I use a house rule that scientists only use 1/5 of their research admin bonus - so a scientist with 25 admin skill can only use 5 labs instead of 25. This makes sense because the admin skill usually increments by 5, so it is basically just changing the increment to 1. For me it works well, because I like the pace of research at default settings but with this restriction you cannot really rush techs very effectively, plus you use way more of your scientists instead of just your top 1-2 in every field.
I might have to try this.
I have generally been satisfied with research speed for most of my time playing Aurora, but because of several discussions over the past year or so, I decided to try a run with reduced research speed (20 % I think). Honestly, it didn't feel that different, and was slightly disappointing. Don't get me wrong. It was nice to be able to use research components for longer, and be able to put a ship class through multiple weapon and sensor updates before getting that big upgrade with a new engine tech, but right now I have played for about 100 years and I still haven't even gotten to magneto-plasma tech yet. By now the game has also slowed down so much, that even if I get to magneto-plasma, I can probably expect my navy stabilize around the current tech level simply because I can't put in the time needed to pass another 100 years to get significant breakthroughs.
For some techs, this is fine, but it does feel kinda disappointing to be stuck on ion drive for so long. Increased tech levels give more options for ship design, which IMO makes for a more fun game, but it can be hard to find that balance, where you reach interesting tech levels fast enough to enjoy them before slow down, but also research slow enough that new components aren't obsolote by the time you have spent the time designing the component, retooling the shipyard, and building/refitting the ship.