A university institute is an organisation made up of university teaching staff and researchers who share the common goal of conducting research, giving classes and issuing scientific resolutions about a specialised field of knowledge.
The decision to set up a university institute is the responsibility of the governing bodies of the university that the institute is to form part of. When several universities share a university institute, it is known as an interuniversity institute. Interuniversity institutes are set up through agreements between universities. In any case, their creation has to be approved by the governing body of the Autonomous Community they belong to, following a proposal by the social council of the university and with a favourable report from the Universities Council (article 10 of the University Reform Act – Ley de Reforma Universitaria).

In 1987, it was agreed that it should be turned into the Institut Interuniversitari de Filologia Valenciana [IIFV], which officially came into being by virtue of a decree passed by the Valencian Regional Government dated 22 November 1994 (DOGV dated 29-11-1994), following the mandatory report from the Universities Council. It is made up of the Universitat de València-Estudi General, the Universitat d’Alacant and Universitat Jaume I, in Castelló de la Plana, that is to say, the three Valencian universities that offer university degrees in philology. The IIFV Regulations envisage the incorporation of other Valencian universities that may wish to join.

The specific aim of the IIFV is the linguistic and literary study of the Valencian language, within the general framework of the Catalan language and its literature. In addition to teaching and researching, the IIFV is also responsible for offering assessment and advice in all areas related with Valencian language and literature. In the convention for the establishment of the IIFV, it is stated that, regardless of the autonomy of each university, this shall be the only body that, on behalf of all its member universities, will have the capacity to advise and pass judgement on the philological affairs it is responsible for.

The IIFV has collaborated with the local and autonomic government, as well as with other public and civic institutions and bodies, essentially on the issuance of reports and decisions regarding linguistic matters, on providing consultancy services for research projects and on grammatical and lexicographical issues.
During that time, the IIFV began the reform of its Internal regulations (“Reglamento”). The new Reglamento was approved at the meeting of the Governing Body held on 10 November 2000. It was later approved by the Governing Councils and the Social Councils of the three universities.

This Reglamento was renewed as a consequence of enactment of the LOU (Spanish University Constitutional Law) and the new statutes of the Valencian universities. It came into effect in November 2006, following approval by the General Council of the IIFV and the Governing Councils of the three universities.