International Conference on the Science of Botanicals

Goal:

To host the annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB) in Oxford.

Opportunity:

To bring together international leaders in the research, development, testing, regulation and commercialization of botanical ingredients used for human health for an 4-day conference designed to encourage networking and collaborations.

Strategy:

The National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi is recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as a Center of Excellence in botanical dietary supplement research. The NCNPR uses this platform to organize and host an annual international conference.

Economic Impact:

The ICSB was initiated in 2000 and quickly outgrew facilities on campus. The ICSB is the largest annual event held at the Oxford Conference Center. Between 300 and 500 people attend the conference each year. Attendees typically stay at least 4 nights in nearby hotels. The success of the ICSB led to the Oxford Conference Center being selected to host the American Association of Pharmacognosy (ASP) annual meeting in 2014, and it will host the ASP interim meeting in 2016. The existence of the ICSB should attract industry to consider Oxford for a new site of operations.