**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY AND ITS PARTNERS, TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY (A MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION), UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT (AN EPSCOR STATE INSTITUTION), AND USDA-ARS, PROPOSE A COLLABORATIVE PLANT BREEDING PARTNERSHIP RESEARCH PROJECT THAT WILL DEVELOP NEW MUNG BEAN CULTIVARS, OPTIMIZE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS FOR WIDESPREAD ADOPTION BY FARMERS, DEVELOP GENETIC SOLUTIONS, AND STUDY SEED QUALITY TRAITS. BASED ON STAKEHOLDER INPUT, THIS WORK WILL FACILITATE THE ABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS TO MEET GROWING CONSUMER DEMAND FOR PLANT-BASED PROTEIN. THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR DEVELOPING RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAINS AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES WHILE PROMOTING AWARENESS ABOUT MUNG BEAN IN THE U.S. THERE ARE THREE SUPPORTING OBJECTIVES: (1) CONDUCT GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES AND DEVELOP A BREEDING TOOLKIT FOR UTILIZATION OF DIVERSE MUNG BEAN GENETIC MATERIAL; (2) BREED NEW HIGH-YIELD AND HIGH-PROTEIN MUNG BEAN CULTIVARS THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR U.S. PRODUCTION; AND (3) CHARACTERIZE SEED COMPOSITION TRAITS AND STUDY PROTEIN NUTRITION AND QUALITY, STRUCTURE, AND FUNCTIONS RELEVANT TO FOOD APPLICATIONS. THIS AFRI PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM AVAILABILITY OF MUNG BEAN, AND BREEDING AND RESEARCH EFFORTS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH-YIELDING VARIETIES WITH IMPROVED PROTEIN QUALITY AND GOOD AGRONOMIC TRAITS THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR U.S. GROWING CONDITIONS. THE PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY HIGH PROTEIN VARIETIES THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR PROFITABLE PRODUCTION INCLUDING IMPROVED DISEASE AND INSECT-PEST RESISTANCE. THIS STUDY WILL GENERATE VALUABLE GENOTYPIC DATA ON GERMPLASM, RESULTING IN GENOMIC RESOURCES AND A TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX FOR MUNG BEAN. GENOTYPIC DATA WILL BECOME A RESOURCE FOR FUTURE STUDIES AND THE WIDER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY