Emil Racoviță was a Romanian biologist, zoologist, speleologist, explorer of Antarctica and the first biologist in the world to study the arctic life.
The 1,300 specimens of flora and fauna of regions surveyed and collected by Racovita, have been studied by many researchers, who have described hundreds of forms unknown world in plant and animal. On the return he published a work on Cetaceans, in particular whale.
In 1900, he became deputy director of the Laboratory of Oceanology "Arago" in Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.
Following the discovery of new species of crustaceans in a cave Cueva del Drach of Mallorca, visited in 1904, the field fascinates him and give up research into oceanologie to dedicate underground ecosystems. The entry in the town there is a statue of Emil Racovita.
In 1907, it will publish "Essai sur les problemes biospeologiques", the first important work dedicated to biospeology in the world. Afterwards, he would initiate a international research program called "Biospeologica" meant to study cave fauna, at the beginning it was a private activity, but in 1920, he established in Cluj the first Institute of Speleology in the world. Besides numerous Romanian researchers, Racoviţă bring to Cluj a team of renowned biologists friends, two Frenchmen (Jules Guiart, René Jeannel) and Swiss (Alfred Chappuis).
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Given lists of proposals on certification and accreditation of institutions and research and development units submitted by the Romanian Academy and the Advisory Board for Research and Development and Innovation, President of the National Authority for Scientific Research has validated accreditation the "Emil Racovita" Institute of Speleology as components of the research and development of national interest.
Read more Institutul de Speologie 'Emil Racoviţă', prin Laboratorul de Hidrogeochimie, este acreditat de către Organismul Naţional de Acreditare (RENAR) să efectueze actvităţi de încercări pe matrice de apă subterană, ape minerală şi ape de suprafaţă, conform Certificatului de Acreditare Nr. LI 1159.
