The National Innovation Fund (NIF), established in 2025, is a national instrument for providing grant funding for innovation projects, designed to ensure predictable and long-term public support for enterprises and research organisations in Bulgaria.

The National Innovation Fund was established pursuant to Article 52 of the Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (APRI) as a legal entity with its registered office in Sofia. The Managing Director of the Fund is a secondary authorising officer under the budget of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.

The Rules of Procedure of the National Innovation Fund were adopted by Council of Ministers Decree No. 132 of 22 July 2025 (promulgated in the State Gazette, Issue No. 60 of 25 July 2025, effective from 25 July 2025).

On 31 July 2025, the NIF was entered in the BULSTAT Register under Unified Identification Code (UIC) 181417928, with its registered office and address at 12 Knyaz Alexander I St., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.

The NIF builds on the experience, activities and support mechanisms of the National Innovation Fund previously administered by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency, while operating as an independent legal entity under the framework established in 2025 and with an enhanced role in supporting innovation and projects of strategic importance.