In a win for the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s ongoing Project NExT, Omaha has been selected as a pilot site to develop a federal all-hazards response facility.

The Nebraska congressional delegation announced last week that UNMC and Nebraska Medicine was selected as one of five sites in the U.S. to pilot their surge capacity response program. 

The other sites are Washington, D.C.; San Antonio; Sacramento, California; and Denver. 

This decision is a milestone in Project NExT, a public-private partnership intended to create a disaster response center on UNMC’s campus. If completed, the multi-billion-dollar project will include clinical and research space, pathogens testing, vaccine development, and training for military and national guard.

Nebraska politicians and business leaders expressed that they were excited by the designation.