Florida State University invites the community to participate in the research process as its scientists seek to better understand complex diseases and other medical conditions.

The institution has just joined Research Match (https://www.researchmatch.org/ )is a non-profit program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that allows anyone, healthy or not, to sign up to participate in health-related research.

Mark Riley, interim vice-chancellor for research at FSU, said: “This takes FSU research to the next level of community-based engagement by giving people the opportunity to contribute to biomedical discovery and innovation in healthcare.”

Originally launched in 2009 by Vanderbilt University, the ResearchMatch database has over 168,000 volunteers representing a variety of demographic, geographic and health backgrounds. To date, approximately 12,000 researchers have used the site to conduct approximately 1,200 studies and have published over 600 research results nationwide. FSU has used ResearchMatch to join his five other universities in Florida, the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, and his UF-Scripps Biomedical Institute in Jupiter.

Interested volunteers register free of charge on the secure website and provide contact information and preferences regarding the type of study. Once registered, volunteers can choose whether or not to participate when the system emails information about specific research projects. Volunteer information is kept confidential until the volunteer agrees to participate in the study. At that time, researchers will be provided with volunteer contact information.

The types of studies available through ResearchMatch include studies that volunteers can complete at home or remotely, and studies that involve direct participation with researchers at the study location (usually a campus or nearby medical facility). Studies can cover the full range of health conditions, medications, and illnesses, but they require all kinds of volunteers, including healthy participants.

ResearchMatch only permits research that has been reviewed and approved by a university or medical facility regulatory board designated to protect the rights and welfare of those participating in the research. All research must be reviewed and approved by FSU researchers before being submitted to ResearchMatch by FSU researchers.

For research volunteers, ResearchMatch offers a more streamlined way to find research projects of interest, whether for FSUs or state and national research institutions. For FSU researchers, the program expands access to community and remote volunteers.

“This is a free resource that connects citizens and scientists in their ongoing quest to advance research discoveries that improve public health and healthcare,” Riley said. “Nobody knows how your participation in research will make a difference in someone’s life, whether it’s a complete stranger or someone you love.”