The Richter Institute was an institution for cultural studies established on Mars in the early 23rd century. It was founded by Dr. Alonzo Richter, creator of the Richter Scale of Culture, who continued to work there into the 2260s.

In 2269, following the Talin IV disaster, a private ship from the Richter Institute rescued two stranded Talin astronauts, Seerl it'La and Orr ni'Li, and kept them aboard for approximately three months before transporting them to Earth. (TOS novel: Prime Directive)