I would like to make a comment about the research speed in general. I think its way too easy to get all the techs in this game. In normal game settings, by round 200+ i will have pretty much any tech i want even on slow and very slow research speed. I prefer long games where every tech matters and give you a certain edge in some way so I play with very slow research speed. However, the game mechanic for this is pretty stupid. All it does is add a additive -50% research on all colonies. Which is countered by a single science structure without bonuses when you are halfway through the tech tree. Instead of adding this research penalty on colonies, double the research cost of techs. Perhaps slow is double tech price, and very slow is triple or quadruple. the system as it is now is slightly difficult at the very start of a game, but once you get higher tech you have the same research speed as normal research speed setting. 

Right now i have changed the play settings to get a slower research speed by rare habitable planets and abundant extreme planets. Me and my closest AIs (genius) usually never have more than 3 or 4 colonies by round 150-200 (I don't use sensor barge cause it ruins the exploration for me). I have a high number of extreme planets that could be colonized but then we all need tech for it. This makes it hard to to highly specialize planets early on. At least this way tech matters for a while...