The IDIVAL Board of Trustees dismisses Marcos López Hoyos as scientific director

The Board of Trustees of the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute Foundation (IDIVAL) has agreed to the resignation, at his own request, of Marcos López Hoyos as Scientific Director of the institute, thanking him for the services rendered. The resolution was signed in Santander on October 5, 2026, by the president of the Board, César Pascual Fernández, and is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria number 197, of October 14, 2026, in section 2.1 regarding appointments, cessations, and other situations, under the official reference CVE-2026-7961.

A Board agreement nearly ten months in the making

The published text is based on the Board minutes from December 23, 2025, meaning the agreement for the cessation was adopted in that session and has not come to light until now. The resolution is headed by the foundation itself and signed by its president, César Pascual Fernández, who is also the Health Counselor of the Government of Cantabria.

The announcement occupies page 52698 of the gazette and is inserted into the “Appointments, cessations, and other situations” block, within the Authorities and Personnel section. The formula used is the standard for this type of resolution: cessation “at his own request” and express gratitude for the services rendered, without the document detailing the replacement schedule or the name of the person who will assume the scientific direction.

Who is Marcos López Hoyos

• Marcos López Hoyos, ceased as Scientific Director of IDIVAL.
• President of the Provincial Board of Cantabria of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, position to which he was appointed by agreement of the association’s National Council in the session of July 9, 2026.
• Signatory, in that capacity, of the first extension addendum of the collaboration agreement with the Cantabrian Health Service for the “First Impact” program, signed on September 3, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria number 175, of September 10, 2026 (CVE-2026-7053).
• Likewise a signatory of the extension addendum of the agreement with the Cantabrian Health Service for volunteering activities, published in the same issue of the gazette (CVE-2026-7054).

The deciding body and the framework of the cessation

The resolution is issued by the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute Foundation, whose highest governing body is the Board of Trustees, presided over by the Health Counselor. The document does not invoke a specific regulatory norm, but limits itself to stating that the Board minutes of December 23, 2025, have been reviewed and the cessation agreed upon.

The announcement arrives during a September and October of intense conventional activity within the Cantabrian health sector: during the same period, the bulletin published two extensions of agreements between the Cantabrian Health Service and the Spanish Association Against Cancer taking place at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, the Sierrallana-Tres Mares Hospital, and the Laredo Regional Hospital, which bear the signature of Marcos López Hoyos as the provincial president of the association.

Impact

The change in the scientific direction of IDIVAL affects the research foundation linked to the name of the Marqués de Valdecilla, its research staff, and ongoing projects, at a time when the bulletin does not clarify who will assume the position nor whether a replacement process has already been opened. The publication in the Official Gazette of Cantabria provides publicity and administrative effectiveness to the termination, which also occurs at the request of the interested party and with express gratitude for the services rendered.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, number 197, of October 14, 2026, section 2.1 (Authorities and Personnel), page 52698 (official reference: CVE-2026-7961).