Hanover Research
The Office of the Vice President for Research at CMU has contracted with Hanover Research to provide a suite of resources and support to CMU investigators at all global campuses who are seeking external funding. These resources include grantsmanship training, identification of funding opportunities and proposal review and revision support. Hanover has significant experience supporting complex multi-PI and individual grants being submitted to federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as grants to private and non-profit foundations. The goal of this partnership is to increase the quality of grant proposals and funding success rates.
Please note, there is a contractual limit to how many support activities can occur concurrently. If you are interested in accessing these services, you must submit a request to the OVPR via this request form. Your flexibility in scheduling activities with Hanover is appreciated to enable the OVPR to optimize the use of Hanover’s services for the entire community.
Types of Support Available
Proposal Review and Revision Support
Hanover offers up to two waves of review and/or revision support from a Grants Consultant for each proposal. Proposal review and revisions services include comments in the margins of the text, highlighting where the proposal can better align with funder guidelines and priorities.
Further details about Hanover’s proposal support can be reviewed here.
Grantsmanship Training
Hanover is available to provide custom grantsmanship training webinars across a range of topics for a variety of experience levels. Example topics include grant writing 101, developing specific proposal components (e.g., aims and objectives, evaluation plans), and detailing funding agencies and programs (e.g., NIH, NSF CAREER, etc.). Webinars can also be recorded to be used as a resource for faculty that are unable to attend the live session.
Identification of Funding Opportunities
Hanover’s prospecting research includes a comprehensive scan to identify public and private grant opportunities aligned with the specific faculty needs. The result of the research is a customized report that profiles grant opportunities, detailing alignment, proposal guidelines, and initial steps for engaging the funder.
Request Support
To request support for Hanover services, faculty must submit a CMU OVPR Proposal Support Request Form. The OVPR will work with Hanover to manage and confirm requests to stay within the boundaries specified in our contract. Once the project request is confirmed, Chris Gray, CMU’s Hanover contact, will reach out to you directly to schedule a time for a brief scoping call to confirm the project and a timeline for Hanover’s support.
Please note that you may be asked to slightly adjust the timing of your request in order to optimize utilization of Hanover resources. In the event that requests exceed the capacity of our contract at any given time, the OVPR will prioritize requests made from early career faculty and/or those projects that are most closely aligned with university and college priorities (as determined by consultation with Deans and Associate Deans). Every effort will be made to accommodate all PI requests, but some projects may need to wait in the queue until a space opens in the pipeline. Given this, please plan to request services as early as possible to allow ample time for review.
Proposal Support Timelines
Researchers should complete the CMU OVPR Proposal Support Request Form four weeks in advance of the date by which they would like to receive Hanover’s feedback. This advance planning ensures that a grants consultant can be scheduled for the date which draft materials will be available for review. Those materials must be sent to Hanover no less than one week before the desired return date. 
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request support for Hanover services on my proposal?
To request support for Hanover proposal services, faculty must submit a CMU OVPR Proposal Support Request Form. The OVPR will work with Hanover to manage and confirm requests to stay within the boundaries specified in our contract. Once the project request is confirmed, CMU’s Hanover contact, Chris Gray, will reach out to you directly to schedule a time for a brief scoping call to confirm the project and a timeline for Hanover’s support.
How does Hanover work with each PI?
After a proposal is accepted into the pipeline, Chris Gray from Hanover Research will email the PI to schedule a project scoping call prior to the start of work. Project scoping calls provide an opportunity to confirm the specific scope of the request and a timeline for Hanover’s support. After the scoping call, Chris Gray will confirm a Grants Consultant with the appropriate background and experience to support the project. After Hanover returns its deliverables, the PI is afforded the opportunity for a debrief conference call with the Grants Consultant to discuss Hanover’s critique and to address any outstanding questions or concerns.
What types of grants will Hanover work with?
Hanover is available to support federal, state, foundation, and industry grant submissions. Hanover Grants Consultants have experience with many federal agencies (NIH, NSF, DoD, DOE, USDA, etc.) and grant mechanisms including individual grants (e.g. CAREER, K, R01, R21, R03), program project grants, center grants, and institutional training grants. They will work with new submissions, resubmissions, and competing renewal applications.
How long does Hanover need to support my proposal?
Hanover’s standard timelines are 3 weeks for a single proposal revision and 2 weeks for a single proposal review. However, faculty members can lock in an expedited, one-week turnaround on proposal support by confirming project dates in advance of Hanover working on the proposal. For one-week revisions, faculty are required to confirm the date 3+ weeks ahead of sharing the draft with Hanover. For one-week reviews, faculty are required to confirm the date 2+ weeks ahead of sharing the draft with Hanover.
What documents am I required to submit to Hanover?
For proposal reviews and revisions, most faculty submit the narrative components of the application (e.g., abstract, specific aims, research strategy, project description, etc.). Please note, for resubmissions of unfunded proposals and competing renewal applications, PIs will be asked to provide a copy of the original submission along with reviewers’ comments (e.g., summary statement).
What parts of a research proposal will Hanover critique?
Hanover’s proposal critiques primarily focus on the narrative components of a research proposal - namely the project description, specific aims page/research strategy, etc. Faculty are welcome to provide Hanover additional narrative components (e.g. facilities and resources, biosketches, resource sharing plan).
Will Hanover be reviewing the underlying science/scientific merit of my proposal?
Hanover’s value lies in its understanding of proposal and agency nuances that can help PIs competitively reframe proposals in response to a specific solicitation. Grant consultants are not subject matter experts who can evaluate the specific science of a research proposal. They do seek to achieve cohesion in the grant narrative and to align the proposal with funding requirements. A Hanover grants consultant may address general scientific elements of a proposal, such as:
- Construct or structure of the hypothesis and methodology: While Hanover does not provide “scientific reviews”, its grants consultants will flag areas where they think research questions, aims, and hypotheses could be strengthened and better aligned.
- Literature review:Hanover grants consultants will note places where a citation is needed and has not been included.
- Clarity and focus:When they suspect that narrative content lacks sufficient clarity, consistency, or rigor, Hanover grants consultants will pose questions to encourage the PI to verify the science, and/or suggest a review by a senior colleague or program officer.
Are Hanover consultants included as significant contributors in a grant submission?
No, Hanover consultants are not written into the proposals as scientific experts. The feedback being provided is from a grantsmanship, not an agency perspective. Hanover can speak to the general approach to the science and the way the project is developed, but they don't do a deep dive into the hard science.
Is there a fee associated with using Hanover’s services?
No, Hanover’s services are supported by the Office of the Vice President for Research, so there is no fee for service required of faculty members or their departments.
How does Hanover protect the confidentiality of PI materials?
Any proposal materials that an investigator shares with Hanover remain confidential. Materials will only be shared with the Hanover Content Director and the single consultant working on their proposal.
Who should I contact if I have additional questions?
Further questions may be directed to ovpr@andrew.cmu.edu.