Science (Civ6)

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Science is one of the main statistics in Civilization VI. It epitomizes your empire's progress in technological and practical matters, and is used solely to research developments in the technology tree.

Mechanics

Science is a very streamlined statistic: it has the singular purpose to power your progress through the Technology tree. Each turn your raw Science output, plus eventual lump sums of Science earned during gameplay, are gathered empire-wide and applied towards the technology you are currently researching. Since this is a fully automatic process (tech research starts automatically the moment you found your first city, and doesn't stop until the end of the game), there is very little the player has to do when it comes to Science.

Note that the raw Science output of your empire is not the only way to progress scientifically, but it is still essential!

Sources

Science is mainly earned from Population and the Campus district. As of the February 7, 2018 Update, each Citizen of a city yields 0.5 Science (with or without the Campus), which makes for relatively good early progress as long as your Population grows fast. Later, however, you will have to develop additional means for scientific endeavors if you want to keep pace with your opponents.

Buildings, improvements, and the Campus district

The center of scientific development is the Campus, which is also one of the first Districts unlocked in the game. Its adjacency bonuses provide additional Science, as do Specialist Citizens placed in it (+2 each). Its buildings — Libraries, Universities, and Research Labs — yield +2, +4, and +5 Science respectively and provide major contribution to your scientific growth.

Furthermore, scientific city-states will grant massive amounts of Science (up to +4 Science in every Campus, and an additional +2 in the Capital) based on the number of Envoys assigned to that city-state.

With the Ethiopia Pack and the new Diplomatic Quarter, scientific city-states may now grant up to +6 Science in every Campus district (+1 Science for each Library, +2 Science for each University and +3 Science for each Research Lab), depending on the number of Envoys assigned to that particular city-state, plus an additional +1 Science in the Capital.

Most of the time, several well-placed Campuses along with clever playing (for Eurekas) will ensure your technological advancement is more than enough. But there are many more additional ways to earn raw Science.

The Zoo adds +1 Science to each Rainforest and Marsh tile in its home city. In the expansions, the Aquarium (a mid-level building for the Water Park) provides +1 Science for each sea resource, Shipwreck, and Reef within its city's borders. In Gathering Storm, the Geothermal Plant is introduced as the only non-unique improvement so far that grants Science. It is built on the Geothermal Fissure, a tile feature which also provides Science.

Resources

These strategic and luxury resources each add +1 Science yield:

• Iron
• Aluminum
• Mercury
• Tea

Of these resources, Mercury and Tea are revealed at the start (being Luxuries), while Iron is revealed soon after that. Cities which happen to have these resources close by in the early game will significantly boost your early scientific endeavors.

City-states

All scientific city-states provide additional Science in the Campus and its buildings, and some unique Suzerain bonuses also provide Science:

• Babylon/Anshan grants +2 Science for each Great Work of Writing, Artifacts and Relics grant +1 Science each.
• Fez grants 20 Science multipled by the population of a city when you convert that city to your religion for the first time.
• Geneva grants 15% bonus Science when you are not at war.
• Granada grants the ability to build the Alcázar, which grants Science based on half its tiles' Appeal.
• Taruga grants 5% bonus Science for each strategic resource a city has.

Policy cards

Several policy cards also grant additional Science boosts once their conditions are met. These include:

• Natural Philosophy: +100% Campus adjacency bonuses.
• Trade Confederation: +1 Science from international Trade Routes.
• Rationalism: +100% Science from Campus buildings. (In Rise and Fall this bonus depends on adjacency bonuses and city Population.)
• Raj: Each city-state you are Suzerain of grants +2 additional Science.
• Military Research: Military Academies and Seaports grant +2 Science.
• Market Economy: International Trade Routes grant +2 Science per strategic resource improved at their destination
• International Space Agency: +10% Science from each city-state you are Suzerain of (+5% in Gathering Storm).

However, most of these policies become available only in the middle and late game, making them a good option for a player going for a Scientific Victory rather than for general development.

Wonders

Only two wonders grant Science bonuses in vanilla Civilization VI: the Great Library (which grants +2 Science) and Oxford University (which grants 20% bonus Science in its city). Both also provide Eurekas; the Great Library boosts all Ancient and Classical Era techs, and Oxford boosts 2 random techs.

In Rise and Fall, the Amundsen-Scott Research Station grants 20% Science bonus to all cities; this bonus goes up to 40% if the city has 5 or more Snow or Snow Hills tiles.

In Gathering Storm, the University of Sankore grants 3 Science to its city and more Science from Trade Routes.

In New Frontier Pass, 2 Science-producing Wonders are added. The Biosphère, from the Byzantium & Gaul Pack, generates a burst of 100 Science upon completion for each Marsh, Rainforest and Woods tile in its home city (only in vanilla and Rise and Fall), and Etemenanki, from the Portugal Pack, adds Science to every Marsh in its home civilization and every Floodplains in its home city.

Science can also be obtained through several natural wonders:

• Crater Lake: +1 Science
• Galápagos Islands: +2 Science to all adjacent tiles
• Great Barrier Reef: +2 Science
• Tsingy de Bemaraha: +1 Science to all adjacent tiles
• Yosemite: +1 Science to all adjacent tiles
• Eye of the Sahara (): +3 Science on wonder tiles from the Atomic Era on
• Mount Roraima (): +1 Science to all adjacent tiles
• Bermuda Triangle (Maya & Gran Colombia Pack): +5 Science per adjacent wonder tile.
• Fountain of Youth (Maya & Gran Colombia Pack): +4 Science

Great Scientists

Many Great Scientists grant Science bonuses (not to be confused with technology boosts, which are provided by other Great Scientists):

• Hypatia's bonus makes Libraries provide an additional +1 Science.
• Hildegard of Bingen makes the target Holy Site's adjacency bonuses provide Science bonuses as well.
• Galileo Galilei grants the civilization 250 raw Science for each adjacent Mountain tile.
• Isaac Newton's bonus makes Universities grant an additional +2 Science.
• Charles Darwin grants the civilization 500 raw Science for each adjacent natural wonder.
• Albert Einstein's bonus makes Universities grant an additional +4 Science.
• Janaki Ammal grants the civilization 400 raw Science for each adjacent Rainforest tile.
• Mary Leakey grants the civilization 350 raw Science for every Artifact in the target city.

Of course, these benefits are quite difficult to obtain - plan well if you want to get these Scientists, and keep a constant eye on the Great People screen.

Other

Besides the above, international Trade Routes may yield additional Science, when connecting to cities with Campus districts, or with certain Policies. Specialists assigned in Harbor districts also grant +1 Science each. And of course, we have the various ways to activate technology boosts, which will cut the time needed to research in half (see below).

Unique bonuses

Many unique pieces of infrastructure and civ/leader abilities grant special Science bonuses:

• The unique tile improvement of Sumeria, the Ziggurat, grants +2 Science.
• The unique tile improvement of Spain, the Mission, grants +2 Science if built next to a Campus and a further +2 Science with the Cultural Heritage civic.
• The unique building of Arabia, the Madrasa, grants +5 Science.
• The unique building of Portugal, the Navigation School, grants +1 Science for every 2 Coast or Lake tiles in the city in addition to its normal Science output.
• The unique district of the Zulu, the Ikanda, grants +1 Science to all buildings in it.
• The unique district of Korea, the Seowon, always has a +4 Science adjacency bonus, but loses 1 Science for each adjacent District.
• The unique district of the Maya, the Observatory, has an additional Science adjacency bonus from being adjacent to Farms and Plantations. (2 adjacency per Plantation and +0.5 per Farm)
• Babylon's signature ability gives an inherent 50% malus to Science, but it allows them to unlock technologies instantly with a Eureka.
• Vietnam's signature ability grants +1 Science to buildings in Districts constructed on Rainforest.
• Saladin's leader bonus grants +10% bonus Science output to cities with worship buildings.
• Peter's trade routes grant him +1 Science for every 3 technologies the destination civilization is ahead of himself.
• Korea's civilization ability, Three Kingdoms, grants +1 Science for every Mine next to a Seowon.
• Kupe's leader ability, Kupe's Voyage, grants +2 Science every turn before settling the first city.
• Menelik II's leader ability, Council of Ministers, grants every city founded on Hills Science equal to 15% of that city's Faith per turn generation.
• If the Secret Societies game mode is enabled, once the Voidsingers reach the Medieval Era, each city earns Science per turn equal to 20% of its Faith per turn generation.

Scientific progress

As mentioned above, raw Science is not the only way to progress technologically. There are now many gameplay elements which can help you progress, even though your raw Science output is not that great.

• Eurekas. Almost every technology, beyond the most basic ones from the Ancient Era and certain other key techs, can be boosted through a Eureka. Check each technology's description to find out what you need to do to trigger its Eureka.
• Tribal Villages. Some friendly tribes will share their technological secrets with you. This triggers a tech boost (equivalent to a Eureka) for a random technology in your era. Note that if you happen to have activated that technology's Eureka already, you will end up gaining the tech right away.
• Espionage. After you produce your first Spy in the Renaissance Era, you will be able to steal Tech Boosts (equivalent to Eurekas) from foreign cities. Just send your Spy to a city with a Campus, and have them perform a Steal Tech Boost mission. Note that this is not cumulative with either a Eureka or another Tech Boost - if you have already activated such for this tech, you will be unable to complete the mission.
• Research Agreements. After you research Scientific Theory, you will be able to enter into Research Agreements with a nation if the two of you are Declared Friends or Allies. You will have to select a particular technology you both have unlocked, and apply your joint efforts to develop it. When you complete the agreement (or sometimes even before that), you will gain the technology! Note that in Rise and Fall Research Agreements' function is given to Research Alliances.
• Great People (especially Great Scientists). Many Great People have unique abilities which grant Tech boosts, sometimes to random technologies of their and the next era, and sometimes to one of the specific technologies which cannot receive a boost in any other way.

Videos

CIVILIZATION VI - How to Generate Science

Related achievements

Man on the Moon Win a regular game with a Science victory on any difficulty with any leader with a captured Egyptian city -- having also activated Newton and Darwin The R.E.M. song 'Man on the Moon' mentions Egypt, Newton, and Darwin in one verse.

Mission to Mars Win a regular game with a Science victory on any difficulty with any leader. The Science Victory is achieved after establishing a base on Mars. May be a reference to the 2000 film Mission to Mars.