Коль скоро программный комитет принял решение, регламент выступления изменят.

Given that the programme committee made a decision, the presentation time limit will be changed.

Breakdown of Коль скоро программный комитет принял решение, регламент выступления изменят.

• решение: the decision
• принять: to make
• изменить: to change
• коль скоро: given that; since (bookish)

Questions & Answers about Коль скоро программный комитет принял решение, регламент выступления изменят.

What does коль скоро mean here, and is it common in modern Russian?

Коль скоро is a conjunction meaning something like since, seeing that, inasmuch as, or sometimes once.

In this sentence, it introduces the reason/background:

• Коль скоро программный комитет принял решение...
• roughly: Since the program committee has made a decision...

A learner should know that коль скоро is:

• bookish
• somewhat formal
• a little old-fashioned or stylistically elevated

In everyday Russian, you are more likely to hear:

• раз
• поскольку
• так как

So this sentence is grammatically normal, but коль скоро gives it a more formal or literary tone.

Why is принял singular, not plural, if a committee is made of several people?

Because Russian grammar agrees with the noun комитет, not with the idea of the people inside it.

• комитет = a singular masculine noun
• therefore the past-tense verb is also singular masculine: принял

So:

• программный комитет принял решение = the program committee made a decision

This is different from some varieties of English, especially British English, where collective nouns can sometimes take plural agreement:

• The committee have decided

In Russian, with комитет, singular agreement is the normal choice:

• комитет принял
• not комитет приняли