Ole Miss Driving Innovation in Oxford, MS

Collaboration among students, faculty and startups are transforming agriculture practices and plant-based medicine.

By Kim Madlom on October 28, 2023

Srijita Chattopadhyay

As a key driver of innovation in the region, the University of Mississippi in Oxford is spearheading game-changing scientific advancements that are spawning business startups focused on bioscience and sustainability. 

“Academic institutions play an important role in developing new knowledge and innovations that are relevant to society,” says University of Mississippi Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Noel Wilkin, who is also a professor of pharmacy administration and research professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 

Within the University of Mississippi’s Insight Park, four facilities are conducting research that is transforming agriculture practices and plant-based medicine. Those facilities include the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Products Utilization Research Unit, The Innovation Hub, Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden and the Waller Outdoor Growing Facility. 

“Insight Park is ideally located on the campus of the University of Mississippi,” says William Nicholas, director of economic development at Ole Miss. “This proximity to campus provides companies easy access to our talented faculty, staff and students.” 

Incubating Innovation in Oxford 

The 62,000-square-foot Innovation Hub, which is the primary building in the park, is a business incubator that provides resources and support to early-stage companies. The Innovation Hub currently has more than 50 students interning with many of the tenants. 

“It is a great opportunity for both the company and the student to determine if the relationship could lead to a long-term opportunity,” Nicholas says. “Additionally, it is a definite plus that companies have an opportunity to carry out joint research projects with the university. Our research can be an important source of innovation, especially in the bioscience space.” 

TranZ Biosciences LLC, a company that tests and develops pharmaceutical and botanical products, is a former tenant of The Innovation Hub. 

Robert Jordan

Leading-Edge Agriculture Research 

One example of the agricultural research and innovation at Ole Miss is the discovery made in new ways to control weeds in soybean fields using a combination of herbicides and a new type of soybean plant. Researchers have also found new ways to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer, breed drought-tolerant crops and produce biofuels that are more cost-effective than traditional methods. 

Another center for research is the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden, which maintains a diverse, accurately identified and medicinally important plant collection to support drug-discovery efforts within the School of Pharmacy and the National Center for Natural Products Research. 

“The faculty of the university is engaged in research that is important to society and relevant to the issues and problems that we face in Mississippi, the nation and the world,” Wilkin says. “New discoveries are critical to improvements within nearly every discipline.”