We co-deposited cobalt porphyrins (Cop) and transition metal oxides on gold and carbon/graphene electrodes as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Porphyrins were adsorbed spontaneously, and the transition metal oxides (CoOx and NiOx) were deposited using spontaneous deposition tactics or an electrochemical deposition method. The electrodes were characterized in acidic media by cyclic voltammetry (CV), by broad-band sum frequency generation (BB-SFG) and - in vacuum - by the Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The ORR activity data indicate that the activity of cobalt porphyrin towards ORR is enhanced by co-deposited transition metal oxides. The detailed reasons for this behavior are being interrogated. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.