Scuola Europea di Citogenetica APS

European School of Cytogenetics

The Scuola Europea di Citogenetica - SEC (European School of Cytogenetics) is an APS (non-profit association) under the responsability of Prof. Mariano Rocchi, General Secretary of the E.C.A. (European Cytogeneticsts Association) and Emeritus Professor of the University of Bari. SEC was created to manage the Goldrain course, founded by Albert Schinzel, which is supported also by liberal donations from ECA and ESHG.


Upcoming cytogenetics courses:

- the Nîmes course, in Classical and Molecular Cytogenetics - European Diploma (March 15-21, 2027, Nîmes, France)

- the Goldrain course in Clinical Cytogenetics (August 24-30, 2027, Goldrain, Italy) (see below)

European Diploma in Classical and Molecular Cytogenetics, NĂ®mes, March 15-21, 2027 (29th edition)   

The course is laboratory oriented and includes cancer cytogenetics, chromosome structure, molecular mechanisms of chromosome abnormalities and plant and animal cytogenetics.

Applications are due by January 31, 2027
 
   NĂ®mes
 
Flyer 2027

Travel tips               

   
Director of the Course: Prof. Jean-Michel Dupont, Paris University.

Contact: jean-michel.dupont@aphp.fr

Venue: Hotel Vatel, Nîmes, France


2027 Programme


Photo of the 2026 course -2026/1  -2026/2
 

Group photo from previous years: 2025 -A-   -B-   -C-  2024    2023
 

The course was founded in 2007 by Albert Schinzel, who sadly passed away on 12 September 2025. All those involved remain committed to continuing it as a way of honoring his legacy. A personal memory by Mariano Rocchi, and a memory which appeared in the ECA Newsletter.
 

The course covers all aspects of clinical cytogenetics in depth, including prenatal and postnatal dysmorphology, genetic counselling and ethical issues.
Venue: Goldrain castle South Tyrol, Italy  map1    map2

Flyer		       

The castle web site  
 
 map of the castle and pensions
 

Directors of the Course: Mariano Rocchi, University of Bari, and Jean-Michel Dupont, Paris University,
Programme Committee: M. Rocchi, J-M. Dupont, K. Miller, A. Baumer, E. Klopocki, K. Madan
Application Form  
       
The application form includes information on registration fees.

Once we receive your application, we will notify you of its acceptance and provide payment details.
- Please note that the course is not for beginners. At least one year's experience in the sector is required.   
The 40 available places will be allocated on first come - first served basis.
- Scholarships will be available. The ESHG (European Society of Human Genetics) will very likely provide six scholarships. Under the new procedure, applicants will need to apply directly to the ESHG. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please let me know as soon as possible. I will notify you when the online application opens and send you the link.
 
 The 38 available places will be allocated on first come - first served basis.

Contact: mariano.rocchi@uniba.it


The management of the Goldrain Course is entrusted to the non-profit association Scuola Europea di Citogenetica APS (SEC APS; European School of Cytogenetics APS), based in Bari, Italy. A non-profit association has the advantage of being exempt from 22% VAT for the activities organized for its members. This means that after acceptance to the course, you have to apply to become a member of the SEC APS Association (for a nominal fee of  â‚¬1,00, which you can ignore). SEC membership expires on December 31st of the year in which you join, without any obligation or automatic renewal.
 
Rooms left:
Single rooms: 20 in the castle; 4 at the Kiem residence*(map). Shared double rooms: 16 spots available in the castle
*Each of the 2 mini-apartments has two separate bed rooms and a shared kitchen and bathroom.

Scholarships. The evaluation procedure is changing. Scholarships awarded by the ESHG will now be evaluated directly by the ESHG. We recommend submitting your scholarship application using the application form for the Goldrain course. You will be informed in due course about the next steps under the new procedure.

Partecipant testimonial of the 2026 edition.

Travel informations

Excursion 2027

Programme 2026.

Lecturers 

Group photo 2026 and from the previous courses  2025, 2024 (1)  2024 (2)   2023  

Students’ origin over the years: Europe   outside Europe

2024 pictures from
Web site kindly hosted by the University of Bari, Italy.  Not secure (in case it shows): it just means that it is a simple web site in http, not in https