The Institute The Institute is an advanced scientific organization in the Commonwealth . It is known and feared for its ability to produce advanced synthetic humans ( also known as synths ) of high enough quality to pass as true humans . Background . The Institute was born from the Commonwealth Institute of Technology , or CIT , a renowned university based in Cambridge , Massachusetts . Robert House attended it in his youth . During the Great War , a number of CIT personnel survived by taking refuge in the underground level of the campus . In 2110 , the survivors and their descendants founded the Institute , an organization dedicated to furthering pre - War science . In its early days , as the very first Generation 1 synths were being built , the Institute reached out to aid the people of the Commonwealth in rebuilding civilization , but mutual mistrust quickly doomed that enterprise . Soured on any further cooperation with the surface , the Institute withdrew into the shadows and adopted a new purpose : to abandon the Commonwealth to whatever fate awaits it and focus only on furthering their own vision of humanity ' s future - regardless of how many innocent lives they would have to sacrifice in the process . The Institute ' s Advanced Systems department completed work on the Molecular Relay , a teleportation device , in the late 2180s to early 2190s . This allowed the Institute to completely seal itself off from the surface and begin expanding its facilities deeper underground . Whenever the Institute required materials that it could not produce itself , Generation 1 and 2 synths were teleported to the surface to scavenge , as well as to conduct experiments which would otherwise have required Institute personnel to leave the safety of the facility . These directives frequently led to conflict between the synths and the people of the surface , and instilled in the latter a lasting prejudice against synths and wariness of the secretive Institute . By 2227 , work on the third generation of synths , who would be indistinguishable from genuine humans , was well underway . The mercenary Conrad Kellogg was sent out to find Vault 111 , where the Institute ' s scientists believed they could find a cryogenically - preserved pre - War human for their experiments . Kellogg returned with the infant Shaun , whose pristine DNA was used to finish the synths . The people of the surface first encountered a prototype Generation 3 synth in 2229 , when it attacked the residents of Diamond City in what became known as the " Broken Mask incident . " Existing prejudices against synths were compounded into paranoia ; the people of the surface realized that the Institute could secretly kidnap and replace them with synths . While some scoffed at such a notion , this paranoia was in fact justified , as the Institute did begin using synths to infiltrate and even sabotage surface communities to further their own goals . By 2287 , the Institute was actively opposed by the Railroad , who viewed the third - gen synths as fully sapient and wished to liberate them from the Institute , as well as the Brotherhood of Steel , who viewed the Institute ' s work with synths as a return to the days of amoral pre - War corporations such as Poseidon Energy and Mass Fusion . This quickly led to a large conflict between the three factions . Structure . The Institute is divided into four main divisions , each with specific areas of expertise . All divisions answer to the directorate , composed of the division heads plus the director , who lead the Institute . The director is the overall leader of the organization , whose main purpose is to ensure proper cooperation between the divisions so that the goals of the Institute are properly met . These divisions are : Society . Despite the Institute ' s prowess , there are a limited amount of scientists at its disposal , with a small team working with each division , and several auxiliary scientists elsewhere . As a result , the Institute requires relatively little housing space , and has apartments to accommodate all scientists and their families . Scientists interact regularly , and often spend time inside the cafeteria and main chamber . Despite its secrecy , the Institute maintains a friendly and welcoming demeanor to those introduced into its ranks , and allows access to almost every area inside the facility to newcomers . There appears to be no strict work hours for most scientists , as they often take many hours off and come and go as they please from meals . Military . While the Institute is primarily a scientific group , it has a powerful army at its disposal : the synths . Inside the main HQ of the Institute , the Robotics Department can produce very large numbers of synthetic organisms , which can be very efficient foot soldiers with enhanced strength and resilience . This , coupled with the advanced technology at their disposal , makes the Institute ' s synths a serious threat to anyone who dares to oppose them . Coursers are a particular type of synth with higher military capability , used as special agents to pursue and recover lost synths . Technology . The Institute is home to one of the most advanced social structure and technology in the post - War wasteland . The main and most important technology of the Institute is the synth . While the first and second generations of synths are only very advanced machines , the third generation is completely indistinguishable from humans , making them perfect agents and soldiers . Also , the Institute has many powerful energy weapons at its disposal , advanced AI and other robotic technologies . Another powerful technology of the Institute is teleportation , which scientists use to enter and exit the Institute , and can be used to relocate large numbers of troops and agents to almost any location instantly via radio waves . This is used under the guise of the Classical Radio station that can be heard throughout the Commonwealth , which will shut down if the Institute ' s HQ is destroyed during the main quest . Appearances . The Institute is mentioned in " Fallout 3 " in the quest The Replicated Man , and in " " in Mr . House ' s obituary . In " Fallout 4 " , the Institute makes a full appearance as one of the major factions in the game . It is also mentioned in the " Fallout 4 " add - ons " Far Harbor " and " Nuka - World " . Behind the scenes . The Institute ' s logo is based on Leonardo da Vinci ' s " Vitruvian Man " drawings and strongly resembles a synth during production .