Location
Situated amidst beautiful landscaped parklands six miles from the centre of Scotland's vibrant capital city, the venue for VII International Meeting on Cancer Induced Bone Disease is the James Watt Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (www.eccscotland.com).
The campus is very compact and delegates will have only a short walk to their on site accommodation.
Edinburgh Overview
Scotland's capital captivates many people at first sight, with Edinburgh Castle looming from the crags of an ancient volcano, and the Georgian and Victorian architecture forming a skyline that looks locked in the past.
Banking
Most banks are open from Monday to Friday between 0900 and 1700. Some city centre offices are also open on Saturday mornings. Automatic teller machines (ATMs) are widely available throughout the area and most are linked to Cirrus, Maestro or Plus International money systems. Visitors are advised to check with their local bank prior to travelling.
Bureaux de change
Bureaux de change can be found at the airports, railway stations, most city centre banks, Tourist Information Centres and travel outlets.
Climate
From April to September, temperatures are mild and compare favourably with other European cities; annual rainfall is the same as Frankfurt, New York and Rome.
Credit cards
Most hotels, restaurants and shops in the UK accept major credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club and JCB.
Currency
UK currency is the pound sterling (£) and is made up of 100 pence (p). Several Scottish banks issue their own notes in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100. These are also legal tender elsewhere in the UK. Likewise, English and Northern Irish banknotes are legal tender in Scotland. Coins come in denominations of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2.
Customs
For information regarding customs and duty free allowances, please see the HM Revenue and Customs web site (www.hmrc.gov.uk/home.htm).
Electricity
The standard voltage in the UK is 240V AC, 50Hz. Any non-UK appliance will require an adapter; North American appliances will need a transformer and an adapter. Plugs have three-square pins and adapters are widely available.
Embassies and consulates
Foreign embassies can assist travellers with lost or stolen passports and provide assistance in emergencies. For information on European Union embassies in the UK see www.cec.org.uk. The American Consulate General in Edinburgh can be contacted on +44 (0)131-556 8315
Emergency services
For police, fire brigade, ambulance and, in some areas, mountain rescue or coastguard, dial 999.
Health care
EU citizens are entitled to free or reduced cost medical treatment at National Health Service hospitals. With the exception of accident and emergency treatment, all non-EU members will be charged for medical treatment and must have adequate health insurance when travelling.
Smoking
There is a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places throughout Scotland (since April 2006).
Telephone
Most public telephones accept coins (10p, 20p, 50p, £1), with a minimum connection charge of 20p. An increasing number of kiosks also accept credit cards and offer email and internet access.
Time
Between late March and late October, British Summer Time applies in the whole of the UK. This is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Most public transport timetables use the 24-hour clock.
Travel Grants
The Cancer and Bone Society is pleased to announce the availability of travel grants for young investigators. Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who will present work themselves (either as a poster or oral presentation) are eligible for support in the amount of £500.
Travel grants are awarded as a component of scientific abstract review and are considered on the basis of scientific merit.
Individuals wishing to be considered for a travel grant should check the appropriate box in the online abstract form and fulfill the following requirements:
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The applicant should either hold an MD and/or PhD or be a current graduate student or medical student in an academic program.
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Post-doctoral applicants should be within 10 years of beginning their first post-doctoral laboratory position.
We will confirm eligibility from department heads prior to awarding travel grants.
Sight seeing
http://www.visitscotland.com
Edinburgh is a beautiful and historic city with plenty of activities to choose from if you intend to stay on after the conference.
Principally, there are 2 distinct areas to Edinburgh. The Old Town which is a lively area with many specialty shops, restaurants and businesses and secondly, the Georgian New Town which is often considered to be a masterpiece of city planning, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although still referred to as the New Town, it was built in stages between 1765 and around 1850, and retains much of the original neo-classical period architecture.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle dominates the city like no other castle in Scotland or the British Isles. With nearly one thousand years of history it sits proudly on the top of the famous Edinburgh rock.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is The Queen's official residence in Scotland.
National Galleries of Scotland
Housed in five galleries across Edinburgh, The National Galleries of Scotland look after one of the world's finest collections of Western art ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Ghost Tours
The Edinburgh ghost tours are among the most popular walking tours of the city. Edinburgh's history spans hundreds of years and the overcrowded Old Town, home of the common and rich alike, became the perfect setting for some of the richest gruesome folklore in Scotland.
The Royal Yacht Britannia
The Royal Yacht Britannia has played host to some of the most famous people in the world, but, above all, she was home to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family.
Arthur’s Seat
Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m (823 feet), provides excellent panoramic views of the city, is quite easy to climb, and is a popular walk.
10 Facts about Edinburgh
1. Edinburgh's population is over 450,000 but that figure more than doubles to over a million
during the famous arts festivals in August.
2. Each year, Edinburgh hosts the biggest New Year street party in the world, known simply
as Edinburgh's Hogmanay. Over 100,000 revellers enjoy wonderful music in Princes Street
Gardens and, across the city at midnight, dazzling firework displays on all seven of the
hills surrounding the city.
3. JK Rowling, author of the famous Harry Potter books, wrote her first novel
'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' in a café in Edinburgh.
4. Sean Connery grew up in Edinburgh and, as a boy, delivered milk to Fettes College, where the
fictitious character of James Bond was educated, as was Tony Blair, Britain’s former
Prime Minister (1997-2007).
5. Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the city skyline, is the most popular visitor attraction in
Scotland, with well over one million visitors each year.
6. The word 'caddie' originated from the men who were hired to carry pails of water up the tenement
flats in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Golf caddies are thought to stem from Mary Queen of Scots who
was educated in France and a keen golfer. Apparently, she christened the students who carried her
clubs 'cadets' and, given the French pronunciation of the word, some people believe that this is
how the modern meaning of the term developed.
7. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born in Edinburgh. Like his father, Bell
was an educator of the deaf. He went first to Canada and then to the United States, where in 1873
he was appointed a professor in the School of Oratory, Boston University.
8. Princes Street Gardens, situated in the city centre, boasts the world's oldest floral clock and the
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh contains Britain's tallest Palm House in The Glasshouse Experience.
9. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is HM The Queen's official residence in Scotland. It contains historic
apartments where Mary, Queen of Scots lived. Mary's death mask, meanwhile, is housed within
Lennoxlove House, home of the Duke of Hamilton, just outside Edinburgh.
10. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
along with cities such as Bath, Rome and Venice.