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Research path to Deep Crust Engineering

Deep Crust Engineering (tier 2 society) needs New Worlds Protocol, 2 technologies in all; the path costs 2,500 base research (1 to research, starting technologies free). Opening the tiers on the way takes 6 more technologies (6,500), so the whole climb is about 9,000.

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In research order
Technology	Area	Tier	Base cost
Deep Crust Engineering	Society	2	2500

Also needed to open the tiers (the cheapest open to every empire; any others of the same tier and area do)
Technology	Area	Tier	Base cost
Doctrine: Space Combat	Society	1	1000
Eco Simulation	Society	1	1000
Living Test Subjects	Society	1	1000
Societal Unification	Society	1	1000
Adaptive Bureaucracy	Society	1	1250
Climate Control Network	Society	1	1250

How it is worked out

Base costs before empire size and difficulty (Stellaris Cygnus v4.5.2 (9776)). Research is drawn: each area offers 3 options at a time, so the game may not offer them in this order.
A tier opens after 6 technologies of the tier before it in the same area; the tier openers above are our estimate of the cheapest way there.

From Stellaris Cygnus v4.5.2 (9776), read from the game files by StellarisDB (unofficial, not affiliated with Paradox Interactive). Same rules as the tool on the site. JSON: add format=json. All tools: https://stellarisdb.com/calc