The Gear Upgrade window
The Gear Upgrade System enables players to improve the quality of their gear items by increasing their mark and rarity ("color"). It was added to the game with the release of Delta Rising and can be accessed through a button on the bottom-left of the inventory window, or via the right-click menu of upgradable items.
To be upgraded, an item needs to accumulate Technology Points. Once these reach the required amount, the upgrade process can begin. Accumulating Tech Points requires dilithium 
and Tech Upgrade tokens, which are obtained mainly through the R&D system, but also as a reward from some missions released with Delta Rising. Tech Upgrade tokens come in three grades:
- Basic Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 5, Earth Spacedock/First City vendors
- Production cost: One of each common component in the appropriate R&D school + 2,500
- Application cost: ??
- Application result: ?? Tech Points
- Production cost: One of each common component in the appropriate R&D school + 2,500
- Improved Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 10
- Production Cost: One of each uncommon component in the appropriate R&D school + 7,500
- Application cost: 950
- Application result: 5,000 Tech Points
- Production Cost: One of each uncommon component in the appropriate R&D school + 7,500
- Superior Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 15
- Production Requirements: One of each rare component in the appropriate R&D school + one very rare material (depending on the school) + 15,000
- Application cost: 1,075
- Application result: 12,800 Tech Points
- Production Requirements: One of each rare component in the appropriate R&D school + one very rare material (depending on the school) + 15,000
Each Tech Upgrade works on a specific category of items associated to a R&D school. Tech Upgrades don’t require dilithium to purchase or craft, but applying a Tech Upgrade package does cost dilithium. The better Tech Upgrades provide more tech points and are more efficient with your dilithium investment.
The upgrade process itself (after the Tech Points are at the required level) takes some time from minutes to hours (or even days), but it does not require any additional resources. Dilithium can be spent to accelerate the upgrade process to finish immediately, similar to the case for R&D projects. The main result of an upgrade is an increased mark of the item (up to a cap of Mk XIV), but it also has a small chance to increase the rarity/color of the item, thus adding extra mods on it as well, up to a rarity cap of Epic.
On the upgrade window one can see two bars to indicate accumulated tech points (top one) and rarity improvement chance (bottom one). The latter chance can be increased by using better (or special) Tech Upgrades or by using consumable boosts from the C-Store or from some special mission rewards.