NCI Funding Policies and Considerations

In addition to NIH's rigorous two-level review process carried out by scientists and the National Cancer Advisory Board, research proposals are further evaluated by NCI’s scientific leaders and program staff, who consider:

• scientific merit
• public health significance
• scientific novelty
• overall representation of the research topic within the NCI portfolio
• investigator career stage
• total amount and type of NCI funding already available to each investigator
• alignment with availability of NCI funds

What is considered in NCI budget decisions?

In alignment with NIH funding policies, NCI no longer uses paylines to determine competing grant funding selections. 

When making spending decisions, NCI leaders balance scientific merit, competing priorities, commitments, and opportunities to ensure continued progress toward its mission. Other specific reasons to fund specific grants, include applications that:

• align with NCI’s priorities and mission
• address gaps in cancer research
• propose pursuing emerging or transformative research that may be difficult to evaluate through peer review.  

NCI’s external advisory committees provide objective and expert advice on funding decisions. NCI does not use predetermined targets for specific disease areas or research categories to make spending decisions.

Competing RPG Funding Policy Reductions

R01 & U01 applications with direct costs of $250K or less in each budget period: In 2026, competing renewals (Type-2s) will generally be funded at the NCI Type 2 cap level with no additional policy reductions applied. New R01 applications (Type-1s) with a direct cost of $175K or less will generally be funded at a 6.5% reduction from the Initial Review Group (IRG) recommended level. Awards with a direct cost of more than $175K will generally be funded at an 8.5% reduction.

R01 & U01 applications with direct costs greater than $250K in at least one budget period: Competing renewals (Type-2s) will generally be funded at the NCI Type 2 cap level with no additional policy reductions applied. New R01 grants (Type-1s) will generally be funded at a 17% reduction from the Initial Review Group (IRG) recommended level.

R21 Applications: New (Type-1) applications requesting $175K or less will generally be funded at a 6.5% reduction from the IRG recommended level, and those requesting more than $175K in direct costs will generally be funded at an 8.5% reduction.

Other Non-RFA RPG Reductions (P01, UM1, R33): Competing renewals (Type-2s) will generally be funded at the NCI Type 2 cap level with no additional policy reductions applied. New (Type-1) applications requesting $175K or less will generally be funded at a 13% reduction from the IRG recommended level, and those requesting more than $175K in direct costs will generally be funded at a 17% reduction.