Illuminating Dark Matter (2025)

Funding

All Simons Symposium participants are fully funded by the Simons Foundation. Funding includes roundtrip travel, hotel accommodations and reimbursement of local expenses.

Participation & Guest Policy

By confirming their participation, symposium attendees agree to participate fully in the scientific program, arriving on Sunday, June 1 and departing on Saturday, June 7.

No accommodations will be made for partial or remote attendance.

It is against Simons Foundation policy for guests, including children, to accompany participants during the meeting week. Guests are welcome to join prior to or at the conclusion of the symposium at their own expense.

Air Travel

The Simons Foundation will arrange and pay for round-trip travel from the attendee’s home city to the Munich International Airport within the following parameters:

• Economy Class: For flights that are three hours or less to your destination, the maximum allowable class of service is Economy class.
• Premium Economy Class: For flights where the total air travel time (excluding connection time) is more than three hours and less than seven hours per segment to your destination, the maximum allowable class of service is premium economy.
• Business Class: When traveling internationally (or to Hawaii/Alaska) travelers are permitted to travel in Business Class on those segments that are seven hours or more. If the routing is over budget, a premium economy or mixed-class ticket will be booked.

Train Travel

Attendees requiring train travel inside Germany and/or Europe should be booked directly their tickets directly and request reimbursement of their fare at the end of the symposium.

Local Train Stations

Munich Central Station
https://www.bahnhof.de/en/muenchen-hbf
Distance from Schloss Elmau: 65 mi/105 km

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Central Station
https://www.bahnhof.de/en/garmisch-partenkirchen
Distance from Schloss Elmau: 10 mi/17 km

Klais Station
https://www.bahnhof.de/en/klais
Distance from Schloss Elmau: 3.5 mi/5.6 km

Hotel

The Simons Foundation will directly pay for up to 6 nights at Schloss Elmau Hotel, arriving on Sunday, June 1 and departing on Saturday, June 7.

Any additional nights are at the attendee’s own expense. To arrange accommodations, please register at the link included in your invitation.
Schloss Elmau Hotel
In Elmau 2, 82493 Krün
Germany
+49 8823 180
https://www.schloss-elmau.de/en/

Ground Transportation in Germany

Round-trip ground transportation between Munich International Airport (MUC) t or local train stations and Schloss Elmau will be coordinated by the Simons Foundation. Details in this regard will be communicated approximately two weeks in advance of the meeting.

Attendees who booked their travel themselves should communicate their complete arrival and departure information to the Simons Foundation so that proper arrangements can be made on their behalf.

Travel times between Schloss Elmau and MUC or common train stations are as follows:

Munich International Airport: 1.5-2 hours

Munich Central Station: 1.5-2 hours

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Central Station: 20 minutes

Klais Station: 10 minutes

Travel Deviations & Changes after Ticketing

The following travel specifications are considered deviations and will only be accommodated if the cost is less than or equal to the amount the Simons Foundation would pay for a standard round-trip ticket from your home city to the conference city:

• Preferred airline
• Preferred travel class
• Specific flights/flight times
• Travel dates outside those associated with the conference
• Arriving or departing from an airport other than your home city or conference city airports, i.e. multi-segment or triangle trips.

All deviations must be reviewed and approved by the Simons Foundation and, if the cost is more than what would normally be paid, a reimbursement quote must be obtained through the foundation’s travel agency before proceeding to booking and paying for travel out of pocket. All reimbursements for travel booked directly will be paid after the conclusion of the meeting.

Changes After Ticketing

All costs related to changes made to ticketed travel, including name changes, are to be paid for by the participant and are not reimbursable. Please contact the foundation’s travel agency for further assistance.

Personal & Rental Cars

Personal car and rental trips over 250 miles each way requires prior approval from the Simons Foundation via email.

Rental cars must be pre-approved by the Simons Foundation.

On Wednesday of the symposium week, there will be an optional group hike to Leutascher Geisterklamm. Attendees will confirm their hike participation via registration.

https://www.alpenwelt-karwendel.de/leutascher-geister-klamm-mittenwald

Departing on foot from Schloss Elmau, expert guides will lead participants through well-kept trails lined with lush vegetation to the Leutascher Geisterklamm, a magnificent gorge that features a powerful rushing river, blue pools, towering rock formations and the waterfall Leutaschklamm Wasserfallsteig. Participants will traverse various bridges that line the trail, one of which is 40 meters high and offers spectacular views down into the roaring water.

The path through the Geisterklamm leads towards the center of the town of Mittenwald where a bus will be waiting to take participants back to Schloss Elmau for a late lunch.

Terrain/Hike details:

Depart: 9:45 AM

Length: 3.5 hours

Distance: 11 km/6.8 mi

Altitude: 220 meters/722 feet

Depth: 300 meters/984 feet

Overview

Participants will be reimbursed for meals and local expenses including ground transportation. Expenses should be submitted through the foundation’s online expense reimbursement platform after the meeting’s conclusion.

Expenses accrued because of meetings not directly related to the Simons Foundation-hosted meeting (a satellite meeting or meeting held at another institution, for example) will not be reimbursed by the Simons Foundation and should be paid by other sources.

Below are key reimbursement takeaways; a full policy will be provided with the final logistics email circulated approximately 2 weeks prior to the meeting’s start.

Meals

The daily meal limit is $125; itemized receipts are required for expenses over $24 USD. The foundation DOES NOT provide a meal per diem and only reimburses actual meal expenses up the following amounts.

• Breakfast $20
• Lunch $30
• Dinner $75

Allowable Meal Expenses

• Meals taken on travel days (when you traveled by air or train).
• Meals not provided by the Simons Foundation.
• Group dinners consisting of fellow meeting participants paid by a single person will be reimbursed up to $75 per person and the amount will count towards the $125 daily meal limit.

Unallowable Meal Expenses

• Meals taken outside those provided by the foundation (breakfast, lunch, breaks and/or dinner).
• Meals taken on days not associated with Simons Foundation-coordinated events.
• Minibar expenses.
• Meal expenses for a non-foundation guest.

Ground Transportation

Expenses for ground transportation will be reimbursed for travel days (i.e. traveling to/from the airport or train station).

Meeting & Policy Questions

Meghan Fazzi
Senior Manager for Events & Administration
[email protected]

Travel & Hotel Assistance

FCM Travel Meetings & Events
[email protected]
Hours: M-F, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM ET
+1-888-789-6639