Q:

Is research percent needed at max? 

I am in a game where I have maxed out all that I can research.  It's already up to future tech 16, and I was basically wondering if I could drop my percentage on research to 0% once I get to future tech, and focus all my attention (budget wise) on the culture instead?   Will this have any negative impact on my game? 

A:

There is no downside to dropping your science to 0 aside from the obvious- you won't ever research anything.  Since Future Tech is pretty lousy (especially once you've got to that level), there really is no reason to keep researching.