 The Institute emerged from the informal network of Social centers and Info-services which spread around in London throughout the 1970s.One of the earliests of these centers was BIT Information Service, founded in 1968 by John "Hoppy" Hopkins.It was during his years as coordinator of BIT that Nicholas Albery came out with the idea of an Institute who would promote all kinds of ideas and experimentations, developed mainly inside what has been called the "Alternative Society".