The economic bust of the last year didn't touch research spending at the University of Michigan.

In his annual report on research, vice president for research Stephen Forrest noted boom times for research in 2009. Expenditures topped $1 billion for the first time, faculty members turned out 350 inventions and launched eight start-ups, Forrest told the University of Michigan Board of Regents at the monthly meeting today.

University of Michigan Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest

Forrest called the 174-acre former Pfizer pharmaceutical research facility - acquired by the University of Michigan in June 2009 and re-named the North Campus Research Complex - U-M's "Field of Dreams."

"We're at the cusp here," he said. "We've brought a lot of things together in a very good way. We're in the middle of an economic crisis, but with crisis comes enormous possibility for change."

Forrest spoke to the collaborative spirit gaining momentum with future plans for the NCRC. He called the complex a place to tackle the largest problems of the day, with cooperation across disciplines and between industries, government agencies and other universities from around the world. Three hundred U-M employees will move to the complex this spring.

"There's a growing feeling that NCRC is a place where we have to do things differently," he said.

Juliana Keeping covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter