Technology Status
Other Research dialog features
More Stars! Dialogs
Technology Status shows your current level of achievement in each area of technology. Tech levels range from 0 to 26. For every tech level you achieve above the minimum required to produce an item, the cost of that item is reduced by 5% (continued technical advancements improves production, thereby lowering costs).
When you select a technology, research will continue in that field until you reenter the research dialog and change the field of study setting.