Science (Civ6)

Back to Civilization VI
Go to the Technologies article

Science is one of the main statistics in Civilization VI. It is used solely to research developments in the technology tree: each turn your raw Science output, plus eventual lump sums of Science, are applied towards the technology you are currently researching. Note that the raw Science output of your nation 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 2018 Update, each Citizen of a city yields 0.5 Science (with or without the Campus district), 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 Capital) based on the number of Envoy Envoys assigned to that city-state.

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

In the expansions, the Aquarium (a mid-level building for the Water Park) provides +1 Science for each sea resource, Shipwreck Shipwreck, and Reef within its city's borders. In Gathering Storm, the Geothermal Plant is introduced as the only improvement so far that grants Science.

Resources

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

• Iron Iron
• Aluminum Aluminum
• Mercury Mercury
• Tea Tea

Of these resources, Mercury Mercury and Tea Tea are revealed at start (being Luxuries), while Iron 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.

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 Route 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 Route 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)
• Nuclear Espionage: although this Policy doesn't boost Science directly, it nevertheless helps progress when a Spy performs a successful Steal Tech boost mission.

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 version: the Great Library (which grants +2 Science) and Oxford University (which grants 20% bonus Science in its city). Both also provide tech boosts under certain circumstances.

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 Route Trade Routes.

Science can also be obtained through several natural wonders:

• Crater Lake: +1 Science
• Galapagos 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

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 civilzation 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 Route 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 district of Korea, the Seowon, grants +4 Science.
• 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.

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.

• Eureka Eureka moments. Almost every technology, beyond the most basic ones from the Ancient Era and certain other key techs, can be boosted through a Eureka Eureka moment. Check each technology's description to find out what you need to do to trigger the Eureka Eureka!
• Tribal Villages. Some friendly tribes will share their technological secrets with you. This triggers a tech boost (equivalent to a Eureka Eureka moment) for a random technology in your era. Note that if you happen to have activated that technology's Eureka Eureka moment 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 Eureka Eureka moments) from foreign cities. Just send your spy in a city with a Campus district, and send him or her on a Steal Tech Boost mission. Note that this is not cumulative with either a Eureka Eureka moment 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 Persons 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. Possibly a reference to the 2000 film Mission to Mars.