Hanover Research

Grant Proposal Revision Services by Hanover Research – 2025-26

Overview

As part of our commitment to supporting faculty grant success in the current challenging grant funding landscape, Office for Research Advancement is pleased to announce a contract with Hanover Research to provide comprehensive proposal revision services to our faculty members. This initiative aims to enhance the quality and competitiveness of research proposals, ensuring they meet the highest standards and have the best chance of securing funding.

Eligibility

Tenure-track and Professor of Practice or Senior Research faculty (Assistant and Associate Professors), research-active permanent staff.

Services Offered

1. Detailed Proposal Review and/or Red-line Revision

  • Grantsmanship Analysis: Hanover Research will conduct an in-depth review of your research proposal, including structure, clarity, and adherence to funding agency guidelines.
  • Constructive Feedback: Receive detailed feedback on strengths and areas for improvement, to help you refine your proposal’s message and communication.

2. Editing and Proofreading

  • Language and Style: Professional editing to ensure your proposal is clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors.
  • Formatting: Assistance with formatting to meet specific requirements of funding agencies.

3. Strategic Guidance

  • Funding Strategy: Advice on aligning your proposal with the priorities and interests of funding agencies.
  • Competitive Positioning: Tips on how to highlight the unique aspects of your research or program to stand out in a competitive field.

Benefits

  • Enhanced Proposal Quality: Improve the clarity, coherence, and quality of your research proposals.
  • Increased Funding Success: Boost your chances of securing funding by presenting well-crafted, compelling proposals.

How to Access Services

We are currently scheduling services for the 2025-2026 academic year.  Faculty members with a planned grant submission for 2025-2026 should apply by June 17, 2025. We anticipate notifying the successful applicants in late June / early July.  PIs with July proposal deadlines will be notified first.

Service Model

Once scheduled, a Hanover Research project manager will schedule a consultation 6-8 weeks before the proposal deadline.* The project manager will use the consultation to select an appropriate consultant and schedule the expected date that the principal investigator will deliver the grant draft to Hanover. A consultant will provide a red-line revision and feedback within a specified timeframe, generally 3 weeks from receipt of the proposal.

One-on-One Consultation: Upon delivery of the draft, the consultant will schedule a debrief call with the PI to discuss specific concerns and discuss approaches to revision.

*Note: Proposals due in July or August 2025 are on an accelerated timeline and will be contacted by Hanover at least 4 weeks prior to the deadline.

Prioritization / Review Criteria

Priority will be given to Research Advancement Academy fellows in good standing, Transdisciplinary Seed Funding awardees in good standing, and early career (pre-tenure) faculty.  Proposals in topic areas deemed competitive in the current funding landscape and proposals in support of OSU strategic plan goals will also be prioritized.  The month of your proposal submission will factor into competitiveness given that Oregon State University is scheduling 3 proposals per month to receive this service.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from Hanover?

You can expect that Hanover will reach out to you 6 to 8 weeks before your proposal deadline with a request to schedule a consultation.  At the consultation, the Hanover project manager will determine the scope of the request and assign an appropriate grant consultant.  The project manager will assign a grant consultant and provide a deadline to deliver your draft.  Your draft will be returned to you within 3 weeks. The grant consultant will offer to schedule a meeting to discuss the feedback.  Office for Research Advancement strongly recommend that principal investigators attend this meeting even if their drafts have changed substantially since the original.  Consultants are able to provide much richer and nuanced feedback at the consultation meeting than can be communicated in written comments on the draft.

What if I would like feedback earlier than 6 weeks before the deadline.  Can that be accommodated?

Yes, please note that in your initial request.  This can benefit the team because it gives you more time to incorporate/share feedback from Hanover and avoid missing internal deadlines.

Can Hanover do multiple rounds of feedback and editing?

This is within the scope of Oregon State University’s contract with Hanover, but the PI will need to request a second round of editing, and the second round will need to be requested through InfoReady. We cannot guarantee a new space will be available.

Is the grant consultant a subject matter expert in my field?

Most likely not.  The grant consultant has expertise in grant writing, grant proposal development, and with agency expectations. 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. The consultant will analyze whether your writing addresses the solicitation review criteria and will provide feedback on the organization and clarity of the proposal.  The feedback being provided is from a grantsmanship, not an agency perspective. Hanover can speak to the way the project is presented, but their consultants don't do a deep dive into the scholarship. 

Will the grant consultant write the grant?

No, the OSU researcher is expected to write a draft and provide it to Hanover for feedback. 

If the consultant is not an expert in my field, how will this benefit the competitiveness of my grant?

We expect grants to be highly competitive in 2025-26, and having a well-written proposal is important in communicating a transformative idea.  We strongly recommend that during the 3 weeks that Hanover reviews and edits your proposal that you also solicit feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors with subject matter expertise.

What if the deadline changes and I need to reschedule?

Given the dynamic nature of the funding landscape, we anticipate that grant deadlines may be moved or canceled.  If this happens, submit a request to change the deadline date through a new InfoReady application. PIs should provide notice as soon as they learn of the change. We cannot guarantee a new space will be available, but such requests will be approved on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What if my grant plans change?

To remain in good standing with Office for Research Advancement funding programs, simply contact [email protected] and let us know that you no longer plan to use the service.  We will make the opportunity available to another principal investigator.  PIs should provide notice of cancelation 6 weeks before the scheduled submission deadline. 

Can the Hanover consultant do research on potential grant opportunities for me?

No, this year’s Hanover contract is focused on providing revisions on draft grant proposals and not prospect research.  However, you can contact the Office for Research Advancement staff for consultations on a strategy to search for active grant opportunities and reframe research in the context of the current funding landscape.  Sign up here and check out the grant seeking resources on our External Funding page and/or check with your college level proposal staff.

Is there a cost for the principal investigator?

No. This year, the cost for the Hanover contract is being supported by the Office for Research Advancement.

How many grants will be supported with this service this year?

A maximum of 27 service requests can be supported under this program, but only 3 consecutive service requests at a time will be approved, between July 2025 and May 2026.

What if I would really like to use this service, but I don’t know what grant I am going to apply for this year?

The initial round of competition requires identifying an appropriate grant to apply to. However, we will re-open the application portal after the deadline to accept applications for our waitlist.  Waitlist requests can be made any time before May 15, 2026.

My grant is a limited submission, and I have not yet been selected in the internal competition.  Can I still apply for these services?

Yes, you can still apply, and the limited submission competition status will not affect this selection process and vice versa.

Will this be available in future years?

This is a one-year program.  If successful and if funds are available, ORA will consider extending the program in future years.

What parts of the proposal does Hanover review?

Hanover’s grant consultants will review any narrative portions of your proposal. Hanover does not typically review or comment on secondary documents such as biosketches, current and pending support, or budget documents.  We encourage you to bring these documents to your College or Unit preaward research administration team for compliance review well ahead of the proposal deadline.

Any additional questions should be directed to [email protected].