Some players will eventually notice that certain structures and items require 'special' materials that are not purchasable through credits in the game.
I will list a few here:
Exotic Matter : rare chance from mining
EBX-9 : gathered through missions
Political Favor : gained from higher tier missions, typically "rescue" missions
yes, I will probably need to get all of this in a Wiki somewhere - stay tuned

Theres so much stuff - I hope to preserve a little bit of mystery in the process.