Current Funding Opportunities

Purpose:

Thanks to the Stanley Sun Faculty Global Research Fund, the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) is offering grants in support of faculty in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration and across the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business who are researching topics of interest and importance to the hospitality, travel, and service industries.

Funding opportunity:

Faculty conducting hospitality research—which may be conceptual or empirical and may involve literature reviews, comparative studies, field studies, laboratory experiments, simulation experiments, model building, or theory development—may apply for up to $10,000 in reimbursements to cover their research expenses.

How to apply:

To request funding for research expenses, write a brief proposal summarizing your research, in which you specify:

1. The research question, proposed timeline, methodology, and any data needed;
2. The contribution of the research to the field;
3. How your research advances hospitality thought leadership; and
4. A proposed budget detailing expenses (see budget guidelines for allowable/unallowable expenses).

Submit your proposal to hosp_research@cornell.edu.

Expectations and deliverables:

• The funding period will be 1-3 years, depending on the scope of research and as designated in the proposal. At the halfway point of the grant period, recipients will be asked to provide a brief progress update, in which they may request an extension (with justification) if more time is needed to complete their study.
• A final report, written for an industry audience, is due one month after the funding period ends.
• Grant recipients may be requested to present their research findings to the CHR Corporate Advisory Board.
• Any unused funds remaining after the final report is submitted will be returned to the CHR.

Eligibility:

Funds are available to faculty members across the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

Selection criteria:

CHR leadership, industry partners, and staff will review proposals based upon clarity and the degree to which the proposal advances hospitality thought leadership

Deadline:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Currently, all 2024 funds have been allocated to research projects, and we expect to begin reviewing proposals for 2025 in February.

University budget guidelines:

This list is not exhaustive. If you have an expense that is not listed here, please email hosp_research@cornell.edu for guidance.

Common allowable expenses

• Project-related travel, meals, and lodging
• Wages for student research assistants (when budgeting for a student research assistant, estimate hourly wage plus 10% to cover minimum fringe benefits)
• Fees for participating in project-related conferences or workshops
  survey costs
• Costs for data analysis (e.g., coding, data entry)
• Computer equipment and software
• Materials and supplies

Common unallowable expenses

• Overhead and indirect costs
• Tuition
• Cornell faculty and staff salaries
• Lab equipment
• External consultant fees or salary for consultants
• Wages or travel costs for students who have already graduated

Purpose:

The Grailer Faculty Fellow Program, offered by the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), is designed to support tenure-track faculty at the Nolan School of Hotel Administration in conducting impactful, industry-relevant research that benefits the broader hospitality and travel industry.

Overview:

The Grailer Faculty Fellow Program supports research that utilizes hospitality industry data, fosters collaborations with key industry partners, or develops models with direct applicability to the hospitality sector. The program welcomes applications from assistant and associate professors at the Nolan School for projects with the potential to produce top-tier publications while also generating actionable insights for the industry. The hospitality industry encompasses hotels, restaurants, airlines, cruise lines, amusement parks, and related sectors. To encourage Nolan faculty to align their research with industry challenges, the program maintains broad and flexible parameters, fostering synergies between academic inquiry and practical industry needs. Fellows receive a one TU teaching relief to focus on research addressing critical challenges in the hospitality industry. In exceptional cases, grant funds may instead be used to hire a research assistant. Three grants are awarded each academic year. One of these grants is awarded to research projects focused on Asian Hospitality Studies.

Eligibility Criteria:

To qualify for the Grailer Faculty Fellow Program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Faculty Status: Be a tenure-track faculty member at the Nolan School.
2. Rank: Be an assistant or associate professor.

Grant Guidelines:

To support the development of grant requests, CHR members will apply the following criteria when evaluating applications:

• Applicants must present a clear and feasible research plan with well-defined milestones.
• Research projects should be new or in the early stages of development.
• Projects must utilize hospitality industry data, involve collaboration with industry partners, or develop models with direct applicability to the hospitality sector.
• Applicants for the Asian Hospitality Studies Grant are required to focus their projects on topics related to the Asia region. All else being equal, preference will be given to junior faculty and first-time applicants.
• Applicants who have previously received CHR grants must provide documentation detailing the current status of their prior project(s), including published outputs and expenditure reports.

Expectations and Deliverables:

Acceptance of a Grailer Faculty Fellowship signifies agreement to the following conditions:

• The fellowship details will be publicly announced on the CHR website.
• Any working papers or other research outputs resulting from the project must be submitted promptly to CHR for posting on its website.
• Fellows must submit a brief research update (several paragraphs) within six months and again within one year (unless otherwise specified), documenting progress for posting on the CHR website and review by the CHR Board.
• During their fellowship year, fellows must present their findings to the CHR Advisory Board at least once.

To enhance industry engagement, Grailer Fellows, in collaboration with CHR editors, will develop practical summaries of their research findings—without compromising publication in top-tier peer-reviewed journals.

Application Process:

1. Proposal Submission:

• • Applicants must submit a one page research proposal via email to hosp_research@cornell.edu. The proposal should outline the research objectives, methodology, industry relevance, coauthors, and expected outcomes.
  • A timeline demonstrating the project’s completion within one year must be included.
  • An updated CV of the applicant is required.

1. Evaluation:

• • Submitted proposals will be reviewed by a committee chaired by the CHR Academic Director and composed of members of the CHR Advisory Board and other members of the leadership team.
  • Proposals will be evaluated on a rolling basis, beginning in January each year.