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The grant will be given to the school's West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Dr. Chris Colenda, chancellor for WVU Health Sciences, called the grant a "game-changer" for the school.

"It's the recognition that the facility and the university partners have the capability to compete for prestigious national research awards with the best universities in the country," Colenda said.

The funds will be used to develop infrastructure and allow scientists to be more competitive for NIH and other biomedical research funding opportunities over the next five years, according to the school.

Clinical and translational research is intended to move quickly from laboratory to patient and is referred to as bench to bedside, according to the release.

The grant will pay for people, equipment, programs and protocol that would qualify the school for more grants from NIH to study cancer, heart disease, stroke and obesity-related diseases, according to the release.

Using the grant, WVU will hire 24 physician scientists and 22 other staff members over the next five years, according to the release.

Besides NIH, the partners that are matching the grant include the West Virginia University Health Sciences Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health; WVU Healthcare and the West Virginia United Health System; Charleston Area Medical Center, CAMC Institute and

WVU-Charleston; the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, the College of Human Resources and Education, School of Journalism and the College of Business and Economics; the WVU Research Corporation; the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; and the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.