THE IUSSI 2022 MEETING PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF POLLINATOR BIOLOGISTS TO SHARE RESEARCH, SYNTHESIZE IDEAS, AND DEVELOP NEW COLLABORATIONS. THIS MEETING TYPICALLY HAS CLOSE TO 1,000 ATTENDEES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, AND FROM EVERY CAREER STAGE. THE IUSSI CONFERENCE ONLY OCCURS EVERY FOUR YEARS, AND THE U.S. HAS NOT HOSTED THIS MEETING SINCE 2006, SO THERE WILL BE HIGH INTEREST FROM U.S.-BASED POLLINATOR BIOLOGISTS. HOWEVER, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AREEXPENSIVE, AND AFRI FUNDING WILL BE CRITICAL TO ENSURE THAT U.S. BASED EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS ARE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND AN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS AS A GRADUATE STUDENT OR POSTDOC. AFRI FUNDS WILL ENSURE THAT PROGRESS TOWARD USDA STRATEGIC GOALS AND PROGRAM AREA PRIORITIES IS MAXIMIZED BY INCREASING ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION, AND NETWORKING AMONG A DIVERSE GROUP OF U.S. SCIENTISTS FOCUSED ON POLLINATORBIOLOGY.