Science after maxing out the Tree

[Cornholio]

Hello, all.  When you max out the tree (modded or non-modded) what do you do with extra science?  I always assumed that patent licensing would be a great way to convert any science gain into $$$ (I recently learned that it's not all science that gets converted).  Is there a mod that either converts all science or something niftier that I have yet to discover?

[Tex_NL]

Set "Patents Licensing" to 100% and it should convert all incoming to
And any that spills through can be sold through "Research Rights Sell-Out"

[The Aziz]

Yup. Science into funds. 

Also don't know which strategy does it, but yesterday I got over 23k monies for recovering single capsule coming from LKO with three kerbals returning from Duna with bunch of science.

[Norcalplanner]

Kerbal R&D allows you to spend science points to upgrade parts. It can be a bit overpowered in stock scale, but makes sense for upscale systems.

[Snark]

Personally, when it gets to that point, I tend to just view science as my "score" and see how much of it I can rack up by exploring everything everywhere. 

I never see any point in bothering to convert it into funds, because by the time I get to that stage of my career, I generally have funds coming out of my ears and finances simply aren't any concern at all-- I can basically launch whatever I want as many times as I want.

[Blue_J]

My current solution to this issue is to run some combination of Community Tech Tree, DMagic orbital science, Karbonite/K+, Near Future Propulsion, MKS, EPL, and Alcubierre Drive.

While DMagic means a lot more science overall, Community Tech Tree massively expands the size of the tech tree (and the science cost of filling it out,) and the high-tech mods actually put useful parts into those expensive technology nodes. (Whereas the stock tech tree has a lot of nodes worth 550, and a handful worth 1000, the overpowered Karborundum Engines and super-high ISP ion engines are in nodes valued from 3k-5k, and the Alcubierre Drive node is worth 10K. I've never actually gotten that high in career mode.)

While a lot of the higher-end parts in these mods are decidedly "overpowered," the science and Tech buy-in costs (not to mention part costs) of getting them are so high that you'll have sent many conventional missions around the solar system before your game becomes completely sci-fi - and by then, you're in what might be called the "end-game" already, at which point I'm not really opposed to overpowered toys.

TL;DR: Instead of maxing out the tech tree around the Mun and Minmus, use Community Tech Tree to make the Tech Tree longer!

[Wjolcz]

I have science yield set to 10% (or whatever the lowest amount there is) and just "buy" the nodes by buying science when I can afford it. That way all the resources keep being relevant (money and reputation) even when I'm done researching the tech tree. My career is obviously modded.