How Operation Warp Speed's Big Vaccine Contracts Could Stay Secret

The Trump administration has compared Operation Warp Speed's crash program to develop a COVID-19 vaccine to the Manhattan Project. And like the notoriously secretive government project to make the first atomic bomb, the details of Operation Warp Speed's work may take a long time to unravel.

One reason is that Operation Warp Speed is issuing billions of dollars' worth of coronavirus vaccine contracts to companies through a nongovernment intermediary, bypassing the regulatory oversight and transparency of traditional federal contracting mechanisms, NPR has learned.

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Mayor Young Announces Additional $2 Million Dollar in Funds for Baltimore’s Small Businesses

BALTIMORE, MD — Today, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young announced an additional $2million in funds to provide financial assistance to small businesses. Last Spring, Mayor Young and the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) announced a Small Business Recovery Initiative, which included a $3.5 million Small Business Assistance grant fund.

“Baltimore’s small businesses have been agile in their response to COVID-19, and we must not relent in our efforts to assist our small businesses during this time.” Mayor Young said. “The Small Business Assistance Fund, administered by BDC, has helped businesses throughout our City and these additional resources will address ongoing operational challenges as we continue to fight the global pandemic.”

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The Small Business Innovative Research Program is more important than ever

The Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program is more important than ever in the era of COVID-19 and social unrest.

The SBIR Program was established in 1982 through the Small Business Innovation Development Act (The Act), to address concerns about the U.S. losing its competitiveness against emerging competitors and adversaries. The Program seeks to ensure that small businesses without access to capital receive an opportunity to develop new technology through federally-funded research and development. What started as a tiny experiment by Roland Tibbetts at the National Science Foundation (NSF) developed into more than $21 billion worth of research by more than 15,000 firms—resulting in more than 45,000 patents.

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