Researching in several fields will help improve your performance in those fields. Each point costs 100gc to research.

Area	Effect
Weapons	Every 100 points adds +0.5% to attack strength per attack.
Fortification	Every 100 points adds +0.5% to defense strength.
Farming	Every 250 points makes each farm produce an extra bushel per game day.
Training	Every 100 points adds 1 soldier to the number trained per day.
Housing	Every 200 points makes a house hold 1 more person.
Taxation	Every 1000 points adds 1gc per critter per day.
Conscription	Every 100 points adds 1% to conscription rate (This is how many people are taken from your peasants and added to trainables).
Population	Every 100 points adds 1% population growth.
Building	Every 250 points takes 1 day off construction time.
Watch Towers	Every 1000 points adds one day to advanced attack warning.
Thievery	Every 100 points adds 1% thievery effectiveness.
Medicine	Every 250 points adds 1% to your chance to cure the plague. td>