The López Piñero Institute for the History of Medicine and Science (CSIC/University of Valencia) presents a detailed report on the academic activity (research, teaching and outreach) that it has conducted in the last few years, with a threefold purpose: a) to account for itself to society in a spirit of transparency; b) to uphold its professional integrity with arguments endorsed by academic institutions and individuals; and c) to refute the reasons put forward by the CSIC, in the communication from its President dated 4 June 2014, to justify repudiating the agreement signed with the University of Valencia

This report comprises the following documents:

• The statement by all the members of staff of the López Piñero Institute (IHMC), which gives a detailed account of its achievements in the field of research, postgraduate teaching and knowledge transfer to society.
• A dossier containing a list of the institutions (institutes, departments and learned societies) and individuals in Europe and America that have written to express their support for the continued existence of the Institute; a selection of the letters of support received at the Institute from eminent individuals and academic institutions; and a press file of news reports published in the media since the repudiation of the agreement by the CSIC.

The López Piñero Institute, located in the centre of the city of Valencia, has clearly confirmed its position in recent years as a benchmark institution in the field of the History of Science and Medicine. This has been achieved, primarily, through the increasing internationalisation of its research activity, which has given it a prominent presence on the international scene through joint research programmes with teams from other countries, resulting in numerous publications in the leading international History of Science journals, such as Ambix, Annals of Science, Medical History and British Journal of the History of Science.

It is also important to emphasise the very substantial increase in financial resources raised through research projects led by researchers at the Institute. All this is a direct result of the participation of members of the Institute in the most prestigious conferences of learned societies in this field and related areas of study, and of their numerous visits to highly reputable international instutions such as the Rockefeller Archive Center, the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia and the Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte in Berlin.

In addition, the report highlights the administration of the scientific and medical heritage of the University of Valencia, which includes a collection of over 3000 medical and scientific instruments from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as the History of Science databases created by the Institute.

In the area of teaching, the López Piñero Institute coordinates the Inter-University Master’s degree in History of Science and Scientific Communication, as well as the Inter-University Doctoral Programme in Historical and Social Studies on Science, Medicine and Scientific Communication. The University of Alicante and Miguel Hernández University in Elche also participate in these postgraduate courses.

The report also reflects the outreach work carried out by the Institute, in the form of a wide-ranging and ongoing programme of cultural activities (seminars, exhibitions, lecture series, seasons of films, etc.), which attract large audiences of both the general public and specialists.

Accompanying the statement by the staff is the dossier containing a list of the institutions and individuals who have publicly declared their support, as well as a selection of the letters and messages that have been received at the Institute endorsing its continued existence.

The members of the Institute’s staff thereby declare their firm determination to continue resolutely pursuing the activities in which they are engaged and express their heartfelt gratitude to all those persons and institutions that in one way or another have offered the Institute their support.

Valencia, 8 September 2014