R&D Institute

The first of the Syndicate's two difficulty levers. The R&D Institute is capital: you stake $PROM to fund the Syndicate's research, and in return you're issued better tools — which lower your personal mining difficulty by up to 3x.

How it works

1. Stake $PROM into the R&D Institute on Solana.
2. The oracle reads your stake and reports it to Promethium Chain.
3. Your mining difficulty drops, scaled to your stake, capped at 3x easier.
4. While your stake stays in, your tools stay sharp.

Good to know

• It's personal. Your discount applies to your mining only — it doesn't change anyone else's.
• Cap is 3x. Beyond a point the discount stops climbing; everyone hits the same ceiling.
• It stacks with labour. The R&D bonus (tools, up to 3x) combines with the Recruitment Office bonus (labour, up to 2x). See Recruitment Office.
• Optional. You can always mine at full difficulty with no stake.
• Staking / unstaking each cost 1 USDC via x402. See Fees & x402.

Tools x labour

Think of mining output as tools x labour. The R&D Institute upgrades your tools; the Recruitment Office adds hands. Fund both and you mine the cheapest.

Next: Relief Fund.