TheNightingale's Guide to Research and Development V3.1

=== TheNightingale's Guide to Research and Development - /tg/station13 ===

Health analyzer / Flamethrower (2 Biological Technology, 2 Electromagnetic Spectrum, 2 Plasma, 2 Combat)
Capacitor / High-capacity power cell / Micro-manipulator / Flash (3 Power Manipulation, 2 Data Theory, 3 EM)
Advanced capacitor / Tracking beacon / Wrench (4 Power, 2 Bluespace, 2 Engineering, 2 Materials)
Plasma sheet (3 Mats, 3 Plasma)
Personal Artificial Intelligence card (3 Data)
Welding gas mask (3 Engi)
Sleeper board (4 Mats, 4 Engi, 3 Biotech, 4 Data)
(If you don't have one in Science, build a portable chem dispenser here. If you do, upgrade it with an advanced capacitor.)
Portable chem dispenser board (5 Mats, 5 Engi, 4 Plasma, 4 Biotech, 5 Data)
Build an RPED and upgrade things - the Protolathe, Destructive Analyzer, Circuit Imprinter, ore redemption machine.
Advanced scanning module (4 EM)
Teleporter console board (3 Bluespace)
Durand weapons board x3 (3, 4, 5 Combat)
Sync with Robotics; mech syringe gun (5 Biotech, 5 EM)
Super-capacity power cell x2 (5, 6 Power)
Upgrade the DA.
Pico-manipulator (6 Mats)
Mining Satchel of Holding {or wormhole generator} (4 Bluespace)
Teleporter Station board (5 Bluespace)
Teleporter Hub board (6 Bluespace, 6 Engi)
Phazon Peripherals Control module (6 Data)
Phasic scanning module (6 EM)
Triphasic scanning module (7 EM)
Hyper-capacity power cell (7 Power)
Bluespace power cell (8 Power)
Combat shotgun (6 Combat)
Xray laser x2 (2, 3 Illegal)
Energy crossbow (4 Illegal)
-Cadence Meme, Research Director (SS13, Sector code 'TG').

END RESEARCH: Materials 7; Engineering 6; Plasma 4; Power Manipulation 8; Bluespace 6; Biotech 5; Combat 6; EM 7; Data 6; Illegal 4

Note that if Mining isn't delivering, you can find Gold in the Vault, Silver in Cargo (and operating tables), Plasma in Engineering Secure Storage, and (depending on your station layout) diamond coins in maintenance, which can be turned into diamonds with an upgraded recycler.

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The restricted stuff: If you can get your hands on a radioactive microlaser (the Syndicate health analyzer), deconstruct it for Biotech 6, which allows you to make X-ray implants (along with several other high-level implants) - you can decon these for Biotech 7 and Reviver implants. An energy sword or EMP flashlight can get you to Illegal 5, unlocking thermal implants and Freedom implanters. From here, an ebow or syndicate bomb core unlocks Illegal 6, and adrenaline implants. A decloner is available at Combat 8, but it's impossible to get that high without admin intervention.
Using the E.X.P.E.R.I-MENTOR, you can upgrade an object's tech levels by mashing the buttons until you get a blood sacrifice error. (An unupgraded Experimentor works best for this.) This will boost the object's tech levels by 1. Use this with a mecha syringe gun to unlock X-ray implants, or with an energy crossbow to unlock Freedom implanters. You can use this technique with other objects to get higher numbers, but it doesn't really do anything - the only postgame content is implants.
The best way to get cost-effective Illegal research is probably a power sink, for 10TC, which gives you (without prior Illegal research) Illegal 6 - or if it's an Ops round (or the Gateway has operatives), a C-20r or M-90gl for one higher.

THE REAL (USEFUL) END RESEARCH: As above, but with Biotech 6; Illegal 6.

(Special thanks to the following guides: http://pastebin.com/EnE75ekC, http://pastebin.com/bsYCGTqQ, http://pastebin.com/uSN8sLTq, http://pastebin.com/Kjmnf4te as well as the very helpful Research team of singulo.io, especially ms paint god!Lwg/DVlW1c. Accurate as of 13/11/2015, use and improve at will. Forward any questions to my NTRC address: cadence.m@waffle.notahostilecorp.nt, or post on singulo.io and ask for TheNightingale.)