diff --git a/src/go/types/instantiate.go b/src/go/types/instantiate.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6f8c4983f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/go/types/instantiate.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// Copyright 2021 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package types
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"go/token"
+)
+
+// Instantiate instantiates the type typ with the given type arguments.
+// typ must be a *Named or a *Signature type, it must be generic, and
+// its number of type parameters must match the number of provided type
+// arguments. The result is a new, instantiated (not generic) type of
+// the same kind (either a *Named or a *Signature). The type arguments
+// are not checked against the constraints of the type parameters.
+// Any methods attached to a *Named are simply copied; they are not
+// instantiated.
+func Instantiate(pos token.Pos, typ Type, targs []Type) (res Type) {
+	// TODO(gri) This code is basically identical to the prolog
+	//           in Checker.instantiate. Factor.
+	var tparams []*TypeName
+	switch t := typ.(type) {
+	case *Named:
+		tparams = t.tparams
+	case *Signature:
+		tparams = t.tparams
+		defer func() {
+			// If we had an unexpected failure somewhere don't panic below when
+			// asserting res.(*Signature). Check for *Signature in case Typ[Invalid]
+			// is returned.
+			if _, ok := res.(*Signature); !ok {
+				return
+			}
+			// If the signature doesn't use its type parameters, subst
+			// will not make a copy. In that case, make a copy now (so
+			// we can set tparams to nil w/o causing side-effects).
+			if t == res {
+				copy := *t
+				res = &copy
+			}
+			// After instantiating a generic signature, it is not generic
+			// anymore; we need to set tparams to nil.
+			res.(*Signature).tparams = nil
+		}()
+
+	default:
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("%v: cannot instantiate %v", pos, typ))
+	}
+
+	// the number of supplied types must match the number of type parameters
+	if len(targs) != len(tparams) {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("%v: got %d arguments but %d type parameters", pos, len(targs), len(tparams)))
+	}
+
+	if len(tparams) == 0 {
+		return typ // nothing to do (minor optimization)
+	}
+
+	smap := makeSubstMap(tparams, targs)
+	return (*Checker)(nil).subst(pos, typ, smap)
+}
diff --git a/src/go/types/subst.go b/src/go/types/subst.go
index 931375f1f2..d27f3645cc 100644
--- a/src/go/types/subst.go
+++ b/src/go/types/subst.go
@@ -311,6 +311,9 @@ func (subst *subster) typ(typ Type) Type {
 		embeddeds, ecopied := subst.typeList(t.embeddeds)
 		if mcopied || types != t.types || ecopied {
 			iface := &Interface{methods: methods, types: types, embeddeds: embeddeds}
+			if subst.check == nil {
+				panic("internal error: cannot instantiate interfaces yet")
+			}
 			subst.check.posMap[iface] = subst.check.posMap[t] // satisfy completeInterface requirement
 			subst.check.completeInterface(token.NoPos, iface)
 			return iface
@@ -330,12 +333,14 @@ func (subst *subster) typ(typ Type) Type {
 		}
 
 	case *Named:
-		subst.check.indent++
-		defer func() {
-			subst.check.indent--
-		}()
-		dump := func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
-			if trace {
+		// dump is for debugging
+		dump := func(string, ...interface{}) {}
+		if subst.check != nil && trace {
+			subst.check.indent++
+			defer func() {
+				subst.check.indent--
+			}()
+			dump = func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 				subst.check.trace(subst.pos, format, args...)
 			}
 		}
@@ -381,10 +386,12 @@ func (subst *subster) typ(typ Type) Type {
 		// before creating a new named type, check if we have this one already
 		h := instantiatedHash(t, newTargs)
 		dump(">>> new type hash: %s", h)
-		if named, found := subst.check.typMap[h]; found {
-			dump(">>> found %s", named)
-			subst.cache[t] = named
-			return named
+		if subst.check != nil {
+			if named, found := subst.check.typMap[h]; found {
+				dump(">>> found %s", named)
+				subst.cache[t] = named
+				return named
+			}
 		}
 
 		// create a new named type and populate caches to avoid endless recursion
@@ -392,7 +399,9 @@ func (subst *subster) typ(typ Type) Type {
 		named := subst.check.newNamed(tname, t.underlying, t.methods) // method signatures are updated lazily
 		named.tparams = t.tparams                                     // new type is still parameterized
 		named.targs = newTargs
-		subst.check.typMap[h] = named
+		if subst.check != nil {
+			subst.check.typMap[h] = named
+		}
 		subst.cache[t] = named
 
 		// do the substitution