PSFS offers both grantsmanship training and Pivot Funding Database training for large and small groups. If interested in scheduling either presentation targeted for your group, please contact Christine Cline (334-844-5929).
We offer two CITI Program courses for graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and professionals. To ensure your completion is recorded in Auburn’s system, access CITI through the Auburn SSO link or “Log in through my organization.”
Essentials of Grant Proposal Development
Understanding grants and proposal development is essential but often not formally taught. Essentials of Grant Proposal Development demystifies the process with step-by-step instruction, videos, exercises, resources and examples.
Essentials of Research Administration
This course covers key concepts of research administration, including sponsored programs structures, award processes (pre-award, negotiation, post-award), and career development resources. Designed for research administrators, PIs, project directors and those exploring the field, it also helps assess if a career in research administration is a good fit.
Hanover Research Webinars
Engaging Non-Specialist Audiences in Grant Writing – October 2025
Grant proposals are often sophisticated, scientifically rich documents. However, review panels frequently include non specialists. This session will dive into how best to engage non-specialist audiences in grant proposals, allowing researchers to communicate the importance of the work without alienating non-subject matter experts.
Advanced Strategies for Enhancing Your Proposal Narrative – August 2025
This webinar explores advanced strategies for developing a strong grant narrative, including how to imagine the reviewer while writing a proposal, how to identify the early elements of the proposal that are most important, and how to create a meta-narrative to help reviewers identify key points in the proposal.
Storytelling in Grantwriting, Part II: The Plot Thickens – July 2025
Back by popular demand, this sequel dives deeper into the art of storytelling as it relates to the grant writing process, providing targeted strategies for enhancing your proposals by leveraging narrative frameworks and storytelling concepts to capture the imagination of your grant’s reviewers.
Creative Grant Seeking in a Challenging Landscape – April 2025
In today's funding environment, many grant seekers cannot afford to invest all their effort towards one or two federal programs. Using examples based in real experience, this webinar illustrates how a combination of creative design and resourceful grant seeking -- such as exploring foundations or clearly articulating impact -- can give PIs promising pathways to pursue even amidst a changing landscape.
Artificial Intelligence Policies Among Federal Grantmakers – March 2025
The utilization of artificial intelligence in grant proposals has shaken up the federal grant-seeking landscape. Many federal funders have issued policies to encourage the appropriate use of AI or limit its usage in federal proposals. This session covers those major federal policies, enabling faculty to ensure compliance with new guidance on the use of AI.
What Deadline?! Keeping yourself & Others On-Track in Grant Development – October 2024
Nobody enjoys the last-minute scramble to complete a project, and while not all funders give grant-seekers the benefit of time to develop their proposals, forward planning and savvy management can lead to much stronger grant applications. This session covers best practices for managing the different phases of grant development, including ways to keep yourself and your team working towards important project milestones.
Introduction to Grantseeking for Administrators – August 2024
How can Research Administrators best support their colleagues in the pursuit and management of grant funding? Administrators play a pivotal role at their institution in facilitating proposal development, grant submission, and project management. This session provides a primer on the Grants world through the lens of these professionals, looking at how they can best support their colleagues in the pursuit and management of grant funding.
Storytelling in Grantwriting – July 2024
The heart of any successful grant proposal is a compelling and convincing narrative. Dive into the art of storytelling as it relates to the grant writing process and explore how principal investigators can bring their proposals to life by applying storytelling principles and practices to their writing.
Writing Your Data Management Plan – February 2024
Key components to a strong Data Management Plan demonstrates how you will manage data generated over the course of your research project.
Persuasive Strategies in Research Writing – October 2023
Preparing to write your Narrative. Designing your narrative. Writing your narrative.
Developing Great Proposal Aims & Objectives – July 2023
Framing a competitive research question. Components of a testable hypothesis. Generate project aims/objectives.
Developing Budgets & Budget Narratives – October 2022
Grant budget basics. Questions to ask before building the grant budget.
Deciphering Feedback from Grant Reviewers - December 2025
Resubmitting is a large part of the grantseeking process, and interpreting and strategizing feedback from grant reviewers is a critical component to resubmission success. This session examines the common elements of the feedback process with federal reviewers, including how to weigh the feedback, how to respond, and when to decide if a resubmission is the right choice.
Cultivating Relationships with Foundations – September 2025
Unlike most federal grantmakers, foundations can be mysterious and opaque, from the guidelines they publish to the decision-making process. For these reasons, cultivating relationships and nurturing those relationships with foundation funders is paramount. This session covers strategies and engagement practices to successfully develop partnerships with foundation funders.
Keys to a Competitive NSF CAREER Proposal – February 2025
The National Science Foundation's CAREER program remains a key opportunity for early career scientists. This webinar identifies the core elements of a strong NSF CAREER proposal, diving into when to apply, how to frame intellectual merit and broader impacts, and common missteps faculty make that decrease the chances of funding.
Major Changes for NIH Grantseekers – January 2025
In early 2025, NIH will implement multiple review process changes. This session covers the key considerations for faculty planning to submit to NIH after January 2025, including the simplified review process for most research project grants, changes to the fellowship application, and more.
Responding to NSF Dear Colleague Letters – April 2024
The National Science Foundation (NSF) regularly issues Dear Colleague Letters to encourage applicants for existing grant programs to emphasize areas of special interest to the agency. This webinar provides an overview of this practice and discuss how grant-seekers can ensure they are responsive to these interests while developing competitive grant proposals.
Funding Landscape for AI & Machine Learning – January 2024
Trends for grant-seekers in response to rapid advances in AI & Machine Learning
The Non-Federal Research Funding Landscape – April 2023
The Non-Federal Research Funding Landscape. Approaching Non-Federal Landscape.
NSF Career Education Activities and Broader Impacts – February 2023
NSF Strategic Plan 2022-2026/What makes an NSF Great Idea? The need to develop a compelling education plan. Broader Impacts. What it means to be competitive.
Finding your R-Series Grant – January 2023
Introduction to R-series. Review of Five Popular R-Activity Codes: R01, R21, R03, R15, R16.
Breaking into Mission-Driven Funders – December 2022
DoD, DoE, NASA. Others may include Ag, Commerce, Homeland Security, etc.
Fact or Fiction NSF CAREER – April 2022
Understanding NSF CAREER Proposal – Facts v Fiction.
Funding Landscape for Arts & Humanities – March 2022
Funding opportunities from Government Agencies, Foundations & Associations.
For many large-scale grants, funders are aiming to foster cross-sector and community engagement to maximize the impact of their awards and solve complex challenges.This webinar reviews key considerations and best practices for engaging partners and stakeholders in the grant development process to ensure that impact is realized.
Contributions from partners, stakeholders, and collaborators are often central to the success of a grant application because they can provide the vital expertise, buy-in, and resources needed to effectively execute your project. This session reviews profiles of key collaborators in the grant development process, looking at what they bring to the table and how you can best draw them into your orbit.
Communicating the Impacts of Your Research - December 2024
Helping researchers articulate the significance and broader implications of their work, including an overview of research impacts, the importance of dissemination, and methods for communicating impact. Specifically, Hanover covers how publications, presentations, stakeholder engagement, and broad public dissemination should factor into your plans.
Integrating Theoretical Frameworks into Grant Proposals - November 2024
The integration of theoretical frameworks into a grant narrative can strengthen the rationale and impact of your project. In this session, dive into the importance of theoretical frameworks, the selection of the appropriate framework for your proposal, and the art of seamlessly weaving your framework into a proposal narrative.
Grant Academy Roundtable: Launching Competitive Grantseekers - June 2024
The Hanover Grant Academy team collaborates with and reviews major insights and best practices that institutions can consider in creating faculty development programs focused on grant writing.
Engaging Collaborators to Enhance your Proposal - May 2024
Review profiles of different key collaborators in the grant development process, what they bring to the table, and how you can best draw them into your orbit.
Overview of Large-Scale Projects. Research v Programmatic Grants. Best practices.
Preparing to Lead Center-Level Proposals - September 2022
Identifying collaborators & and establishing a team. Assessing strategy & competitiveness. Determining vision and theme. Developing a plan.
Building Strong Grant Collaborations - August 2022
Why collaborate? How to find a collaborator? Tips for effective collaboration.
Engaging Undergraduate Students - June 2022
Why engage undergrads in research? How to fund undergrad research.
Transitioning from Single-Multi Investigator Grants - May 2022
Identifying and establishing collaborative research relationships. Building groundwork for strong multi-investigator projects. Key strategies, considerations, & and challenges for multi-investigator proposals.
The shift in presidential administrations has resulted in widespread changes for grant seekers at the federal level. Hanover reviews key insights from our analysis of the FY 2026 budget request, providing information on major federal agency priorities along with details of individual grant programs or funding areas that may be impacted by the proposed changes.
Scaling Up Your Research - September 2024
Many researchers who have experienced initial funding success are faced with the same question - where do I go from here? The session focuses on grant-seekers who are aiming to expand the scale of their research, whether it's broadening the scope of their work, adapting to target larger-scale grant opportunities, or exploring collaborations across disciplinary lines
Navigating the Grant Review Processes (and Becoming a Reviewer) -June 2024
What happens to your proposal after you hit submit? This webinar covers the process that funders use to review, evaluate, and select grant awards.
Grant Seekers Guide to Fellowships - December 2023
Overview of fellowships. Navigating the landscape & identifying opportunities. Writing competitive fellowship applications.
Grant Seeking for Clinical Faculty - June 2023
Funding for Clinical Research. Human Subjects. Clinical Trials Inclusion.
Grant Seeking for Mid-Career Faculty - March 2023
Pros & cons of being a mid-career grant seeker.
Funding Landscape for Early Career Research - November 2022
Understand the context of grant seeking. Maximize success in identifying opportunities. Major themes & trends among Early Career Faculty Grant Programs.
Engaging with Industry Partners - Jan. 29 2026, 11:00am CT
This webinar offers practical strategies for building successful partnerships with industry, emphasizing the importance of understanding cultural differences and aligning goals for mutual benefit. Attendees will learn how to communicate effectively, initiate collaborations, and leverage a wide range of engagement opportunities.
Revamping Your Grantseeking Strategy in a Changing Landscape - Feb. 26, 2026, 11:00am
This webinar offers insights into updating your approach in seeking external funding, including strategies for tracking trends, revising proposal narratives, and exploring new opportunities. Participants will learn how to respond to shifts in the funding environment and position their projects for success.
Re-Imagining Broader Impacts in Grant Writing - March 26, 2026, 11:00am CT
This session will present strategies for designing and communicating broader impacts that align with current federal priorities, including practical ways to demonstrate project relevance and impact for a wide audience.
Pathways for Effective Research Translation - Apr. 30, 2026, 11:00am CT
Explore pathways for grant seekers aiming to extend their research discoveries from academic settings into real-world applications. Attendees will learn strategies for translating complex findings into accessible formats for practitioners, policymakers, and industry, increasing the impact and grant-readiness of their work. The session will highlight ways to bridge the gap between research and application, and discuss how feedback from users can inform future projects and proposals.
Building Grantseeking Capacity & Culture - May 28, 2026, 11:00am CT
This webinar will explore comprehensive best practices and key considerations for developing this capacity—whether you are in the early stages of establishing a grants function or looking for proven strategies to strengthen and expand your existing efforts. Participants will gain actionable insights to help position their organizations for long-term success in a competitive funding environment.
Roundtable: Sustaining Research Growth in Today’s Funding Environment - June 25, 2026, 11:00am CT
Amid rapid changes in the federal funding landscape, institutions of higher education are confronting a host of new challenges as they strive to sustain and grow their grant portfolios. In this roundtable discussion, we will hear from grants strategies they are deploying to keep their organizations on course. Topics will include efforts to diversify funding sources, respond to shifting priorities, strengthen institutional research capacity, and explore emerging opportunities in uncharted areas.
Grant Seeking for Teaching Centered Institutions - July 30, 2026, 11:00am CT
This session will show how to leverage the unique strengths of teaching institutions, highlight student involvement, and connect with funders who value educationfocused environments to craft
competitive proposals.
Artificial Intelligence in Grant Prospecting and Development - Aug. 27, 2026, 11:00am CT
AI is rapidly changing the way organizations identify and pursue grant funding, offering tools that can save time and enhance your strategy if used thoughtfully. Understanding how to apply these tools can give you a significant edge in today’s competitive landscape. This session provides an overview of key areas where AI can be leveraged in the grant prospecting and proposal development process.
Navigating the Foundation Funding Landscape - Sept. 24, 2026, 11:00am, CT
Seeking support from private foundations is a necessity for organizations looking to diversify
their funding portfolios and sustain strategic initiatives. This session will provide a primer on the wide ranging grant makers that comprise foundation funding landscape, how to identify potential private grant opportunities, and the conventions of pursuing grants from these funders as compared to public sources.
Collaborating with Community Partners in Grant Seeking - October 29, 2026, 11:00am CT
Community partnerships can strengthen proposals, expand resources, and make your work more compelling to funders. Building these relationships requires trust, shared goals, and clear communication. This session will show you how to identify the right partners, structure collaborations that benefit all parties, and craft proposals that demonstrate collective impact.
Assessing Alignment & Competitiveness in Grant Prospecting - Nov. 19, 2026, 11:00am CT While many grant seekers have access to a wealth of information about funding opportunities, finding the right fit can still be a challenge. This session focuses on the art of grant prospecting beyond the initial identification of potential targets—helping you to achieve meaningful alignment with funder priorities by spotting key indicators and red flags in your evaluation process.
Roundtable: Building Interdisciplinary Collaboration - Dec. 17, 2026, 11:00pm CT
As research challenges become more complex, institutions are prioritizing interdisciplinary collaboration as a key component of their long-term research strategies. In this roundtable discussion, we will hear from research leaders about their efforts to foster collaboration across disciplines, from initiating convergent research concepts to supporting collaborative grant proposals.
