Precision Approaches in Radiation Synthetic Combinations (PAIRS, RP1 Clinical Trial Optional)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for cancer researchers investigating radiation-drug combination strategies. Eligible applicants typically include research institutions, universities, and organizations with the capacity to conduct clinical or preclinical cancer research. Projects must focus on developing precision approaches that combine radiation therapy with targeted agents to exploit tumor vulnerabilities. The program supports both exploratory/developmental projects (up to 2 years) and full research projects (4-5 years). Specific NIH eligibility requirements apply; applicants should verify organizational and researcher qualifications through NIH guidance.
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Key dates
- Mar 3, 2026 Applications open
- Nov 11, 2026 Application deadline in 118 days
- Jul 1, 2027 Award announced
- Jul 1, 2027 Project start
Program description
Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) solicits research projects that investigate actionable synthetic vulnerabilities that can be conditionally paired with tumor responses to radiation therapy. The goal of the Precision Approaches in Radiation Synthetic Combinations (PAIRS) program is to develop radiation-synthetic combination strategies and facilitate their adoption into the precision medicine toolkit toward building new and effective anticancer treatments. Early synthetic lethality–based therapeutic strategies in oncology primarily focused on targeting fixed mutations or genomic abnormalities. More recently, however, it has become clear that clinical benefit is often determined by context-dependent vulnerabilities arising from the intrinsic mutational landscape and adaptive tumor responses.
This NOFO is unique in its scope, supporting innovative cancer therapy strategies that explicitly exploit context-dependent effects of radiation therapy (RT) using drug-radiation combinations. The central premise of the PAIRS is that these conditional RT-induced responses can be leveraged to create or enhance actionable vulnerabilities that synergize with molecularly targeted agents for better outcomes. A defining feature of PAIRS is its emphasis on precision, scientific rigor, and reproducibility, aligned with NIH’s scientific priorities. Radiation effects are clinically titratable through advances in delivery accuracy and flexibility, including dose, schedule, and spatial targeting. These capabilities enable the rational design of conditional RT-synthetic combination strategies that preferentially exploit tumor-specific essentialities while sparing normal tissues, thereby enhancing the therapeutic index by optimizing biological response. This NOFO consolidates the prior exploratory/developmental and research project funding opportunities to streamline the application process and maintain momentum in developing approaches that target actionable vulnerabilities within the defined radiation research scope. The applicants may submit either for exploratory/developmental research projects with a project period of up to 2 years or for research projects with a project period of 4 to 5 years.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- R&D Grant Application Form (typically SF-424 family or NIH eRA Commons equivalent)
- Project Narrative/Research Plan
- Specific Aims
- Background and Significance
- Innovation section
- Approach section
- Preliminary Data
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Biographical Sketches (Key Personnel)
- Letters of Support/Commitment
- Data Management and Sharing Plan (per NIH policy)
Program contact
- 👤 NCI PAIRS Program
- 📧 pairsresearchgrants@nih.gov
- 📞 Telephone: 240-276-5703
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.395 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$353,109,533
-
$226,323,195
-
$180,463,644
-
$148,820,579
-
$143,093,026
-
$125,672,442
-
$124,513,663
-
$112,462,142
-
$109,067,856
-
$104,790,648
Top States by Funding
- CA 10 awards $871.7M
- PA 5 awards $513.3M
- NY 7 awards $462.6M
- MA 7 awards $282.7M
- IL 3 awards $274.4M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.395). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,298,551,504 | |
| 2025 | $1,414,965,434 | |
| 2026 est. | $926,626,977 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Research institutions, universities, and NIH-eligible organizations with cancer research capacity. PIs must meet NIH qualifications for federally funded research.
What is the deadline?
The fixed deadline is November 11, 2026. Check the NIH NOFO for any rolling submission windows or pre-application requirements.
What types of projects are supported?
Exploratory/developmental projects (up to 2 years) and full research projects (4-5 years) investigating radiation-synthetic drug combinations in cancer.
How competitive is this grant?
NIH grants are highly competitive. Strong preliminary data, rigorous experimental design, and clear clinical relevance significantly improve chances.
What is the funding range?
Specific amounts not publicly listed; contact NCI program staff or consult the detailed NOFO for budget guidelines and expected award sizes.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Focus your application on context-dependent vulnerabilities created by radiation therapy. Show how your drug combination exploits these specific effects.
- Include preliminary data demonstrating the feasibility and synergy of your radiation-drug combination strategy.
- Clearly explain the precision medicine angle: how your approach targets tumor-specific vulnerabilities while sparing normal tissue.
- Engage with NCI program officers early. Their feedback helps align your proposal with funding priorities.
- Emphasize scientific rigor and reproducibility. Include details on experimental design, controls, and validation approaches.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Failing to show how your drug targets radiation-induced vulnerabilities specifically. Submitting weak preliminary data or unconvincing proof-of-concept. Ignoring the precision medicine and therapeutic index optimization aspects that define the PAIRS program.
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