Grant Consulting
The Office of Research has contracted with Hanover Research, a grant development firm headquartered in Arlington, VA, to provide grant consultant services to UTHSC faculty.
Through their review process, Hanover grant consultants provide key insights into funder priorities and recommendations for improvement, increasing the competitiveness of grant proposals to federal agencies and to private and non-profit foundations.
Hanover Grantsmanship Training
Training webinars and on-site workshops conducted by Hanover Research consultants.
You will need to enter your Net ID and password to gain access.
Learn MoreHanover Services
Hanover is allowed to review a proposal twice, based on any combination of services outlined below. Two-week leadtime is required; more leadtime allows the maximum opportunity to work with your Hanover reviewer to refine your proposal.
Hanover reviews for each proposal can be any combination of: (1) margin comments on the narrative draft with recommendations on aligning the proposal to the grant opportunity’s guidelines and funder’s expectations; (2) a brief memo outlining high-level recommendations; and (3) a debrief teleconference call with a Grants Consultant.
Consultations are an excellent option for PIs seeking advice on how to frame a research project to match a funder’s priorities. Please request phone consultations at least one-week prior to the desired date.
Three types of consultation:
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- Unfunded Proposal Consult: For resubmitting a previously declined proposal, addressing reviewer feedback and other critiques within the rewrite.
- Research Design Consult: For guidance on how to pitch a research idea to a program officer.
- Grantseeking Strategy Consult: For expert advice on framing a research idea to align with a funder’s strategic priorities.
Proposals will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Standard review: 10 business day turnaround when faculty confirms to Hanover the date they will send the proposal draft to the assigned grants consultant.
Expedited review: 5 business day turnaround when faculty confirms to Hanover the date they will send the proposal draft to the assigned grants consultant.
See graphic of Expedited Proposal Support.
Proposal Review Services offer emailed prescriptive feedback, competitive assessment, strategic guidance, key findings, and phone consultation upon request.
Hanover can help identify and evaluate grant opportunities via a comprehensive scan for public and private grant opportunities that align with your needs. They provide a customized report profiling grant opportunities, detailing alignment, and providing proposal guidelines. Allow 4 weeks for prospecting research services to be completed.
Hanover Grants consultants provide training webinars throughout the year. Each spring at UTHSC, a Hanover Consultant conducts a 2-day, on-site training that includes one-on-one grantsmanship consultations to faculty.
Frequently Asked Questions
To request Hanover’s services, please contact Jamie Whartenby at jwharten@uthsc.edu.
After a proposal is accepted, Chris Gray from Hanover Research introduce you to your assigned grants consultant via email. Hanover will then schedule a project initiation conference call. During the initiation call you may discuss specific areas of concern. Once the grants consultant finishes the review, you may request a debrief conference call.
Two waves can include any combination of services: (1) two phone consultations; (2) one phone consultation and one proposal review; (3) two proposal reviews.
Yes, Hanover has experience with many federal, private, and nonprofit funders. Representative funders include the NIH, NSF, DOD, PCORI, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Hanover’s proposal critiques primarily focus on the narrative components of a research proposal (specific aims page, research strategy, and - for resubmissions - the introduction). Hanover also reviews facilities and resources, biosketches, resource sharing plan.
Grant consultants are not subject matter experts who can evaluate the specific science of a research proposal. They 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.
- Clarity and focus: If 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.
You must be a faculty member with a primary appointment at any UTHSC campus to use Hanover's services.
For proposal reviews, submit the abstract, specific aims, and research strategy.
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).
Standard review: 10 business day turnaround when faculty confirms to Hanover the date they will send the proposal draft to the assigned grants consultant.
Expedited review: 5 business day turnaround when faculty confirms to Hanover the date they will send the proposal draft to the assigned grants consultant.
See graphic of Expedited Proposal Support.
Hanover uses secure file-sharing via encrypted email. If the PI desires another layer of protection beyond encryption, please provide this information when Chris Gray from Hanover makes his initial contact.
No, editing proposal content for clarity and effective use of language, (including punctuation and grammar) is not included in Hanover’s services. These services are available through the UTHSC Office of Scientific Writing.
Established in 2003, Hanover Research is a consulting firm based in Arlington, Virginia that provides grant development and market research solutions to education and healthcare clients across the United States. Hanover’s grants professionals provide customized research, training, and proposal support to clients, while also helping to align their needs and strategic priorities to federal, state, and foundation funding opportunities.
Hanover’s grant professionals have collectively more than 150 years of grantsmanship experience that cuts across a wide range of foundations and federal agencies. Hanover has worked extensively with higher education institutions to grow their research portfolios and has helped clients to secure more than $500 million in awarded grants. The company’s grants practice supports both junior faculty members and seasoned investigators seeking to strengthen their grantsmanship skills.
For more information, visit hanoverresearch.com
Please direct questions to Jamie Whartenby, Director of the Office of Research Development at jwharten@uthsc.edu or 901.448.1277.