospace Technology Institute, Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The £1.8 million grant will be used to investigate the non-CO2 effects of its synthetic crude ‘OXFUEL’. This project marks a significant milestone for the SAF sector.
The total funding cost of £3 million is a result of the co-investment between industry and the government through the Department of Business and Trade. The project runs from July 2025 to June 2027, aiming to better understand how to minimise the non-CO2 effects of OXFUEL, and supporting the broader goal of developing cleaner fuels with lower carbon intensity.
Supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute(ATI) Programme, the project will explore how this innovative new SAF produced with OXCCU’s novel F-T catalyst can potentially reduce the warming associated with the non-CO2 effects of burning hydrocarbon fuel in a jet turbine, in addition to the effect of the CO2 emissions. The focus will include soot particles, which can cause cloud formation at altitude and therefore impact global warming, though the amount of warming (or cooling) these particles cause is dependent on the conditions and subject to ongoing research. By focusing on cleaner fuel development, OXCCU seeks to position itself as a leader in the UK’s push towards a 10% SAF inclusion in jet fuel by 2030.
“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. “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.”
The ATI Non-CO2 Programme builds upon the UK’s broader Aviation Non-CO2 Programme, managed by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department for Transport (DfT), and the Natural Environment Research Council(NERC). The programme seeks to accelerate industrial investment in technologies that can reduce non-CO2 emissions across the aerospace sector.
OXCCU’s SAF, marketed under the brand OXFUEL, leverages a novel iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst which can work directly with CO2. It has high selectivity towards producing jet fuel range hydrocarbon syncrude in a single exothermic step, from which refined jet fuel can easily be made. Compared to other processes, this means fewer steps and less hydrogen input per amount of jet fuel, resulting in lower capital and operating costs.
As the aviation sector works to meet net-zero targets, OXCCU’s approach addresses the economic and scale challenges associated with traditional SAF production. By validating its technology at the OX1 demonstration plant at Oxford Airport in 2024, the company is focused on refining the lowest-cost pathways via direct hydrogenation of CO2, eliminating the complex RWGS step or the multiple stages associated with methanol production.
The ATI Programme funding marks a significant step in advancing OXCCU’s processing route for OXFUEL, while also supporting stakeholder engagement, accreditation efforts, and the creation of commercial partnerships. The project aims to transition the company from demonstration to full-scale operations, solidifying its position as a leader in SAF innovation.
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About OXCCU TECH LTD
OXCCU, a climate tech spin-out company from the University of Oxford, is developing novel catalysts and reactor designs to convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons with high conversion and selectivity for use as fuels, chemicals and plastics. The company is headquartered in the UK, with operations at Begbroke Science Park, Oxford, andLondon Oxford Airport.
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UK contact: eloise@shift6studios.com
US contact: melissa@shift6studios.com
About the ATI Programme
The ATI Programme co-funds industrial R&D projects to develop new cutting-edge aircraft technology. The Programme is coordinated and managed by theDepartment for Business and Trade, Innovate UK (part of UK Research and Innovation), and the Aerospace Technology Institute.
