Practical info

Venue

Both Summer Workshop and Summer School will take place in the scenic campus of the Faculty of Information Technology at the Brno University of Technology (BUT) featuring a middle-age Carthusian monastery and modern lecture halls.

Address:

Faculty of Information Technology
Brno University of Technology
Božetěchova 2, 612 66 Brno, Czechia, EU

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About Brno city

Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic and the capital of Moravia, is situated in the South Moravian region. Although the area has been inhabited since the 5th century, the city itself was officially founded in 1243. Today, Brno is home to over 400,000 residents, including more than 60,000 university students.

Useful links

Getting to Brno (Czechia, EU)

Brno has a local airport and is easily accessible from major international airports in Vienna (130 km) and Prague (200 km). Additionally, there are several direct flights to Brno Airport…

Flying to Brno

Brno has a small airport (BRQ) with regular flights from London-Stansted: https://www.brno-airport.cz/en/
Take the bus number 76 from the airport to the Main train station ( ‘Hlavni nadrazi‘). The travel time from the airport to the city center is in both cases about 20 minutes. For one journey you need a regular 2-zone ticket. t costs 25CZK (~1EUR). It can be purchased directly at the bus - more details: https://www.pipniajed.cz/en.html.
Taxis and Uber also offer affordable transportation within Brno.

Flying to Vienna

Vienna airport (VIE): https://www.viennaairport.com/en/passengers
Several agencies operate direct bus connection from Vienna (city, airport) to Brno. There are more than ten connections in both directions each day. RegioJet transport by bus from the Vienna airport to Brno takes about 3 hours and costs about 400CZK (~17EUR). GepardExpres transport by bus from the Vienna airport to Brno takes about 2.5 hours and costs about 430CZK (~17EUR)
To see buses and trains to Brno, go through idos.cz.

Flying to Prague

Prague international airport (PRG): https://www.prg.aero/en#/
It is about a 2.5 hour drive to Brno. There is a good motorway connection.
Several agencies operate direct bus connection from Prague (city, airport) to Brno. There are more than ten connections in both directions each day. RegioJet transport by bus from the Prague airport to Brno takes about 3 hours and costs about 300CZK (~12EUR). GepardExpres transport by bus from the Prague airport to Brno takes about 2.5 hours and costs about 500CZK (~20EUR)
A convenient way is to take a train from Prague to Brno, there are shuttles named "Airport Express" from the airport to the Prague main railway station.
To see buses and trains to Brno, go through idos.cz.

Getting to venue (Faculty of Information Technology, Brno University of Technology)

From the main train station („Hlavni nadrazi“): take tram No. 1 in front of the station, direction „Reckovice“. Get off at Semilasso stop. Then walk to the Faculty of Information Technology, Brno University of Technology.
For invited speakers: From the Hotel Continental: walk to „Antoninska“ stop, get on tram No. 1 (direction „Reckovice“) or 6 (direction „Kralovo Pole nadrazi“). Get off at „Semilasso“ stop and walk.
Tickets for the public transport in Brno: Ticket costs 25 CZK (about 1EUR) for one ride by public transport. You can pay directly in the tram or bus by swiping your payment/credit card. A yellow payment box is placed at every door of the tram or bus.

Useful links

Visa and entry formalities

Once personnel are finalized, and their support package(s) confirmed, JHU and BUT workshop coordinators will start the paperwork for those who need a visa to enter the EU (Czechia) immediately.

The process for each participant who needs to apply for a visa depends on his/her individual situation - mainly citizenship and the length of stay.

EU nationals need only a passport or national ID card valid for the duration of their stay. Visitors from non-EU countries must have a passport valid for at least three months beyond their planned departure date from the Czech Republic. Participants requiring a visa should apply in advance at the Czech Republic's diplomatic missions to avoid travel delays for the meeting. For a list of all Czech diplomatic missions and their contact details please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage.

States whose citizens need visa to travel to the Schengen Area (short stays up to 90 days)

States whose citizens are exempt from short-term visa requirement (short stays up to 90 days)

VISA

Short-term visa (stay up to 90 days)

The Workshop or School & Workshop participants from non-EU countries will need a Schengen visa for the purpose of conference for the stay up to 90 days.

Please read the official instructions: https://mzv.gov.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/short_stay_visa/conference.html

BUT will prepare an Invitation letter. This document will serve as proof of the purpose of stay, as a proof of accommodation and as a proof of financial funds.

A short-term stay is a stay of a maximum of 90 days during any 180-day period, which means a period of 180 immediately preceding each day of stay (note: the length of stay is calculated according to the entry and exit stamps entered into the relevant travel document at the border-crossing point).

Requirements:

Travel document
Photo
Biometric features - fingerprints
Supporting documents proving
- Purpose of the journey (will be covered by an Invitation letter)
- Accommodation (will be proved by the information given in an Invitation letter)
- Financial means (will be proved by the information given in an Invitation letter)
- Intention to leave Czech Republic/Schengen Area before the visa expiry (mostly air ticket reservation / other reservation + proof of ties and integration in the home country)
Travel medical insurance - Travel medical insurance must cover all expenses related to repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care, emergency hospital care or death. The insurance must be valid in the entire Schengen Area and cover the entire period of stay (or transit). The minimum coverage must be EUR 30,000.

There is an application fee of EUR 90. From the 1st January 2025 there are various possibilities on how to pay the application fee. See the link here for the payment instructions.

When to file the application?

The application can be filed three months before the trip.

You can download the application form here: https://mzv.gov.cz/jnp/en/information_for_aliens/visa_form/index.html

You can either fill out the form electronically and print it subsequently or print the form first and fill it out by hand in legible large case Latin letters. Forms can be printed in black and white. Forms are also available at consulates. Each applicant fills out his/her own form.

The maximum processing time is 15 days (longer processing time is possible but exceptional). The application filed less than 15 days before the trip may not be processed in time. More information can be found at these links: Ministry of Foreign Affairs webpage or the Ministry of the Interior web page.

Please email us in case you might need another visa type (long-term residence permit for the purpose of scientific research is needed for stay over 90 days) or to check that you do not need a visa: e.g. (EU-ESPERANTO) project participants, who are Third country nationals and at the same time they bear a valid permit to stay issued by another EU member state. These permit holders are allowed to carry out scientific research in another member state for a period of up to 90 days within 180 day-period.

The Third country nationals (are citizens of a state that is not a member of the EU and are not also citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) will be asked to apply for a Schengen visa for the purpose of conference.

In case you need a visa for your travel to the Czech Republic, we will be happy to send you an Invitation letter - please contact us at jsalt2025@jhu.edu. Please note that documents will be sent only to registered JSALT 2025 participants, who were approved by the team leaders.

Purchase of Insurance (before departure)

Health insurance + repatriation insurance

For EU citizens: Request a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), for non-EU citizens: purchase a private health insurance

Home insurance

You must take out insurance covering your civil liability for the occupation of the premises and be liable for any damage or loss occurring in the premises you will use.

Accommodation for full-event participants

The organizers will arrange accommodation for attendees participating in the entire summer school or entire workshop. Short-term participants are expected to arrange their own accommodation, but the organizers are happy to provide suggestions. Please feel free to contact the organizing committee for assistance.

Accommodation for invited speakers and lecturers - Hotel Continental

If you stay at the Hotel Continental, here you can find some useful information.

Address: Hotel Continental, Kounicova 6, 602 00 Brno, Czechia, EU
Web: https://www.continentalbrno.cz/en
Telephone: +420 541 519 111
The Hotel Continental is conveniently located near the center of the city. From the Conference Venue (Faculty of Information Technology, BUT) to the Hotel Continental: walk to „Palackeho“ street and then 300m towards the city center to „Husitska“ stop. Take tram No. 1 or 6, heading towards the city center. Get off at „Antoninska“ stop. To reach the hotel, take the street „Antoninska“, and go uphill ~300 m. When you reach a small park, turn left. The hotel is in front of you.
From the Main train station („Hlavni nadrazi“) to the Hotel Continental: take tram No. 1 in front of the station, direction „Reckovice“. Get off at „Antoninska“ stop and follow the information in the previous point.
From the Bus station („autobusove nadrazi, hotel Grand“): go ~200m to the main train station (you'll see it from the bus station), proceed according to the previous point.

Presentations (for invited speakers and lecturers)

All presentations at JSALT2025 are oral. The computer presentations can be prepared in the following two ways:

Preparing a PDF or PowerPoint presentation should be sent 1 day before to jsalt2025@jhu.edu or shared on a USB memory stick 30min before presentation. We are sorry not to support any other formats.
Bringing your own laptop computer. In this case, make sure that your output is standard VGA/SVGA, we would like to remind especially Mac users to bring the necessary adaptors. This is unnecessary complication as all presentations will be streamed and recorded.

Wifi

Wifi is available for free to all JSALT2025 participants. The credential will be provided.

Badges

Badges should be worn by all participants AT ALL TIMES during the event. Badges should also be worn when attending the events of the social programme. Only participants or accompanying persons wearing their badges will be admitted to the scientific sessions, and the social events. Please make sure your name on the badge is visible at all times, so that you could be identified by the colleagues that might want to speak to you.

Security in city and region

Brno is a safe city, and it is generally safe to walk its streets even late at night. However, as in any other European city, take basic precautions with your personal belongings. Avoid leaving them unattended, and keep them secure, especially in busy streets or when boarding crowded trams.

Uber and taxi drivers in Brno have a good reputation and are known for providing fair service. If you need assistance calling a cab, feel free to contact the registration desk or a local member of the BUT team.

Communicating with the locals

Czech people are generally helpful, so don’t hesitate to ask for help in the streets of Brno. Young people will probably speak some degree of English, while with the older generation, the probability is lower (you might find excellent German speakers though). In case you are looking for a place, make sure you have it written or printed – English pronunciation of Czech words can lead to confusion.

Currency

Foreign currency is generally not accepted in the Czech Republic, get some cash at the airport (there are change machines and ATMs in the arrival hall). Some shops accept payment in EUR (cash) but for a disadvantageous exchange rate. Credit cards are accepted in almost all shops.

Telephone numbers

112 General Emergency
155 Ambulance
158 Police
150 Fire Department

Insurance

The organizers can accept no liability for personal injuries or loss or damage to property belonging to the participants, either during or as a result of the event. Participants are advised to take out proper travel and health insurance before departing from their home country.

Language of the Meeting

The official language of the JSALT2025 is English. Translation services will not be provided.

Time zone

The Czech Republic is on Central European Time - Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus 1 hour. From April to October is summer time, i.e. GMT + 2 hours.

Shopping

Most shops in Brno are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday till Friday, on Saturday they usually have adjusted opening hours. Shopping centres are open Monday till Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

‘Albert’ at the corner of Palackého and Kosmova streets (200m from FIT) offers basic groceries.
If you want to buy good wine, we recommend ‘Moravská vinotéka’ located at Bulharska 49 (half a kilometer away from the FIT campus).
The closest shopping center is ‘Nákupní centrum Královo Pole’, some 2km from FIT on Cimburkova street. You can take bus No. 67 from ‘Slovanske namesti’ to ‘NC Královo Pole’ or tram No. 1 or 6 from ‘Semilasso’ to ‘Kartouzska’ and walk from there.
Brno center offers a variety of boutiques.
For fashion lovers, the closest shopping center is Vaňkovka – the easiest to get there is to take tramway No. 1, get off at Hlavní nádraží (main station), take the underground passage and go straight to the south – Vaňkovka is some 400m from the main station.

Beer help-line

The Czech Republic is reputed for its excellent lagers and in case the weather is good, there is nothing better than taking ‘one’ (the joke says, that ‘going for one beer’ is the most frequent lie in the Czech Republic) and a dinner in one of the open-air beer gardens.

Beer vocabulary - Czech is a Slavic language with rich morphology, so remember, that you ask for

1 PIVO (pronounce ‘p i v o’)
2, 3, 4 PIVA (pronounce ‘p i v a’)
5 and more PIV (pronounce ‘p ih f’)

Types of beer

‘Desítka‘ (10°) – light beer with 3-4% of alcohol. Good for lunch if you don’t want to be sleepy in the afternoon.
‘Dvanáctka‘ (12°) – regular beer with 4-5% of alcohol.
‘Světlé‘ – lager (pale) beer – this is the default beer.
‘Tmavé‘ – dark beer – note, that Czech dark beer is sweeter than Irish or Scottish dark beers
‘Řezané‘ or ‘řezák‘ – mixed ‘Světlé’ and ‘Tmavé’ – this is the option preferred by many local connoisseurs.

In the Czech Republic, beer is served in 0.5L glasses. Ask for “malé pivo“ (small beer) if you want a 0.3L glass. If you are however a healthy looking male that obviously does not have to drive, you will be regarded with a bit of despect while asking for a small beer.

Tipping

Service is usually included in the bill in bars and restaurants but tips are welcome. If you consider the service good enough to warrant a tip, we suggest about ten percent.