**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CULTURED MEAT AND SEAFOOD (CM) PRODUCTS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP MEET GROWING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR NUTRITIOUS SUSTAINABLE AND SAFE PROTEIN SOURCES. AS WITH EVERY NEW TECHNOLOGY SAFETY DEMONSTRATION IS CRITICAL TO BRINGING CM PRODUCTS TO MARKET AND GAINING PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE. CM PRODUCTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN AUTHORIZED IN THE US AND ABROAD DO NOT ENCOMPASS THE FULL RANGE OF POTENTIAL PROCESSES AND PRODUCTS AND ONLY MARK THE START OF SUCH ASSESSMENTS. CURRENTLY THE PAUCITY OF STANDARDIZED SAFETY METHODS AND DATA REQUIRES START-UPS TO CONDUCT DUPLICATIVE RESOURCE-INTENSIVE RESEARCH AND REGULATORS TO USE A CASE-BY-CASE APPROACH TO SAFETY EVALUATIONS WHICH CAN BE BURDENSOME. THROUGH THE CULTURED MEAT SAFETY INITIATIVE VIREO ADVISORS AND NEW HARVEST CLEARLY OUTLINED RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR SAFETY DEMONSTRATION AS IDENTIFIED BY GLOBAL INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS (ONG ET AL. 2021 ONG ET AL. 2023).THIS WORKSHOP SERIES WILL CONVENE STAKEHOLDERS TO CREATE A RESEARCH ACTION PLAN AND INITIATE RESEARCH. DISCUSSIONS WILL BE TAILORED TO PARTICIPANTS OF EACH WORKSHOP AND AIM TO FOSTER RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING AND REFINE RESEARCH PRIORITY AREAS INTO A RESEARCH ACTION PLAN INCLUDING ACTIONABLE HYPOTHESES AND POTENTIAL LEADERS/COLLABORATORS. OUTPUTS FROM THE WORKSHOPS INCLUDE A RESEARCH ACTION PLAN SEVERAL ARTICLES SYNTHESIZING OUTCOMES AND PROVIDING INSIGHTS ON KEY TOPICS FROM WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS AND WORKING GROUPS. THIS WORKSHOP SERIES IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP TOWARDS A GLOBAL COORDINATED RESEARCH EFFORT TO ADDRESS SAFETY PRIORITIES AND DEVELOP SHARED DATA TO SUPPORT TRANSPARENT FOOD RISK ASSESSMENTS AND POLICY-MAKING PROCESSES ADVANCE SAFETY DEMONSTRATION AND PROMOTE ACCESS TO SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE FOODS.