Canada's spending on R&D is increasing at a respectable clip but the economy is growing even faster, pushing down the key ratio of gross expenditures on R&D (GERD) and gross domestic product (GDP). The impact of a rapidly expanding GDP leaves the ranking of Canada's R&D spending mired near the bottom of OECD nations and will make Finance minister Paul Martin's goal of moving into the top five by 2010 even more difficult to achieve (R$, October 2/00).