During the 2012 fall semester, ACU joined with Hanover Research to provide a consultant for faculty who are interested in writing grant proposals.

The liaison position between Hanover and the university is being filled by Dr. Susan Lewis, interim vice provost.

Lewis said Hanover is a company divided into two branches: a research branch and a grants branch. She said the university already has a contract with the research branch, and the contract with the grants branch was added in the fall.

“What Hanover does,” Lewis said, “is provide expertise in helping faculty members write grant proposals and find the grants that most closely relate to the research that the faculty are interested in doing. So they have a multitude of universities that they work with, and we’re actually quite excited to be working with them.”

Lewis said several projects have already gone through the process with Hanover and she is pleased with the company’s work.

“The way that Hanover works is that we have a queue, so they work on one project at a time for us and, depending on the depth of the project, it could take three weeks to six weeks,” Lewis said.

She said Hanover is currently working with Dr. Matthew Garver of the department of kinesiology and nutrition to put together a grant proposal. Lewis said there are several other projects lined up that will be sent in when Garver’s proposal is complete.

Lewis said representatives from Hanover will visit the university Tuesday and Wednesday. During that time they will attend meetings with faculty and advancement officers to discuss how Hanover can continue to support the work of the university.