How to get ahead in Tech?

[Moghopper]

How does one manage to get ahead of the AI in tech level? I always manage to get an economic and military lead, but I always seem to be lagging behind in tech.

I mean specifically when I enter "observe" in the command prompt and check other empires progress. It always says i am behind in tech score no matter what I do.

What gives?

[titanopteryx]

Specialize a tech world, pick the species trait that's 10% boost to all research types, and put a governor with traits that boost research on that tech planet. Make more than one tech planet if you got the space.

[Lynx]

1: Play as Technocracy
2: Dedicate entire worlds to research
3: ???
4: Profit!

Seriously though, dedicating entire worlds to being research centers goes a very long way to it. When you see very low score worlds that only allow for a few districts, these are ideal for turning into research planets. Just build up the city districts and build research labs. Be sure you have enough energy credits to dedicate towards it and you'll be fine.

[Moghopper]

I have done that before, but the gap never seems to close. Not sure if i am doing something wrong or what.

Also, I use the planet automation and designations. is that a mistake?

[xycotta]

Relic worlds, taking over other empires. Pay attention to features on planets that give tech bonuses.

[mjmenary]

Scanning debris is a great way as well. Having little skirmishes to generate the scan debris can give some fantastic boosts, gives your leaders great experience, plus you might end up with a few extra systems and planets as well.

[leigh]

Also, use perks that lower empire size so your tech costs stay comparatively low.

[Immortalis]

Also, on top of all of the above, make sure you're not comparing yourself to Fallen Empires. It will take a long time to catch up to them, even under the best of circumstances

[nilfiry]

Research rings + planetary ascension.

[Yow!]

You just need more pops working as scientists, meaning you need more pops if you want to stay ahead on every score, it is that simple.

If you ignore your tech early on as you expand, it will be much harder to catch up, because of empire sprawl, so you need to continually provide research jobs as you expand.

[PLMMJ]

Scientorium-ify weaker empires and make science worlds/science ringworlds if you can

[Kalemenos]

Patience, you can't get there all at once. I love research and techs. However, most things in Stellaris seem to be about GROWTH and not instant solutions. I usually start behind in research but catch up and then smash the AI Empires in research, but more towards mid-game. Some things I do, in case you find it useful:

1.) Planet planning:
...a.) Every planet has two focuses ("foci"): first focus (alloy/CG/min/ene/food/rural) and a second focus (research, unity, or refinery). (BTW, I often play genetic, making species good for every possible combination and put them on specific planets). It's massively productive, because you can get research and edicts (from unity) running from the very start of the game.
...b.) Mid-game I take tiny planets and, later, habitats and specialize them to tech centers. For planets it only lowers costs; for habitats, it actually increases what the output is.
...c.) And much later in the game, if you use the ascension perk on that habitat, you get more research.
...d.) Also, sometimes planets have those little colored circles, and they'll say things like "research from jobs +15%" or something like that. Good places to put research centers: multiplies the base research so you get more.
... NOTE: Always remember you need CG and ene to run research centers, so make sure you have some of that being produced... and exotic gasses for the upgraded buildings. If you go research crazy you can cause a serious imbalance in your economy.
2.) Prioritize the techs that bump research whenever you can manage it.
3.) Traditions: "Discovery", usually I fill out all five tiles ASAP, picking a different tradition/tile once in a while as I see fit so I'm not too rigidly closed in on Discovery, but yes I get all those fast.
4.) Pick the "technological ascendency" ascension perk as early on as you can.
5.) Find a curator with your scouting ships; then go diplomacy / "aid us in research." It costs ene, but it's good. Also, hire one of their scientist as soon as you can, they have great bonuses.
6.) In the 3.7 game and earlier:
...a.) you could continually swap out many different kinds of leaders, putting in a leader specializing in the specific category of tech. 3.8 and after nuked that, which I disliked, so I rolled back, and I don't know how the later versions permit (or not) the deployment of science leaders for research bonuses. In 3.7 that kind of micromanagement produces excellent results.
...b.) Furthermore, you can put your many scientists in ships, and on every planet that has a research center, you put that space ship above the planet and click on "Assist research." This produces tons of research bonuses on all the many researcher jobs.
...c.) And some governors have research bonuses for their sectors. This can be especially useful if you have a sector that has more research than others.
...d.) And, again in 3.7, do what you can to increase leaders' levels (scientists, and governors with research bonuses), for the levels of the scientists translates to increased percentages in research production.
7.) if you play using minor relics, don't forget to continually be on top of it so you can click on the "Reverse-Engineer Arcane Technology." Continually keeping up with that also makes tech soar, as often you get tons of tech points or a +10% on all research for a certain amount of time.
8.) Materialist and fanatic materialist help tech progress.
9.) Major relics: Twice ever I got the bizarre "horizon signal" event chain. It's very long and complicated - on line articles can walk you through it - but it gives the "Scales of the Worm" relic, with a whopping +20% research speed when activated, and a +10% physics even when not. But stumbling upon that is more luck than strategy. Other relics that are good for research: miniature galaxy, defragmentor, rubricator, the last Baol, maybe some others. Check the wiki to see which archaeology sites produce which relics, then work hard to acquire those sites before other AI empires do.
10.) Edicts. Two can help: "Research Subsidies" (+10%) and later the "Ambition: Scientific Revolution" (+20%). Edicts are crazy powerful if one uses them well. And if one can afford them.
11.) Ringworlds with one or more segments being research only. Ascension perks produce more here than on habitats.
12.) Make research agreements with friendly empires, especially if they have a higher research score than you. I find late-game, I'm doing better than them, so I break those agreements. But when they're in the lead, you can strongly profit from them.
13.) I think the Vultaum precursor has a special research building no one else gets. I generally prefer the Baol just for my own game style, but if research is your thing, these guys might be right up your alley.

In my current game I'm in year 2367, and all my AI neighbors are "inferior" in science, when I click on their shields and see how I compare. At, say, 2204 I wasn't competitive, but I patiently grew, now I have so much research I don't know where to put it all! And the AI just glares at me with envy.

As long as you're doing OK with tech, in comparison to the AI, you'll do fine, so don't panic if you're not overwhelming them every time. Research, even if important, is only one part of strategy vs the AI; you have diplomacy, fleet size, economy, etc. You could blow up these other aspects by obsessing too much over research.