Abstract
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest funding agency for biomedical and behavioral research in the United States, supporting basic, translational, and clinical research to drive discoveries and knowledge that enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. The NIH invests in research that runs the gamut from basic biological mechanisms to innovative device development; environmental public health; and behavioral, implementation, and population sciences. Citizen science methodologies and approaches have broadened opportunities for public involvement across the full spectrum of biomedical research. The NIH has a long history of supporting citizen science and public-partnered research. It is challenging to estimate the investment that NIH has made in citizen science given the diverse fields, program types, and project organization that NIH-supported citizen science exemplifies and the expansion into related disciplines. The common thread through these diverse programs is a meaningful partnership with the public as direct collaborators and participants. Here, we describe unique examples of successful biomedical citizen science and community-engaged research projects that are hosted by NIH or that have received NIH support, and highlight the different terms used to encourage and report on citizen science and related methodologies.