I do not think technology will evolve much more than at the beginning of the game Let us not forget that the time in the game will be the time in reality. So even if we play for 10 years, it will also be 10 years in the game. And in 10 years, progress will be made, but in reasonable quantities.
I kind of want to agree with Patrick, but at the same time I feel it's dependent on what actually happens in ED.
The 19th century was a time of massive technological leaps for mankind, the early part of the 20th century was similar, with governments willing to make massive capital outlays - sometimes just to boost their nation's global footprint (think US vs. Russia space race).
If the year 3300 is on the cusp of the next technological leap, we could see enormous changes in technology - even in as short a time as a decade (think end 19th, early 20th - powered flight, cars, breakthroughs in medicine and weaponry). While we can assume that the last 300 years hasn't been one of stagnation in the Galaxy, 3300 will introduce a huge driving dynamic (the player base) into the Elite Universe, who knows what our influx will produce?
There's also the Thargoids to consider, they've been "asleep" for a long time and it's fair to say they're going to wake up grumpy, war is always good for technological progress.
