Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are in the early planning stages of developing a new state-of-the-art research and patient care facility, officials with both entities recently announced.

The project could cost as much as $2 billion and is imagined as several buildings to be constructed on the northwest corner of the medical center campus, the officials said at a news conference last Thursday. Those buildings could include one or more new towers for research and inpatient care.

UNMC Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold said the plans are in the preliminary concept stages and that no final planning has been completed.

“We are just setting the stage at this time,” said Gold, who also serves as the chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “We want the medical center to continue to be a prime mover in propelling Nebraska’s economy to new heights.”

Architectural renderings and program specifics for the project are not yet available.

Dr. James Linder, Nebraska Medicine’s CEO, said the health system doesn’t believe its current facilities are large enough to provide the care residents need, particularly as the population ages.

Linder noted that the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center was built through a public-private partnership and created a model that combines cancer care and research in one building.

“Our ability to do that should not be limited to cancer care,” Linder said.