A $41 million research grant was awarded to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Tuesday.

UW is one of 12 institutions receiving the grant, which will stimulate medical advancement by providing funds for research efforts.

The Institute for Clinical and Translational Research grant is part of a national plan to further research that will help those with the greatest medical need.

The UW Medical School will receive research assistance from the UW School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy and School of Veterinary Medicine. The grant will allow researchers to take scientific discoveries developed on campus and apply them to everyday health care, according to UW Hospital Media Relations Director Lisa Brunette.

Part of the new plan is to train scientists to become familiar with the needs of the community. It will teach those working in the fields about how to provide the common person with information discovered in university labs, Brunette said.

One common medical misconception health care providers in Wisconsin encounter when working with patients involves the benefits of taking aspirin — indicating many residents aren't receiving adequate medical information.

"Many people with heart problems can use aspirin, but many people who would be eligible don't get it," Brunette said.

The grant funds will be used to develop clinical research and give Wisconsin health care providers beneficial medical information on a regular basis.

"This grant will facilitate the movement of research findings in health care, and anyone living in Madison … will benefit," Marc Drezner, assistant dean of the UW Medical School said in an interview with The Badger Herald.

Students living in Wisconsin will also be able to learn new health-related information faster because the research will be conducted locally.

"We hope to identify better ways to rapidly get new inventions to a greater proportion of the people who so badly need them," Drezner said in an earlier statement.

Students at all levels will be able to get involved in a variety of research opportunities, according to Robert Golden, who also serves as dean of the UW Medical School.

Golden gave credit to the university's strength, collaboration between departments,and partnerships across the state, which helped the university achieve first place out of all institutions that applied for the grant.

"The University has a remarkable tradition of bringing schools together, and it gave us an advantage," Golden said.

But Golden said the privilege connected to receiving the grant is not what really matters.

"It is not about the honor but about the opportunity in making a difference in the health of the people of Wisconsin," Golden said.

The research grant will be distributed to the UW over the next five years.

— Courtney Johnson and Pedro Oliveira Jr. contributed to this report.