The next 10 years provide an opportunity for the European Union (EU) to renew the science and technology (S&T) base and build necessary knowledge-society capacities and capabilities in Pre-Accession Countries (PACs). Applied research has faced a major downsize; redressing the balance in the research and development systems is urgently needed. Stated research priorities in national policy frameworks in PACS indicates a mirroring of priorities found across EU member states. The central challenge concerns ways in which S&T demand and supply are balanced. Research suggests PACs have the potential to sustain high-level research systems. Upgrading and updating applied research capacity and connecting it to the industrial demand side are urgent priorities; developments reveal promising trends that could provide a starting point. Direct technology transfer is limited and impacts survival of companies dependent on the speed of change in their productivity and competitiveness. A brain drain has led PACs to devote attention to attracting youth into research careers. Aspects of the process of building human capital and learning capabilities are to meet present skills gaps in the labor market; guarantee medium-term capacity of the S&T training system to deliver technical specialists, researchers, and teachers; and ensure longer-term sustainability of society and economic growth by opening good-quality education to all citizens. (Appendixes include an 89-item bibliography, S&T priorities, and S&T framework and priorities in PACs.) (YLB)