ICMS, Edinburgh

The International Centre for Mathematical Sciences, ICMS, supports research in the mathematical sciences. Its core activity is the development and organisation of international workshops and conferences in all areas of mathematics and these attract leading mathematical scientists from the UK and overseas.

The conference will take place at the Informatics Forum.

Conference Venue

The conference will be held at the Informatics Forum, which is located at:
10 Crichton Street
Edinburgh EH8 9AB

Campus Map

Accommodation

Invited Speakers and Participants will be accommodated in single rooms at either the Chancellor's Court Rooms or the John Burnett House. Check-in for both hotels is at the Pollock Halls Reception, located at 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5AY.

Meals
Breakfast will be served at the respective hotels and lunch will be served at the conference location. Times for lunch are as shown in the conference final programme.

Directions

Airport to Hotels
Take the airport shuttle service (Airlink) to Waverley Bridge in the city centre (near railway station). The journey takes around 25 minutes and a return ticket costs £6. From there, the hotels are a 25 minute walk away. Click here for walking directions (Google Maps). Alternatively, a taxi from the airport will cost around £20. A taxi from Waverley Bridge will cost around £10.

Airport to Informatics Forum
Take the airport shuttle service (Airlink) to Waverley Bridge in the city centre (near railway station). The journey takes around 25 minutes and a return ticket costs £6. From there, the Informatics Forum is a 15 minute walk. Click here for walking directions (Google Maps). Alternatively, a taxi from the airport will cost around £20. A taxi from Waverley Bridge will cost around £10.

Hotels to Informatics Forum
It is an 18 minute walk between the hotels and the Informatics forum. Click here for walking directions between both hotels and the Informatics Forum (Google Maps). 

Reaching Edinburgh

By Air
Edinburgh International Airport serves many UK and international cities. When travelling a great distance, it is sometimes cheaper or more efficient to travel via Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dublin or other European hubs instead of changing at London airports.

Taxis are available from the airport and the journey to the city centre will cost around £18 to £20.

The airport shuttle service stops at a limited number of places, including Haymarket, en route to Waverley Bridge in the city centre. The journey takes around 25 minutes and a return ticket costs £6.

In addition to flying into Edinburgh, some other good options are Glasgow Airport (96km), Leeds Airport (3 hours by train) and for transatlantic flights, Manchester Airport (3.5 hours by train) and London Airports (4.5 hours by train).

Due to British Rail pricing policies please purchase your train tickets at least one week in advance as walk-up ticket prices are very expensive. You can plan your rail journey here: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/s/planjourney/query

By Rail
Edinburgh City Centre has two main railway stations. Waverley Station (Station Code EDB) at the east end of Princes Street is the terminus for all trains but some trains, from the north and the west, also stop at the smaller Haymarket Station.

Contact National Rail Enquiries on + 44 (0) 8457 48 49 50 for routes, timetables and booking information.

By Bus
Many UK towns and cities are linked by a network of bus routes. The main operators are National Express and Citylink.

Conference Facilities

Conference room
The conference room is located in Informatics Forum and is equipped with a data projector, an overhead projector and a projection screen.  

Speakers making an oral presentation (invited lecture) are kindly requested to bring their own laptop or their presentation on a memory stick. 

Posters
Posters can be fixed with pins onto poster panels. Recommended poster size is 100 cm high x 70 cm wide. Use letters and drawings that can be read from approximately 100 cm distance.

Leisure Activities and Tourism

For dining options and other activities, please download this document (PDF, 33KB)

Practical Information

Calling the UK/ Making Calls within the UK
The international dialing code to the UK is 44. When calling within the UK, a 0 must be inserted before the number to be dialed.
For example: +44 1223 584629 when telephoning from abroad; 01223 584629 when calling from within the UK.

Facts for the Traveler

Electricity supply:       240V, 50Hz
Time GMT/UTC:           GMT
Currency:                   British Pound (GPB)

Please note that the UK uses a non-standard European plug, please bring your own adaptor if necessary.

Arrival, On-Site Registration & Conference Secretariat

Upon arrival, participants should register with the ESF Conference Officer, sign the attendance list and collect their name badges and then check in at the hotel reception.

The conference officer will be present for the duration of the conference, taking care of the administrative aspects and the day-to-day running of the conference: registration, issuing certificates and receipts, collection travel tickets, etc.

The conference officer will be at the registration desk half an hour each morning before the meeting starts, during coffee breaks, and before and after each afternoon session.

Registration and Payment

Please confirm your attendance by filling in an online registration form accessible from the conference website.  

Conference fees must be paid by credit card (Visa, Mastercard and Eurocard) via the online registration form by the registration deadline. A 150 EUR supplement is added if full payment has not been received by the registration deadline.

Payments by bank transfer are accepted only in exceptional circumstances and will be subject to a 15 EUR supplement. Contact the Conference Officer for details.

Payments by cash and cheque are not accepted.

Cancellation and Refunds

Should you need to cancel your participation, please contact the Conference Officer immediately. If notice of cancellation is received more than two weeks before the conference, all but EUR 100 will be reimbursed. No refund is possible if notice of cancellation is received less than two weeks before the conference.

Extra Expenses

Any expenses not covered by the conference fee (additional nights, beverages, telephone calls, etc.) must be paid directly to the conference venue during your stay.

Board & lodging for accompanying guests (in double room with conferee) must be booked with the conference secretary and paid directly to the venue. Please collect applicable guest fees directly from the venue.

Accompanying guests are not entitled to take part in any of the actual conference activities (attend talks in the conference room, coffee breaks, etc.). Conference facilities, such as access to the internet, are destined for the sole use of conferees.

Travel Contributions

All reimbursements will be made by post-conference bank transfers. If you have been granted a travel contribution, please provide your bank account details – including IBAN and BIC/SWIFT numbers – in the online registration form.

Photocopies of travel tickets must be returned to the ESF Research Conferences Unit within a maximum of one month after the conference. No reimbursement can otherwise be guaranteed.  

Itinerary, price and currency must clearly feature on any ticket. Where no price is indicated on the ticket, the corresponding invoice must be enclosed.

Travel costs may not be higher than:

  • cheapest economy class air fare

  • OR second class train fare

  • OR bus fare from the participant’s place of work to the place of the event or may be the actual cost of travel, whichever is the lower.  

The following may NOT be considered as allowable travel costs and therefore may NOT be presented when claiming the travel contribution:

  • taxi fares (in exceptional cases, taxi fares may be reimbursed)

  • local travel in the city or locality of the event

  • costs of health, life and luggage insurance.  

Use of a private/rented car is covered either on the basis of a 2nd class return train fare documented by a certified travel agent, or on actual mileage according to the ESF coefficient applicable at the time of travel.

Passport and Visa Requirements

Please check your passport and visa requirements with your travel agent BEFORE departure. If you need help to obtain your visa, please contact the ESF conference officer.

Insurance

The European Science Foundation (ESF) does NOT provide insurance and do not take any responsibility for accidents or illnesses that might occur during the week or in the course of travel to or from the meeting place. It is therefore the responsibility of participants to check their health insurance requirements.