ECA is committed to promote continuous high-level education in crystallography. European Crystallography Schools (ECS) are the central component of ECA’s educational activities. These Schools are regular events hosted annually or biannually, each time in a different country. In 2014, the first European Crystallography School (ECS1) took place in Pavia. Each School offers basic training in crystallography; advanced subjects in crystallography may be included by the School organizer, who justifies the choice of subjects when applying for the School. Advanced subjects alternate between European Crystallography Schools to ensure coverage of all aspects of crystallography. Schools employ a truly international faculty of renowned teachers, thus helping aggregate future scientists, and serving as a seed for new European scientific networks. Organization of a School at the European level may allow or require funding from various sources including European initiatives, such as the Erasmus Intensive Program. In this way, students or young scientists from countries where crystallography is less developed will find excellent opportunities for their advanced education and for starting new contacts and collaborations. European Crystallography Schools are not expected to make financial profits.
In addition to European Crystallography Schools, ECA regularly provides financial support to local schools, workshops and conferences within the ECA region, including Europe, as well as Africa and the Middle East (typically at least 5000 Euros per annum overall as student bursaries). ECA maintains its strong commitment to provide regular support to these local initiatives.
Next ECS
See you at Lake Orhid, Republic of North Macedonia (2025)The 10th European Crystallography School (ESC10) will be held from June 22 to June 29, 2025, at the hotel Inex Olgica, located on the shores of Lake Ohrid, N. Macedonia. Situated in the heart of the Balkans, at the southernmost part of Macedonia, on the banks of Lake Ohrid, lies the ancient City of Ohrid. With about 1.4 million years of history, Lake Ohrid is Europe’s oldest and one of the world’s few ancient lakes. The city of Ohrid, a double UNESCO cultural heritage site, is considered a cultural and religious center of Eastern Europe by the Slavic people. The theme of the 10th European Crystallography School is “From Nano to Macro: Elucidating Structures at Different Length Scales”. The school is open to undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and young scientists from different fields (biology, biochemistry, chemistry, material science, physics, etc.). The main focus is to educate participants on diffraction methods beyond the traditional crystallography used to determine crystal structures from single crystals. The lectures will be conducted in the mornings, while the afternoons will be dedicated to applications and hands-on tutorials. Additionally, there will be a virtual visit to one of the synchrotron facilities in Europe and powder X-ray data collection at the Institute of Chemistry in Skopje. For more details, and to register, follow this link. |
Future ECSs
ECS-11: Stockholm (Sweden), June 28th – July 4th, 2026
Past ECSs
| ECS-9 Nancy (France) 24 – 30 June 2023 | |
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| ECS-8 Berlin (Germany) 19 – 23 June 2023 | ECS-7 Lisbon (Portugal) 10 – 15 July 2022 |
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| ECS-6 Budapest (Hungary) 4 – 10 July 2021 | ECS-5 Stellenbosch (South-Africa) 8 – 14 July 2018 |
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| ECS-4 Warsaw (Poland) 2 – 7 July 2017 | ECS-3: Bol (Croatia) September 25 – October 2, 2016 |
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| ECS-2: Mieres (Asturias, Spain), 31st August – 5th September 2015 | ECS-1: Pavia (Italy): 28th August – 6th September, 2014 |
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