2027 ESPCR annual meeting
The organizer of the next (27th) ESPCR Meeting in 2027 is Michal Sarna of the Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie (Jagiellonian University, Kraków).
The 2027 meeting will be held in Krakow (Poland), 30 August – 2 September 2027, circumstances permitting.
Further details will be made available in due course.
| Meeting | Year | Location | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26th IPCC | 2026 | New Delhi, India | Rashmi Sarkar |
| 26th ESPCR | 2025 | Erlangen, Germany | Anja Bosserhoff |
| 25th ESPCR | 2024 | Marseille, France | Heather Etchevers |
| 25th IPCC | 2023 | Bilbao, Spain | Dolores Boyano |
| 24th ESPCR | 2022 | Online | Muriel Cario-André, Lucia Panzella & Lionel Larribère |
| 23rd ESPCR | 2021 | Online | Lluís Montoliu and Cédric Delevoye |
| 24th IPCC | 2020 | Yamagata, Japan | Tamio Suzuki |
| 22nd ESPCR | 2019 | Brussels, Belgium | Véronique del Marmol |
| 21st ESPCR | 2018 | Rennes, France | Marie-Dominique Galibert |
| 23rd IPCC | 2017 | Denver, CO, USA | David Norris, Richard Spritz, Neil Box |
| 20th ESPCR | 2016 | Milano, Italy | Luisa Lanfrancone |
| 19th ESPCR | 2015 | Edinburgh, UK | Ian Jackson, Liz Patton |
| 22nd IPCC | 2014 | Singapore | Boon Kee Goh |
| 18th ESPCR | 2013 | Lisbon, Portugal | Miguel Seabra, Graça Raposo, Duarte Barral |
| 17th ESPCR | 2012 | Geneva, Switzerland | Bernhard Wehrle-Haller |
| 21st IPCC | 2011 | Bordeaux, France | Alain Taïeb |
| 16th ESPCR | 2010 | Hinxton-Cambridge, UK | Robert Kelsh |
| 15th ESPCR | 2009 | Münster, Germany | Markus Böhm |
| 20th IPCC | 2008 | Sapporo, Japan | Kowichi Jimbow |
| 14th ESPCR | 2007 | Bari, Italy | Rosa Cicero and Mauro Picardo |
| 13th ESPCR | 2006 | Barcelona, Spain | Lluís Montoliu |
| 19th IPCC | 2005 | Reston, VA, USA | Vincent Hearing |
| 12th ESPCR | 2004 | Paris, France | Lionel Larue |
| 11th ESPCR | 2003 | Ghent, Belgium | Jean Marie Naeyaert |
| 18th IPCC | 2002 | Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands | Stan Pavel |
| 10th ESPCR | 2001 | Rome, Italy | Mauro Picardo |
| 9th ESPCR | 2000 | Ulm, Germany | Ralf Peter |
| 17th IPCC | 1999 | Nagoya, Japan | Shosuke Ito |
| 8th ESPCR | 1998 | Prague, Czech Republic | Jan Borovanský |
| 7th ESPCR | 1997 | Bordeaux, France | Alain Taïeb |
| 16th IPCC | 1996 | Anaheim, CA, USA | Frank Meyskens |
| 6th ESPCR | 1995 | Lausanne, Switzerland | Ferdy Lejeune |
| 5th ESPCR | 1994 | Vienna, Austria | Hubert Pehamberger and Klaus Wolff |
| 15th IPCC | 1993 | London, UK | Patrick Riley |
| 4th ESPCR | 1992 | Berlin, Germany | Claus Garbe |
| 3rd ESPCR | 1991 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Wiete Westerhof |
| 14th IPCC | 1990 | Kobe, Japan | Yutaka Mishima |
| 2nd ESPCR | 1989 | Uppsala, Sweden | Bengt Larsson |
| 1st ESPCR | 1987 | Sorrento, Italy | Giuseppe Prota |
The ESPCR Award & Lecture
The 2024 ESPCR award was awarded to Miguel Seabra at the ESPCR 2024 meeting in Marseille, France.
Photo credit: Foundation Champalimoud
The ESPCR Award was established by the ESPCR Board in 2018 to recognize and acknowledge scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the field of pigment cell research.
The ESPCR Award is given at the first annual ESPCR meeting after the corresponding IPCC conference. It is associated with a Keynote Lecture by the awarded researcher.
Researchers awarded with the ESPCR Prize automatically become ESPCR Honorary Members.
| Meeting | Year | Site | Awarded Scientist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th ESPCR | 2024 | Marseille, France | Miguel Seabra |
| 23rd ESPCR | 2021 | Online | Mauro Picardo |
| 21st ESPCR | 2018 | Rennes, France | Alain Taïeb |
The H.S. Raper Medal and Lecture
Alessandra Napolitano (University of Naples, Italy) was the H.S. Raper Medalist at the IPCC 2023.
The Henry Stanley Raper Medal “is an Award selected by the ESPCR as an international recognition of outstanding contributions to the biochemistry of pigmentation.” Professor Raper (1882-1951) was a pioneer in work on the metabolism of fats, the formation of melanin and the tyrosinase-tyrosine reaction. Read more about his accomplishments.
The H.S. Raper Medal is awarded at the International Pigment Cell Conferences (IPCC), and from IPCC-2020 onwards, as agreed by the ESPCR Board in 2018, will be associated with a Keynote Lecture by the awarded researcher at the corresponding IPCC.
| Meeting | Year | Site | Awarded Scientist |
|---|---|---|---|
| XXV IPCC | 2023 | Bilbao, Spain | Alessandra Napolitano |
| XXIV IPCC | 2020 | Yamagata, Japan | Lluis Montoliu |
| XXIII IPCC | 2017 | Denver, CO, USA | Lionel Larue |
| XXII IPCC | 2014 | Singapore | Jean-Paul Ortonne |
| XXI IPCC | 2011 | Bordeaux, France | Marco d’Ischia |
| XX IPCC | 2008 | Sapporo, Japan | José Carlos García-Borrón |
| XIX IPCC | 2005 | Reston, VA, USA | Shosuke Ito |
| XVIII IPCC | 2002 | Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands | Anthony J. Thody |
| XVII IPCC | 1999 | Nagoya, Japan | Kowichi Jimbow |
| XVI IPCC | 1996 | Anaheim, CA, USA | Giuseppe Prota |
| XV IPCC | 1993 | London, UK | John M. Pawelek |
The Fritz Anders Medal & Lecture
Professor Fritz Wilhelm Anders (1919-1999) taught genetics and along with his wife, Dr. Annerose Anders, studied the role of oncogenes in particular using melanoma-bearing killifish (Xiphophorus). Read more about his eventful life and collaborations here.
The Fritz Anders medal is awarded at every second annual ESPCR meeting after the corresponding IPCC conference, and it is associated with a Keynote Lecture by the awarded researcher.
The 2025 Fritz Anders Medal was conferred by the Awards Committee on Professor Manfred Schartl (University of Würzburg, Germany), who gave a fascinating keynote lecture at the 2025 ESPCR meeting.
| Meeting | Year | Site | Awarded Scientist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26th ESPCR | 2025 | Erlangen, Germany | Manfred Schartl |
| 24th ESPCR | 2022 | Online | Corine Bertolotto |
| 22nd ESPCR | 2019 | Brussels, Belgium | Marisol Soengas |
| 20th ESPCR | 2016 | Milano, Italy | Richard Marais |
| 19th ESPCR | 2015 | Edinburgh, UK | Dorothy Bennett |
| 18th ESPCR | 2013 | Lisbon, Portugal | Miguel Godinho Ferreira |
| 17th ESPCR | 2012 | Geneva, Switzerland | Friedrich Beermann |
| 16th ESPCR | 2010 | Hinxton-Cambridge, UK | Heinz Arnheiter |
| 15th ESPCR | 2009 | Münster, Germany | Greg Barsh |
| 14th ESPCR | 2007 | Bari, Italy | Fabrizio d’Adda di Fagagna |
| 13th ESPCR | 2006 | Barcelona, Spain | Manuel Serrano |
| 12th ESPCR | 2004 | Paris, France | Anton Berns |
| 11th ESPCR | 2003 | Ghent, Belgium | Julia Newton-Bishop |
| 10th ESPCR | 2001 | Rome, Italy | Richard Sturm |
| 9th ESPCR | 2000 | Ulm, Germany | Peter Herrlich |
ESPCR Travel Awards for junior members
The European Society for Pigment Cell Research regularly provides a limited number of “travel” awards to assist in the costs of attendance of ESPCR / IPCC meetings for students, postdocs, residents or young faculty members within 3 years of their first appointment, and submitting an abstract to present results.
Depending on the number of applicants selected and the funds available in any given year, awards usually cover conference registration, gala dinner, and/or support for accommodations. Since COVID-19 these have not covered transportation, although we hope to be able to restore this.
Awards will be selected by the ESPCR Travel Awards Committee on a competitive basis among putative attendees presenting their work at that year’s meeting in the form of a poster or a talk. We note with pleasure that many early awardees have become productive scientists in their own right and mentors to further generations of researchers.
| Meeting | Year | Site | Awarded Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26th ESPCR | 2025 | Erlangen, Germany | Sourabh Bera, Cristina Demelas, Nathalie Longakit, Elfie Perrudin and Rachael-Lynn Deis |
| 25th ESPCR | 2024 | Marseille, France | Yael Noy, Zahraa Fakih, Nicole Rachinger, Akiko Omori and Joao Charneca. Vinod Kumar initially received an award but could not attend. |
| XXV IPCC | 2023 | Bilbao, Spain | Lara Araktingi, Laura Salavessa, Serena Sabbah, Maria Efenesia Baffa, Laura Soumoy |
| 24th ESPCR | 2022 | Online | No awards made |
| 23rd ESPCR | 2021 | Online | No awards made |
| XXIV IPCC | 2020 | Yamagata, Japan (canceled due to COVID) | Ivet Gazova, Julia Sires Campos, Vidhya Narayan |
| 22nd ESPCR | 2019 | Brussels, Belgium | Ana Guardia, Marcella Willemsen, Philip S. Goff, Thomas Strub, Julia Sires Campos, Alan Hunter Shain |
| 21st ESPCR | 2018 | Rennes, France | Hugo Moreiras, Philip S Goff, Justine Leclerc, Silvia Benito-Martínez, Kim-Penard Ha-Teon, Farah Jaber-Hijazi, Barbara Hernando, Jaskaren Kohli |
| XXIII IPCC | 2017 | Denver, CO, USA | Alyssa Robinson, Remina Dilixiati, Satyamaanasa Polubothu |
| 20th ESPCR | 2016 | Milano, Italy | Roberta Colucci, Valerie Fock, Murielle Wiedig |
| 19th ESPCR | 2015 | Edinburgh, UK | Juliette Bertrand, Murielle Wiedig, Qianqian Wang, Raffaella Micillo, Pauline Heux |
| XXII IPCC | 2014 | Singapore | Phil Cheng, Patrick Laurette, Viktoria Eleftheriadou, Jeppe Dyrberg Andersen, Lisa Komen, Claus Hellerbrand |
| 18th ESPCR | 2013 | Lisbon, Portugal | Edouard Cadieu, Mohammad Krayem, Christine Grill, Svenja Meierjohann, Lucia Panzella, Shyamal Patel, Jade Peres, Florian Rambow |
| 17th ESPCR | 2012 | Geneva, Switzerland | Basu Chandana, Cheng Phil, Domingues Melanie, Krayem Mohammad, Reyes Gomez Edouard, Brown Kate |
| XXI IPCC | 2011 | Bordeaux, France | Viktoria Eleftheriadou, Maider Ibarrola-Villava, Phil Cheng |
| 16th ESPCR | 2010 | Hinxton-Cambridge, UK | Bonet Caroline, Campagne Cecile, Colanesi Sarah, Sarode Bhushan, Schiffner Susanne, Valluet Agate, Widner Daniel |
| 15th ESPCR | 2009 | Münster, Germany | Paola Zanna, J.G. van den Boorn, Stuart Gallagher, Laura Richardsen, Iraz Aydin, Barbara Bellei, Giorgia Greco, M.W. Kroon |
| XX IPCC | 2008 | Sapporo, Japan | Travel awards were sponsored by the IPCC Organiser |
| 14th ESPCR | 2007 | Bari, Italy | Laurence Denat, Agatha Kokot, Karine Schouwey |
| 13th ESPCR | 2006 | Barcelona, Spain | Susanne Kerje, Eva-Maria Schnäker, Olivier Bailet, Mercedes Rodriguez |
| XIX IPCC | 2005 | Reston, VA, USA | Sofie de Schepper, Lionel Larribère, Sebastien Corre, Lynn Plowright, Fabien Murisier, Alexander Schepsky |
| 12th ESPCR | 2004 | Paris, France | Lester M. Davids, Amaal Abrahams |
| 11th ESPCR | 2003 | Ghent, Belgium | Alfonso Lavado, Nelly Da-Silva, Gabriela Negroiu |
| XVIII IPCC | 2002 | Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands | Darren Logan, Somesh Gupta |
| 10th ESPCR | 2001 | Rome, Italy | Jo Lambert, Silvia Martinozzi, Elizabeth Waterman, Karen Pinder, Zhuo Li |
| 9th ESPCR | 2000 | Ulm, Germany | Gabriela Negroiu, Stefanie Behrens-Williams, Janis Ancans, Getrude-E. Costin |
| XII IPCC | 1999 | Nagoya, Japan | Malgorzata Rozanowska, Bernhard Wehrle-Haller, Siobhan A Jordan |