Baton Rouge startup’s grant will boost employability of students with disabilities

Baton Rouge tech startup Directed Analytics has received a $256,000 National Science Foundation Small Business Technology Transfer grant.

The Nexus Louisiana member plans to use the grant to develop a system that educational organizations can use to help students with developmental disabilities increase their employability skills. 

“The award is basically an NSF seed investment into your company,” CEO Jody Mitchell says in a statement announcing the grant. “You can use the award to fund all of the work that’s being done for a particular project: for the deliverables and the objectives of the research that you’ve agreed to in your proposal.” 

Only about 10% of STTR phase one full proposals are approved to receive an award, according to the announcement. Mitchell and his team used money offered by the Louisiana Technology Transfer Office at LSU to work with a consultant on their proposal; the entire process took about 17 months.

The company’s stated goal is to develop a clear path to employability for young adults with developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder. The team says it has identified school districts that will participate in the research and development effort and is ready to begin data collection. 

After six months of implementing phase one, the team can apply for phase two of the R&D grant for up to $2 million in additional funding.