Second Sphere Application Rules
Overview
While technologies represent the theoretical understanding your nation possesses, Applications are the nuts-and-bolts engineering that turns data and theory into practice. Thus while Technologies control what you can research (and how much it costs), Applications control what you can build.
Special Projects
Sometimes when various tech indices and events conspire, they can unlock a Special Project. These are unique research projects that grant access to special applications. Of course, Special is just a nice way of saying Secret so only the GM will know what is necessary and what is derived from them.
Historically, ZOCU's deconstruction of 'mega particle' weapons (in reality, coherent-matter accelerators) to let them be built using regular delta dust is an example of a Special Project.