Research data — ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN SPELEOLOGY AND RELATED THEMES: THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES IN THE EVOLUTION OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CAVES AND SPELEOLOGICAL HERITAGE IN BRAZIL (1944–2024)

We presente research data for the article ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN SPELEOLOGY AND RELATED THEMES: THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES IN THE EVOLUTION OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CAVES AND SPELEOLOGICAL HERITAGE IN BRAZIL (1944–2024). The objective of this article was to analyze the historical evolution of scientific production linked to academic qualification in Speleology and related themes, as well as the role of universities in Brazil in this field of knowledge. The study was based on a database (BD-ESPELEO), developed by the Project History of Brazilian Speleology (PROHEB)/Brazilian Speleological Society (SBE). Scientometric aspects were highlighted, and retrospective trends over the last 80 years (1944–2024) were evaluated. An academic genealogy exercise was conducted, indicating formative flows in Speleology in the country and the establishment of training centers within Brazilian universities, disseminating research on caves and the Brazilian karst landscape. Only academic studies in their original format were considered, with materials collected from major electronic scientific data repositories and university libraries (BDTD/IBICT, CV-LATTES, Dedalus/USP, among others). The results demonstrate significant growth in the production of speleological studies of an academic nature (undergraduate theses, specialization papers, master’s dissertations, doctoral theses, among others). When comparing periods, the findings are: 1) 1944–2015, containing 512 documents, and 2) 2015–2024, showing the generation of 619 new documents, totaling 1,131 academic investigations. This demonstrates that in just ten years there was a remarkable increase in scientific production, whereas the previous period spanned over 70 years. A significant rise in university output and the pursuit of academic qualification was observed, contributing to the expansion of knowledge about Brazilian caves, particularly in the Life Sciences (CV) and Earth Sciences (CT). These advances derive from the creation of research laboratories and scientific research centers, as well as the demand for professionals specialized in karst environments to meet Brazilian environmental legislation and to strengthen the national speleological community. Universities and their faculty-researchers played a fundamental role, achieving considerable advances when associated with speleological groups, deepening scientific knowledge and contributing to the protection of Brazilian caves