Venue and local information
About Kazan
Culture
The cultural life of Kazan is very diverse. Besides classical arts, modern art is also rapidly developing in our city. Every year a number of international festivals are organised in Kazan. Kazan has 9 theatres, 34 public museums, private galleries, the Saydashev State Great Concert Hall and 2 philharmonic halls, all open to the public. And the fame of Kazan State Chamber Orchestra La Primavera goes far beyond the city. Besides that, Kazan celebrates all the national holidays of both Russian and Tatar peoples on a large scale.
Infrastructure
New residential and social buildings, industrial and sporting facilities, roads and underground lines are being constructed in Kazan. The city's economy is developing in terms of innovations. We have one of the largest technoparks in Europe, the Idea Technopark, and the largest IT Park in Russia. In the vicinity of Kazan the first Russian city in the new century, Innopolis, has been recently built. Together with the eponymous university it is supposed to become the leading IT centre of Russia in the future. With the aid of the government development program for public spaces of Kazan, a lot of city parks have been improved and redesigned, and that made them favourite places of leisure for both Kazan residents and visitors of our city.
Sports
In 2009 Kazan was officially named the sports capital of Russia. The city rightfully and proudly bears this title, acting as the engine of development for sports in Russia. Kazan is home for many celebrated athletes and teams that successfully participate in high-level international competitions.
In 2013 Kazan hosted the XXVII Summer Universiade. It featured over 10 thousand athletes competing in 27 different sports. In the summer of 2015 Kazan hosted the 16th FINA World Aquatics Championships. The high level of international title sports competitions held in Kazan has been recognized by the global sports community.
Tourism
Today Kazan is one of the most visited cities of Russia. Its unique geographical position, authentic culture, rich cultural legacy and hospitality of its residents attract visitors from all over the world.
About Kazan Federal University
Kazan is one of the main university cities of Russia. About 200 thousand students from 67 different countries attend universities and colleges here. Kazan Federal University, the second of the oldest universities in Russia, was founded on November 17, 1804, when Emperor Alexander I signed the Affirmative Letter and the Charter about the creation of the Kazan Imperial University. In 2010, it received the federal status.
As of November 1, 2017, the University consists of 16 Institutes, 3 Higher Schools, Faculty of Law, and 2 regional branches. More than 40,000 students enrolled in 479 degree programs at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Research priority areas are concentrated on biomedicine and pharmaceutics, oil extraction, oil refining and petrochemistry, informational communication and aerospace technologies, advanced materials, and social sciences along with humanities..
KFU is one of just few educational institutions in Russia which offers modern comfortable housing to all students outside of Kazan. Universiade Village is a residential micro-district for about 12,000 people with a medical center, drugstore, sports equipment rent station, copy center, laundry, beauty salon, cafeteria and other facilities available. KFU has partner agreements with approximately 190 universities and research centres from more than 53 countries all over the world. Thanks to its fruitful cooperation with the long-term partners, KFU has taken advantage of participating in various research programmes and implementing double diploma programs and cotutelle agreements. Currently, about 3000 international students are studying in KFU.
Every year KFU academic staff carry out on average 40 joint international projects and get individual support for research and study from DAAD, DFG, Volkswagen Foundation, NSF, European Commission (Tempus, FP7, Marie-Curie Actions, Erasmus-Mundus, etc).
Kazan University Nikolai Lobachevsky Scientific Library has one of the world's most important bibliographical collections, including 15,000 manuscripts and 3,000 rare books. It is also known as the birthplace of electronic spin resonance discovered by Evgeny Zavoisky.
In 1996, the Architectural Complex of Kazan University was added to the National Cultural Heritage Register of Russia. 
To submit a paper check the following Web page
Accommodation
Hotels
Around the conference site there are quite a few hotels of different categories for the delegates to choose from, ranging from expensive luxury cones to the low-cost but comfortable ones. These hotels are not far from the conference site, and with convenient transportation connections. And the costs of accommodation are relatively low.
There is no problem in hotel reservation in Kazan.
The SIBCON Organizing Committee recommends to the conference participants accommodation in the hotels located near to the conference centre.
You can compare prices for hotels and booking at booking.com.
In the city, in KFU region there is a wide range of hotel accommodations that will fit almost any budget. We hope we will have the pleasure of seeing you in Kazan!
Weather
Kazan has a humid continental climate with long, cold winters , and warm, sunny summers. As a result of its far inland position, summers are extremely warm for its latitude and winters are quite cold compared to areas further west in Europe. Please, see weather information at the Web:
https://www.gismeteo.ru/weather-kazan-4364/
Travel Information
Kazan can be reached by a few international flights via Moscow as well as by several everyday domestic flights.
Besides, Kazan can be reached by a number of trains and buses.
All information about interesting trains and planes you can receive via e-mail or telephones of the Organizing Committee. Also
look at the Web.
Money
Russian money unit is Roubl (Rbl). 90 Rbls is equivalent to about 1 EUR and 75,88 Rbls is equivalent to about 1 US$ (the currency rate changed sligtly with time).
For more details, see http://finance.yahoo.com/currency
There are many currency exchange points in Kazan open during day time.
VISA, MASTERCARD are acceptable at some Kazan's banks, hotels, and shops.
Internet
In Kazan there are many so called Internet-cafes where one can use a computer connected to the Internet. Some cafes and hotels operate Wi-Fi free of charge.
Transport
The main types of public transport are buses, trolleybuses and tramways. The cost of a trip is 30 rubles. To buy a ticket one should pay cash inside or by card. There are also uniform tickets on all kinds of public transport for 30 or 15 days. One can buy the uniform ticket in specialized kiosks at bus stops. This kind of transport tickets is valid from the 1st or from the 16th day of the month.
Public transport works from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. There is a twenty-four-hour taxi service in Kazan. The cost of the trip can be defined at the order by many taxi services when one gives them a route.
Food
Nowadays Kazan offers its citizen and visitors Tatar, Caucasus and European cuisine in cafes and restaurants. One can try dishes of Japanese and Chinese cuisine in specialized places. Many cafes and restaurants offer business-lunch from 11 p.m. to 2 p.m. Please note that business-lunches are much cheaper than offers from the menu.
Tips are a commonplace in restaurants and bars. Tipping is optional, but it's always appreciated to leave some extra money to the waiter as a thanks for excellent service. The average amount of tip is 5 % of the bill.
Shopping
Small shops usually work from 10 a.m. to 7–8 p.m. without lunch breaks and days off. Large trade centers and hypermarkets are open until 10 p.m.
Museums
Museums work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The most part of the museums is closed on Monday. It's allowed to take pictures and to shoot in museums for an extra fee.
Medical assistance
Emergency medical assistance is provided free of charge.
Emergency numbers: when use a stationary telephone, one should dial 03; when use cell-phone, one should dial 112. The call is free of charge. While calling the emergency one needs to tell the reason of the call and the location. Scheduled medical assistance is provided on a fee paid basis.
There are plenty of pharmacies in Kazan. The most part of them works round the clock.
Visa
All foreigners entering Russian Federation are required to have passports (that must be valid at least three months beyond intended stay), tickets and documents for return or onward travel, and the Russian visa. Since the processing of a visa application can take up to two-three months, it is recommended that participants contact, as soon as possible, their local Russian consular offices and determine whether or not a visa is required.
One may apply for a tourist visa (which is issued for a maximum of 30 days stay) or a business visa (which is issued for a maximum of 90 days stay). The tourist visa is recommended when you know exactly where and how long you will be staying without diverting from your planned itinerary).
The tourist visa may be issued without invitation letter. When applying for the tourist visa, please indicate "tourism" (not "conference participation") as a trip purpose in the visa application form.
The business visa may be issued on the basis of an invitation letter from the Passport and Visa Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For this purpose, in order to be able to get an official invitation for your visa application you will be asked the following personal data:
First name, family name:
Passport number:
Date until the passport is valid
Date of birth, place of birth (city, country):
Sex:
Nationality:
State of inhabitancy, region:
Place of getting visa (country, city):
Place of employment:
Postal address of employment:
Position:
Home address:
Dates of stay in Russia:
Russian cities to visit/entry:
If you are planning to participate in the conference with your spouse you have to fill out a separate questionnaire for the spouse.
All participants are advised to arrange international health insurance before departure from their home countries. The organizers do not accept responsibility for any personal injury, damage or loss of property which may occur in connection with this conference.
