diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index b626877cf5..b265dd9f27 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ USE_CYCLUS("cycamore" "deploy_inst")
 
 USE_CYCLUS("cycamore" "manager_inst")
 
+USE_CYCLUS("cycamore" "group_inst")
+
 USE_CYCLUS("cycamore" "growth_region")
 
 USE_CYCLUS("cycamore" "storage")
diff --git a/src/group_inst.cc b/src/group_inst.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e29256f913
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/group_inst.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// Implements the GroupInst class
+#include "group_inst.h"
+
+namespace cycamore {
+
+// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+GroupInst::GroupInst(cyclus::Context* ctx) : cyclus::Institution(ctx) { }
+
+// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+GroupInst::~GroupInst() {}
+
+
+void GroupInst::EnterNotify() {
+  cyclus::Institution::EnterNotify();
+
+  for (int i = 0; i < prototypes.size(); i++) {
+    std::string s_proto = prototypes[i];
+    context()->SchedBuild(this, s_proto);  //builds on next timestep
+    BuildNotify(this);
+  }
+}
+
+
+
+// - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+extern "C" cyclus::Agent* ConstructGroupInst(cyclus::Context* ctx) {
+  return new GroupInst(ctx);
+}
+
+}  // namespace cycamore
diff --git a/src/group_inst.h b/src/group_inst.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..baa5a4c464
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/group_inst.h
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#ifndef CYCAMORE_SRC_MANAGER_INST_H_
+#define CYCAMORE_SRC_MANAGER_INST_H_
+
+#include "cyclus.h"
+#include "cycamore_version.h"
+
+namespace cycamore {
+
+/// @class GroupInst
+/// @section introduction Introduction
+/// @section detailedBehavior Detailed Behavior
+/// @warning The GroupInst is experimental
+class GroupInst
+    : public cyclus::Institution,
+      public cyclus::toolkit::CommodityProducerManager,
+      public cyclus::toolkit::Builder {
+ public:
+  /// Default constructor
+  GroupInst(cyclus::Context* ctx);
+
+  /// Default destructor
+  virtual ~GroupInst();
+
+  virtual std::string version() { return CYCAMORE_VERSION; }
+
+  #pragma cyclus
+
+  #pragma cyclus note {"doc": "An institution that owns and operates a " \
+                              "manually entered list of facilities in " \
+                              "the input file"}
+
+  /// enter the simulation and register any children present
+  virtual void EnterNotify();
+
+
+ private:
+
+  #pragma cyclus var { \
+    "tooltip": "producer facility prototypes",                          \
+    "uilabel": "Producer Prototype List",                               \
+    "uitype": ["oneormore", "prototype"],                                    \
+    "doc": "A set of facility prototypes that this institution can build. " \
+    "All prototypes in this list must be based on an archetype that "   \
+    "implements the cyclus::toolkit::CommodityProducer interface",      \
+    }
+  std::vector<std::string> prototypes;
+};
+
+}  // namespace cycamore
+
+#endif  // CYCAMORE_SRC_MANAGER_INST_H_
diff --git a/src/group_inst_tests.cc b/src/group_inst_tests.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4bc34bcc67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/group_inst_tests.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+
+#include "context.h"
+#include "group_inst.h"
+#include "institution_tests.h"
+#include "agent_tests.h"
+
+
+TEST(GroupInstTests, BuildTimes) {
+  std::string config = 
+       " <prototypes>"
+       "   <val>foobar1</val>"
+       "   <val>foobar2</val>"
+       "   <val>foobar3</val>"
+       " </prototypes>"
+     ;
+
+  int simdur = 5;
+  cyclus::MockSim sim(cyclus::AgentSpec(":cycamore:GroupInst"), config, simdur);
+  sim.DummyProto("foobar1");
+  sim.DummyProto("foobar2");
+  sim.DummyProto("foobar3");
+  int id = sim.Run();
+
+  cyclus::SqlStatement::Ptr stmt = sim.db().db().Prepare(
+      "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM AgentEntry WHERE Prototype = 'foobar1';"
+      );
+  stmt->Step();
+  EXPECT_EQ(1, stmt->GetInt(0));
+
+  stmt = sim.db().db().Prepare(
+      "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM AgentEntry WHERE Prototype = 'foobar2';"
+      );
+  stmt->Step();
+  EXPECT_EQ(1, stmt->GetInt(0));
+  stmt = sim.db().db().Prepare(
+      "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM AgentEntry WHERE Prototype = 'foobar3';"
+      );
+  stmt->Step();
+  EXPECT_EQ(1, stmt->GetInt(0));
+}
+
+// required to get functionality in cyclus agent unit tests library
+cyclus::Agent* GroupInstitutionConstructor(cyclus::Context* ctx) {
+  return new cycamore::GroupInst(ctx);
+}
+#ifndef CYCLUS_AGENT_TESTS_CONNECTED
+int ConnectAgentTests();
+static int cyclus_agent_tests_connected = ConnectAgentTests();
+#define CYCLUS_AGENT_TESTS_CONNECTED cyclus_agent_tests_connected
+#endif  // CYCLUS_AGENT_TESTS_CONNECTED
+
+INSTANTIATE_TEST_CASE_P(GroupInst, InstitutionTests,
+                        Values(&GroupInstitutionConstructor));
+INSTANTIATE_TEST_CASE_P(GroupInst, AgentTests,
+                        Values(&GroupInstitutionConstructor));