GEORGETOWN — A state legislator who was instrumental in authorizing a Texas A&M University System medical school in Round Rock said Tuesday that a medical school at the University of Texas in Austin would be a "natural addition" to the evolving life sciences infrastructure of Central Texas.

"They're different, but you put them together in a collaborative environment, and the strengths are unbelievable," Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, said of the Aggie and Longhorn versions of medical education.

Gattis has said previously that he would support a proposal for an Austin medical school, but his comments Tuesday at a biotechnology conference at Southwestern University were his most forceful on the subject. In an interview, he said he would advocate for legislative appropriations if the UT System decided to establish such a school.

He did not mention any figures, but Gattis said the UT System's plan would have to include a mix of community and philanthropic support, like A&M's.

"A lot of people assume that a medical school in Round Rock means no medical school in Austin," Gattis said.

"A&M does a really, really good job in educating and creating the practicing doctor, the person you and I see." In contrast, a medical school at UT-Austin would likely include a heavy emphasis on research.

"How do you marry the two?" Gattis said. "I think there are opportunities for that."

The UT System has been considering whether to establish a medical school in Austin for about four years. One option is a branch of the UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, the state's most prestigious public medical school.

"We're still looking at the feasibility of expanding our medical education presence here in Austin," said Anthony de Bruyn, a spokesman for the UT System.

System officials were stunned last year when the A&M System emerged seemingly from nowhere with authorization for a Round Rock campus. The Aggies had not sought such a campus in their appropriations request to the Legislature.

Gattis, who served on a 10-member House-Senate panel that hammered out final details of the state budget, slipped in $9 million as seed money with the support of Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who leads the Senate Finance Committee and who also served on the panel. That was part of $33 million earmarked for expanding A&M's medical education programs.

Ogden said Tuesday that he's not pushing one way or the other regarding an Austin medical school.

"So far, there's two issues out there," Ogden said. "One is UT hasn't even suggested doing that. There's lots of rumors, but I haven't heard anything official from UT.

"The second thing is, OK, how are we going to pay for it? I'd be happy to entertain any proposals from UT and sit down and figure out how we're going to pay for it," Ogden said.

Tuesday's conference at Southwestern reflected a certain buzz about the prospects in Central Texas for medical education coupled with biotechnology research. It was organized by the Texas Life-sciences Collaboration Center, a nonprofit backed by the City of Georgetown, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Southwestern.

The A&M System's $55 million medical school in Round Rock is scheduled for completion in fall 2009. The building will be constructed by a developer and will be leased to A&M with an option to purchase it.

Texas State University-San Marcos and Austin Community College, which have operated in Round Rock for several years, are planning to expand on nearby land.

Nancy Dickey, president of the A&M Health Science Center, said she would request state-backed bonds to pay for the new medical school if the Legislature decides to consider higher education bonding when it meets next year.

Pike Powers, an Austin lawyer who years ago helped bring the Sematech Inc. consortium of semiconductor manufacturers and high-tech businesses to the region, said he supports a UT medical school as a complement to A&M's.

"I think it's going to happen," he said.

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