Research strategy & advancement
Contact our teamThe healthcare research landscape is becoming more complex and competitive. Shifts in funding, workforce, regulation, technology, data, and AI are changing how research enterprises operate and what it takes to grow and sustain them.
Chartis brings strategy, people, processes, and technology together across the research lifecycle, from funding and grant development through planning, execution, and ongoing optimization. We help healthcare research enterprises strengthen performance, improve operations, compete for funding, and build the capabilities needed for long-term growth.
Research leaders face new pressures—and harder choices
Workforce constraints and evolving regulatory requirements are increasing the complexity of research operations, while advances in data, technology, and AI are changing how research is organized and conducted. Together, these shifts require research leaders to rethink how they deploy resources, structure programs, and build the capabilities needed to compete and grow.
At the same time, competition for funding is intensifying. In 2025, the overall success rate for NIH Research Project Grants fell to 13%, down from 19% in 2024. In this environment, research leaders need to make deliberate choices about where to invest, how to strengthen performance, and which funding opportunities to pursue.
Strengthening the research enterprise across the full lifecycle
Chartis has partnered with 17 of the top 20 NIH-funded institutions for more than a decade, including federally funded clinical and translational research programs of all sizes. We help leaders adeptly navigate the complexities that will accelerate discovery and bring tomorrow’s cures to life today.
- Set the strategy: Define research priorities and develop an actionable strategy that aligns leadership, people, processes, technology, and resources around the organization’s research goals.
- Compete for funding: Strengthen grant strategy and applications for complex federal opportunities, including NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA), Institutional Development Award (IDeA) programs, and other NIH grants, positioning organizations to compete effectively for new and renewed funding.
- Put strategy into action: Translate plans into effective operating models, governance, workflows, and program structures that support execution and improve research performance.
- Optimize for the long term: Assess performance and evolving needs to identify opportunities to strengthen operations, address gaps, and continually improve the research enterprise.
Strong research enterprises don’t treat strategy, funding, operations, people, and technology as separate challenges. Bringing them together creates the foundation to improve performance, compete for funding, and sustain research growth over the long term. ”
Frequently asked questions
How should healthcare organizations develop a research strategy?
A strong research strategy looks at enterprise priorities alongside scientific strengths and understands where the organization can differentiate. Leaders should assess funding opportunities, talent, infrastructure, technology, partnerships, and investment needs to make deliberate choices about where to focus resources and build a sustainable research enterprise.
How can research organizations compete more effectively for NIH and other federal funding?
Organizations need to align research priorities and capabilities with funding opportunities, understand program requirements, establish the right leadership and infrastructure, and demonstrate the ability to execute.
How can healthcare organizations improve research operations and performance?
Governance, staffing, organizational structure, workflows, technology, financial management, and performance measures all shape research performance. Weakness in one area tends to create friction somewhere else. Bringing those pieces into better alignment can reduce administrative burden, make better use of resources, and give research teams more room to grow.
How are data, technology, and AI changing healthcare research?
Data, technology, and AI are creating new opportunities across the research lifecycle, from study design and participant identification to analysis and administrative workflows. Realizing that potential requires research organizations to consider the underlying data, technology infrastructure, governance, privacy, security, and regulatory requirements so new capabilities can be adopted responsibly and at scale.
Partnering for progress: Health system achieves NIH research success via program management approach
With multiple large-scale research programs, leaders at the University of Pittsburgh needed a program management approach to deliver timely results and remain competitive for future funding.
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