Conference Venue

The Thirteenth Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems will take place from Tuesday, October 6, to Friday, October 9, 2026. The meeting will be hosted by the University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics, which is located at 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, UK, EH8 9AB. However, the meeting itself will take place at St. Leonards Hall, which is located at 18 Holyrood Park Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5AY, about a mile from the main George Square campus. Food and coffee will be available throughout the conference.

Welcome Reception

Immediately following the main conference events on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, there will be a short welcome reception with hors d'oeuvres and drinks, also held at St. Leonards Hall.

Conference Dinner

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, there will be a conference dinner, at a venue close to the city centre (details coming soon).

Conference Registration

The conference will be hosted as an in-person event, but we will do our best to accommodate remote participation for portions of the conference for special circumstances. Please contact Maithilee Kunda (mkunda@ed.ac.uk) if your situation requires remote attendance.

The early registration fee for ACS-2026 is £350 per person until Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (23:59 UK time), after which it will increase to £425. The last day to register will be Tuesday, September 29, 2026 (one week before the conference).

The fee will cover access to the workshops on Tue Oct 6, the main conference on Wednesday, October 7, to Friday, October 9, and the gala dinner on Thursday, October 8. There is an optional add-on welcome dinner on the evening of Tuesday, October 6 for £50.

For those wishing to attend the workshops only, there is a workshop-only registration fee that is £80 per person until September 14, 2026 (23:59 UK time), after which it will increase to £100. Students may register for the workshops at a special student rate of £40.

You can register for the Thirteenth Annual Conference on Advances in Cognitive Systems at THIS LINK.

Poster Printing

For ACS poster presentations, we recommend maximum poster sizing of A0 (841x1189mm), portrait orientation only, down to a minimum size of A1 (594x841mm), portrait or landscape orientation. There are several local print shops close to the conference venue that can print posters for the conference, including:

• Edinburgh Copy Shop
• Print Pixels
• Crescent Print

Event Privacy

The University of Edinburgh's School of Informatics has an event privacy policy, which you will find described HERE.

Recommended Hotels

Edinburgh hotels often get busy with tourists and business travelers, so early bookings are highly recommended. We have arranged for room blocks and/or discount codes at several hotels within walking distance of the conference venue:

• Residence Inn by Marriott Edinburgh (0.3 miles from conference location)
  • 36 Simpson Loan, Quartermile, Edinburgh, EH3 9GG
  • Booking link HERE
  • Last day to book at conference rate: July 11, 2026.
• Ibis Edinburgh Centre South Bridge (0.3 miles from conference location)
  • 77 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1HN
  • Booking link HERE, use discount code INFOR2026
  • Last day to book at conference rate: September 3, 2026
• KM Hotel and KM Apartments Edinburgh (0.3 miles from conference location)
  • 5-9 Richmond Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9ST
  • KM Hotel, booking link HERE, use discount code EVENT
  • KM Apartments, booking link HERE use discount code EVENT
  • Last day to book at conference rate: Subject to availability
• Apex Hotel Grassmarket (0.5 miles from conference location)
  • 31-35 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2HS
  • Booking link HERE, use discount code COGSYS2026
  • Last day to book at conference rate: Subject to availability
• Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh City (0.6 miles from conference location)
  • 79 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9HZ
  • Booking link HERE, use discount code LHUOFE041026
  • Last day to book at conference rate: August 9, 2026
• Leonardo Royal Hotel (0.6 miles from conference location)
  • 43 Jeffrey Street, EH1 1DH Edinburgh
  • Booking link HERE, use discount code LHUOFE041026
  • Last day to book at conference rate: August 9, 2026
• The Scott (0.9 miles from conference location)
  • 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5AY
  • Booking link HERE, use discount code EVENT
  • Last day to book at conference rate: Subject to availability

Air Travel to Edinburgh

Most participants will fly into the Edinburgh International Airport (EDI), which is approximately 8 miles from the conference location.

Ground Transportation

Train Travel to Edinburgh: For participants arriving by train, Edinburgh’s Waverley Station is located less than a mile from the conference location.

Transport from the Airport: If you are flying into the Edinburgh airport, there are several easy options to get into the city:

• There is an Airlink 100 bus (you'll see signs all over the arrivals area) that takes you directly into the city center, with the final stop on Waverley Bridge. You can buy your ticket from ticket agents while in line or from the driver when you board.
• The tram also goes past the city center (the main stop for the center is the Princes Street stop). Tram tickets must be bought on the platform before boarding. You can buy a ticket from the machine, or there are also tap-on, tap-off kiosks (but remember to tap off when you disembark!).
• You can get Uber/rideshares from a dedicated rideshare area on the main floor of the parking garage (same as dropoff zone). You can also sometimes grab a regular taxi that has just dropped someone off.
• There is an official taxi stand at the airport that you can use; signs will direct you.