Means Council is researching at full speed the lower tier while Free does the upper, when they need to they will trade education among themselves leaving everyone behind in 3/4 techs or more.
So we need to choose the next step i guess: stay idle till we get education from G Lib or advance on our own again, i guess we stay put.
Council must be finishing Chemistry since they dont have Education and Free must be nailing Astronomy some time soon.
In sum, and when they trade the F/C axis wil have Education, Astro, Gunpowder and Chemistry and a way open to Magnetism and Mil Trad.
BABE will have Gunpowder in 4 according to Whomp.
Note: I´m not sure how it works, since FREE already has education, doesn´t it mean the Great Library is already obsolete? Or do we still get the education tech when FREE trades it to Council and only then it becomes obsolete?