Time efficiency research can only be performed on Blueprint Originals. Each blueprint original can receive 10 runs of Time Efficiency Research, each run granting a 2% reduction of the Manufacturing Time for that blueprint original, or new copies made from it. Time Efficiency research is subject to diminishing return, meaning that each subsequent run of Time Efficiency research will take longer than the previous one.
Time Research requirements
Most Time Efficiency Research jobs on Tech I blueprint originals do not require additional materials to be provided or skills to be trained to have Time Efficiency Research done on them. However, for the blueprints that do require material input for the research (usually Tech II Blueprint Originals, as well as the "Prototype Cloaking Device" blueprint original), the following is usually needed:
- Reports, an NPC trade good
- R.Db of different kinds. Those can be manufactured from blueprints available on the market.
- a set of skills, often also needed to invent or even manufacture the blueprint.
Time Reduction Formula
Time Efficiency savings are applied to the whole manufacturing job, not individual runs. The formula is as such:
Job time = Blueprint manufacturing run time * number of production runs * Time Efficiency Reduction factor