Grant Development
Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine has contracted with Hanover Research, a grant development firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., to provide proposal support services to faculty investigators. The primary goal of this partnership is to increase the quality and success rate of extramural research proposals. Faculty members with a primary appointment at the CVM are eligible for Hanover’s services, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This initiative is generously supported by the Office of the Associate Dean of Research. There is no cost-share requirement for the individual PI or his/her home department.
Service Offerings
Grant support available to CVM faculty members includes proposal review and revision services. To request Hanover’s assistance, PIs must submit a Hanover Request Form. PIs can request a stand-alone service or a combination of services.
The CVM Research Office manages the Hanover pipeline, which is capped at two concurrent projects. Every effort is made to accommodate all PI requests. Hanover provides:
- Proposal Review - Grants consultant identifies strengths and weaknesses; opportunities for shaping a more competitive proposal are outlined.
- Proposal Revision - Grants consultant uses track changes and margin comments to suggest revisions to the research proposal. Special focus on achieving clarity and effective use of language.
Proposal Review
A Hanover grants consultant provides a peer review of the research proposal, assessing the narrative for its degree of alignment with the funding opportunity announcement and evaluating the proposal based on review criteria. A proposal review is most suitable for PIs who are in the early stages of the proposal writing process. A representative example is the PI who has just completed a first draft of the specific aims page and research strategy sections. For most projects, the cutoff date for submitting proposals to Hanover Research is five to seven weeks before the sponsoring agency’s proposal submission deadline.
Proposal Revision
A Hanover grants consultant takes proposal review a step further by using track changes and margin comments to suggest revisions to the proposal narrative. Track changes focus on achieving clarity and effective use of language, including punctuation and grammar. A proposal revision is most suitable for PIs that are in the later stages of their writing process. For example, the PI who has a final or near-final draft of his/her specific aims page and research strategy sections. For most projects, the cutoff date for submitting proposals to Hanover Research is five to seven weeks before the sponsoring agency’s proposal submission deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How are projects selected for the Hanover queue?
The Research office at CVM manages the pipeline of projects submitted to Hanover Research. Several factors are taken into consideration when evaluating projects for Hanover Research, including but not limited to the faculty member’s willingness to share proposal materials and honor agreed-upon deadlines, the completeness of proposal documents, sponsor deadlines, and current pipeline capacity. The College of Veterinary Medicine contract with Hanover Research caps the pipeline at three active projects. Every effort is made to accommodate all PI requests, but some worthwhile projects may not be accepted into the pipeline due to this limitation
- Who is eligible for Hanover's services?
To be eligible for Hanover’s services, the PI must be a faculty member with a primary appointment at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
- How does Hanover approach proposal critiques?
Hanover makes no claim that its grants consultants are subject matter experts who can evaluate the specific science underpinning a research proposal. Rather, 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. Hanover seeks 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 purport to provide “scientific reviews” that evaluate the specific science underpinning proposals, its grants consultants will flag 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.
- How does Hanover protect the confidentiality of PI materials?
All documents are shared with Hanover via Sharepoint to protect the exchange of confidential information.
- How does Hanover work with each PI?
After a PI project is accepted in Hanover Research’s pipeline, Hanover Research emails the PI to introduce the assigned grants consultant. Consultation sessions are generally one hour in length and take place via conference call. For proposal review and revision services, Hanover Research first schedules a project initiation conference call prior to the start of work. Project initiation calls give the PI an opportunity to discuss specific areas of concern with the assigned grants consultant and to share reviewer feedback (if available). After Hanover releases its deliverables, the PI is afforded the opportunity for a debrief conference call to discuss Hanover’s critique and to address any outstanding questions or concerns.
- What parts of a research proposal will Hanover critique?
Hanover’s proposal critiques focus on the narrative components of research proposals – namely the specific aims page, research strategy, and (for resubmissions) the introduction. For resubmission proposals, the PI should be prepared to provide a copy of the unfunded proposal along with reviewer feedback.
- What type of proposals are appropriate for Hanover to critique?
Hanover Research has the expertise to review a wide range of proposals, from individual grants (e.g. K, R01, R21, R03) to program project, center, and institutional training grants. Hanover Research will work with new submissions, resubmission proposals, and competing renewal applications. 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).
- Who do I contact if I have questions?
Please direct questions to Jerry Malayer, Associate Dean for Research at College of Veterinary Medicine, at jerry.malayer@okstate.edu or (405) 744-8085.
- About Hanover Research
Established in 2003, Hanover Research is a grant development and market research firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. 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. Hanover has considerable expertise in relation to the mechanisms and agencies commonly targeted by PIs at the College of Medicine. Grant mechanisms include individual grants (e.g. K, R01, R21, R03), program project grants, center grants, and institutional training grants. Representative funders include the NIH, NSF, DOD, AHRQ, PCORI, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.