Curio Secures $2.5Mn Funding to Advance Nuclear Recycling Technology

Advanced nuclear technology company Curio has secured $2.5 million in cost-shared funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to further develop its NuCycle nuclear fuel recycling technology.

Curio will add around $1 million of its own investment to the funding. The capital will support laboratory testing of key NuCycle processes using actual used nuclear fuel (UNF) and transuranics (TRU), with the company targeting a demonstration facility capable of processing up to 4,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel by the end of 2027.

The latest funding will help Curio validate two key parts of its NuCycle recycling process: selective fluoride volatility and electrowinning.

Research will be carried out at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL).

Funding Snapshot

About Curio

Curio develops technologies for nuclear fuel recycling, waste management and sustainable nuclear power generation. Its flagship NuCycle technology is designed to recycle used nuclear fuel while reducing the volume of nuclear waste.

The company has conducted laboratory-scale validation work across multiple U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and has secured federal funding for its research and development programs.

Core offerings include:

• Nuclear fuel recycling
• Used nuclear fuel processing
• Nuclear waste reduction
• Advanced nuclear technology

Previous Funding & Investors

In 2023, Curio and ARPA-E began the Closing the Cycle with NuCycle project with a $5 million cost-share award. The program supported laboratory demonstrations of the complete NuCycle process at Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

In September 2025, Curio said the project had achieved key milestones and provided new insights into the chemistry and kinetics of its recycling process.

Curio also announced in February 2026 that it was among five U.S. companies receiving DOE grants for used nuclear fuel research and development.

The company has additionally signed memorandums of understanding with companies and organizations including NuScale, Framatome, Sargent & Lundy and Utilities Service Alliance.

Funding Timeline