Creativity tends to do next-to-nothing for me.
You're one lucky bastard!

I had a game with the Krynn where this happened, about half of the techs I researched in the game got creativity boosts. First game with TOA and it helped me fight off some unusually aggressive Terrans (they conquered the Drengin early, but maybe it rubbed off on them...). Since then, however, it hasn't appeared nearly as often even when I research or trade the creativity boosting techs.

I don't know if luck interacts with it: +50% luck from bonuses and parties hasn't helped my Arceans in this respect, but practicing with luck/first strike/weapons boost combo on huge fleets of tiny ships at the moment and absolutely astonished by it. Not a single ship lost yet against comparable Korx & Krynn fleets of smalls and mediums. The Arceans' 10% bonus to creativity from one of their techs is handy too, activates just often enough to keep my weapons up to date. I rate these cheap, wonderful bonuses higher than almost any other these days (though I find I always take 1-3 of the holy trinity of econ, morale & pop growth, otherwise I can't keep up with AI).

Ssshhh....don't tell anyone! How else am I supposed to get stock exchanges as my 5th tech in a reasonable time without it!

I probably hit on about 6 a game and it makes me very said when it triggers when I have 1 turn left till I aquire the technology

I still think the cost for it at race creation should be bumped up to 3 points.

I could swear I got a 20% creativity tech from one of the races, deep into their their tech tree, but I can't find it now.

I thought it was either the Thalan or Iconian tree, but I scoured them, and then every other race's tree searching for it.

Was it just some fevered dream, or does such a tech exist?

I think the Arcaeans have something like that as well, war rooms iirc.

The only time that sucks Lord KiRon is when you just finished Manufacturing Centers and it procs Industrial Sectors. There went your economy if you weren't repaired.

You'd have to cancel the upgrades and then turn off auto-upgrade for all the planets wouldn't you? Or is canceling an auto-upgrade for a building an end-all for the governor auto-upgrading it again? I'm fuzzy on that department.

As for going from Advanced Factories to IS. The build time will be high, thus the social production cost will be high for your planets that have factories (probably 100% of them). All this time you'll have a huge drain on your economy.