During the past decade, several European countries invested heavily in research and development (R&D), including building world-class laboratories and other facilities and expanding higher education in science and engineering. This document summarizes the report, Human Resources for Science and Technology: The European Region, that presents data on the rapid growth of academic degrees and R&D financial support. The data in this brief indicate that a high concentration of the world's scientific resources continues to reside in Europe. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in the awarding of natural science and engineering (NS&E) degrees by institutions in Western and Central European countries. In addition, European and Asian institutions awarded a higher percentage of all their undergraduate degrees in NS&E fields than U.S. universities and colleges. Other findings include that Western European civilian research approaches that of the United States, and the amount of funds spent on research performed at academic institutions in Western Europe now equals that spent at U.S. universities and colleges. It is concluded that as the capacity to perform R&D expands throughout the world, it is increasingly important for the United States to be knowledgeable about the scientific and technological accomplishments of other world regions. (JRH)