Current funding opportunities: Grailer Faculty Fellow Program
At a glance
- Three fellowships awarded annually by Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research to support tenure-track faculty research on hospitality industry challenges.
- One of three annual fellowships reserved exclusively for research projects focused on Asian Hospitality Studies.
- Fellows receive one teaching relief to conduct research or, exceptionally, funds to hire a research assistant for industry-relevant projects.
- Applicants must be assistant or associate professors at the Nolan School of Hotel Administration with new or early-stage research projects.
- Evaluation occurs on rolling basis from October; fellows announced in November each year following committee review and presentation requirement.
What the report covers
This factsheet details the Grailer Faculty Fellow Program, administered by Cornell University's Center for Hospitality Research at the Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The program funds tenure-track faculty conducting research with direct applicability to the hospitality sector—including hotels, restaurants, airlines, cruise lines and amusement parks. It supports projects utilising industry data, fostering industry partnerships, or developing practical models. The program aims to bridge academic inquiry with actionable industry insights.
Key findings
The Grailer Faculty Fellow Program provides funding to assist tenure-track faculty at the Nolan School in conducting research with industry relevance. According to the program guidelines, three fellowships are awarded each academic year. Fellows receive one unit of teaching relief to focus on research addressing critical hospitality industry challenges, though in exceptional cases funds may be used to hire a research assistant instead.
Eligibility is restricted to assistant and associate professors at the Nolan School who are on tenure tracks. The program emphasizes that projects must be new or in early stages of development, utilising hospitality industry data, involving collaboration with industry partners, or developing models with direct applicability to the sector. When applications are equal in quality, preference is given to junior faculty and first-time applicants.
One of the three annual fellowships is specifically designated for research focused on Asian Hospitality Studies. Applicants pursuing this dedicated fellowship must centre their projects on topics related to the Asia region. This targeted initiative reflects the program's intention to develop region-specific expertise within hospitality research.
Fellows must fulfil multiple deliverables and engagement requirements. These include submitting working papers and research outputs to the Center for Hospitality Research website, providing written progress updates at six months and one year, and presenting findings to the CHR Advisory Board at least once during their fellowship year. Additionally, fellows must collaborate with CHR editors to develop practical summaries of their findings for industry audiences.
The evaluation process operates on a rolling basis beginning in October each year. Proposals are reviewed by a committee chaired by the CHR Academic Director and composed of CHR Advisory Board members and leadership. Top-ranked applicants deliver brief presentations to the committee, receiving practitioner feedback to strengthen industry impact. Fellows are announced in November annually.
Key numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of fellowships awarded annually | 3 |
| Teaching relief allocation per fellow | 1 unit |
| Faculty eligibility ranks | Assistant or associate professor |
| Mandatory progress update intervals | 6 months and 1 year |
| Annual evaluation cycle start | October |
Figures as published in the source; forecasts and survey results are labelled as such in the note.
Why it matters
DMOs & destinations
This program generates academic research addressing hospitality industry challenges with practical applicability. DMOs can engage with research outputs and CHR Advisory Board insights to inform destination strategy, understand emerging trends in hospitality management, and access peer-reviewed findings bridging academic research with industry practice.
Hotels & hospitality
The program explicitly fosters industry-academic collaboration and produces actionable insights for hospitality operators. Industry partners can shape research agendas, access practical summaries alongside peer-reviewed publications, and benefit from faculty-led studies on their sector's critical challenges—from operations to guest experience.
Travel tech & distribution
Research outputs from this initiative may address technology adoption, data utilisation, and operational modelling across the hospitality ecosystem. Travel tech companies and distribution platforms can monitor published findings, engage with CHR's industry advisory network, and identify academic-backed insights on sector trends and innovation.
Methodology and limits
This factsheet is based on the publicly available program description published on Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research website. It presents program eligibility criteria, funding structure, deliverable requirements, and evaluation procedures as stated by the Center. No external data collection, surveying, or validation was performed. The information reflects the program's formal guidelines and does not include historical data on prior fellowship cohorts or outcome metrics.
Official source
The report is © Cornell Center for Hospitality Research. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel — it quotes only figures published in the source and never reproduces the document.
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