The Ministry of Education and Scientific Research / National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation through the National Research and Development Institute for Biological Sciences together with the Romanian Academy organizes the second Romanian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica - ROICE 2016.

The expedition takes place from 3 to 23 February 2016 at the King Sejong Antarctic Station of the Korean Polar Research Institute on King George Island in West Antarctica.

The expedition is carried out under the Framework Agreement between the National Research and Development Institute for Biological Sciences and the Korea Polar Research Institute.

The team of researchers participating in the ROICE 2016 expedition consists of 5 members.

The research plan of the ROICE 2016 team has been agreed with representatives of the Korean partners and has 5 research themes as follows:

1. Investigating the impact of climate change on microbial community diversity and their role in the balance of glacial ecosystems following glacier melt.
2. Study of microbial diversity in the Antarctic with implications for the transfer of microbial strains and pollutants.
3. Isolation of microbial strains and extremozoans from Antarctic habitats with potential applications in bionanotechnology and investigation of their mechanisms of evolution and adaptation.
4. The study of the effects and adaptation of the human body to extreme conditions.
5. Analysis of stable isotopes in King George Island hydrographic networks to determine subtidal water dynamics in relation to microcosm diversity.

The sponsors of the event are:

• https://www.bcr.ro
• http://biozyme.ro
• http://www.filarabiomed.ro
• http://www.novaintermed.ro
• http://www.agilrom.ro
• http://www.dacchim.ro
• http://www.dextercom.ro