The Executive Board of the National Innovation Fund consists of 11 members—representatives of government institutions, the business community, academia, and civil society. They are appointed by order of the Minister of Innovation and Growth for a term of four years, with the right to serve one additional consecutive term.

Its members include:

• two representatives of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth;
• five representatives of the business community;
• two representatives of higher education institutions and scientific organizations;
• one representative of civil society;
• one representative of the Ministry of Education and Science.

Executive Board:

Chair: Anton Todorov

He has more than 25 years of professional experience in the development and implementation of innovative business projects for start-ups and established enterprises, financed through private venture investments and European funding programmes.

He served as Chief Executive Officer of New i AD, a company specialized in securing funding for innovative projects under national and centralized European programmes, including EIC Accelerator, Horizon Europe, LIFE, and others. In this role, he successfully managed projects with a total value exceeding EUR 500 million.

He has extensive experience in business and innovation development within one of the leading companies in Southeast Europe providing knowledge-intensive services, data processing, and business intelligence solutions.

He is Managing Partner of the Bulgarian Business Angels Network – the first organization in Bulgaria dedicated to venture financing for start-up enterprises.

He is also a co-founder and lead consultant of several European Digital Innovation Hubs.

Master’s Degree in International Economic Relations from University of National and World Economy.

PhD Candidate in Automated Systems for Information Processing and Management at Technical University of Sofia.

  

Vice Chair: Kremena Koleva

Chief Expert at the Policies and Analyses Directorate of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.
Dr. Koleva holds a PhD degree in “Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis” from the Institute of Catalysis at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Since 2018, she has held various expert positions within the public administration. Her professional experience at the General Directorate “Civil Aviation Administration” is related to the implementation of environmental standards and policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions in civil aviation. In this role, she served as Bulgaria’s national coordinator to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the field of environmental protection.
A significant part of her professional career has been developed at the Ministry of Environment and Water, where she worked on the development and implementation of climate change policies, including the European Green Deal, the “Fit for 55” package, and the European Union Emissions Trading System in the aviation and maritime transport sectors. Dr. Koleva also served as National Contact Point for the European Union Innovation Fund.
Since June 2025, she has been part of the team of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, where she contributes to the development and implementation of policies and support measures promoting green technologies, circular economy, and bioeconomy initiatives.

 

Members:

Bojan Boichev

An established expert and executive in the field of technology and innovation with more than 35 years of professional experience, including over 20 years in leadership positions. His professional career is focused on the management, development, and implementation of complex digital solutions in the areas of software development, digitalisation, and research and innovation.

Over the years, he has held leadership roles in companies such as IR Data, BMG Data, and ACT Soft, where he contributed to the strategic development of technological products and innovative projects. He has played a significant role in the implementation of high-tech solutions, including cloud-based financial reporting platforms aligned with European requirements, as well as language products for the Microsoft environment.

Alongside his corporate experience, he has been actively involved in the national innovation ecosystem through collaboration with institutions, research organisations, universities, and start-up companies. He graduated from Technical University of Sofia, and his professional qualifications have been further enhanced through numerous specialisations in the field of information technologies.

 

Vladimir Filipov

Vladimir Filipov is a manager, entrepreneur, and internationally recognized expert in the field of industrial digitalization and manufacturing operations management. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in industrial software development and extensive expertise in Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) and Industry 4.0.
His professional career began in Sweden in 1990, where he held various expert and managerial positions within the international ABB Group in Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland. He participated in the development and implementation of solutions for industrial automation and manufacturing process management across various industries worldwide.
In 2006–2007, he founded NearSoft Europe GmbH in Switzerland and NearSoft Ltd. in Bulgaria. Under his leadership, the MOM4 platform was developed – a solution for the management and optimization of manufacturing processes based on the international ISA-95 and RAMI 4.0 standards.
Vladimir Filipov actively contributes to the development of Industry 4.0 policies and strategies in Bulgaria as an expert and advisor, and has also participated as an expert evaluator in European Commission programmes, including Horizon 2020. Since 2020, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy in Sofia.
His professional focus is directed towards sustainable digital transformation, technological development, and improving industrial competitiveness.

 

Kristina Nikolova

Lazar Petrov

Holds a Master’s degree in Law from the Faculty of Law, with a specialisation in International Law and International Relations.

Between 2008 and 2011, he worked as a legal counsel in a law firm, providing comprehensive legal services to clients, including the preparation of contracts, applications, orders, annexes, and agreements, as well as procedural representation and legal actions in enforcement cases related to assigned bank receivables.

Since 2011, he has held various expert and managerial positions within the public administration.

He has substantial experience in the management of European projects and programmes, including project management processes, expenditure verification, and the implementation of financial corrections.

He has participated in numerous working groups responsible for drafting laws and secondary legislation related to the judicial system and activities within the competences of the Minister of Justice, as well as нормативни acts assigned by the Council of Ministers.

He also played a key role in the structuring of the National Innovation Fund, including the registration of the Fund and the organisation of the procedure for the selection of members of the Executive Council.

 

Momchil Anastasov

Momchil Vasilev is an established professional with more than 30 years of experience in financial management, investments, strategic development, and corporate leadership across a wide range of industries.

He currently serves as Managing Director of Endeavor Bulgaria and Regional Lead for Southeast Europe within Endeavor, where he is responsible for developing the organization’s activities in the region and supporting the growth of a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. Under his leadership, more than 100 companies have been supported, generating over USD 250 million in revenue and creating more than 2,300 jobs.

Prior to this role, he served as Director of Corporate Development at Via Group / Via Capital Partners, where he was responsible for financial management, investment projects, fundraising, and business and financial risk management across multiple sectors.

Momchil Vasilev is also the founder of Proviti Labs, a company focused on developing innovative biotechnology solutions in the field of food technologies and nutraceuticals.

His professional background also includes nearly 17 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he held senior management positions in audit, mergers and acquisitions, management consulting, and organizational restructuring.

He holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Management from University of National and World Economy and is an honorary member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He has also completed the “Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures” Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.

His professional and public engagements include participation in the management and advisory boards of organizations focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, investment, and corporate governance, including National Innovation Fund, BESCO, and BVCA.

 

Prof. Dr. Rumen Yankov

Is a distinguished scientist and expert with longstanding contributions in the fields of mechanics, engineering sciences, and applied innovation. He graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” with a degree in Mechanics and earned his PhD in 1985 at the Institute of Mechanics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the field of fracture mechanics. Since 2000, he has held the position of Professor in Mechanics of Deformable Solids.

He is the author of more than 100 scientific publications with over 500 citations in international scientific literature. He has specialized at KU Leuven – Belgium, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Spain, University of Thessaly – Greece, and TU München – Germany through international scientific programmes.

Prof. Yankov has extensive experience in the management and evaluation of research and innovation projects funded by NATO, DAAD, DFG, the Bulgarian National Science Fund, and the Bulgarian National Innovation Fund. He has participated in the National Center for Mechatronics and Clean Technologies and the National Scientific Programme “Security and Defence”.

His research interests focus on digital twins, numerical methods for analysing complex physical processes, and engineering applications in energy, medicine, construction, and industry. Throughout his professional career, he has successfully combined fundamental science with applied innovation and industrial collaboration.

 

Prof. Dr. Teodora Georgieva

She has more than 25 years of teaching and research experience within the higher education system.

She is a Professor in the field of strategic management of science, technology, and innovation at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She leads the Master’s programme “Innovations and Digital Transformation in Agribusiness” at the Faculty. Prof. Georgieva is also part of the team of AgroHub.BG – a European Digital Innovation Hub in the agribusiness sector in Bulgaria.

She participates as a jury member and mentor in the “Agribusiness Accelerator Programme” at the Center for Promotion of Cooperation in Agricultural Sciences between China and the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria.

Her scientific work includes participation in projects funded under the European Commission Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, COSME, regional cooperation programmes, the World Bank, and others. Until 2024, Teodora Georgieva served as editor and coordinator of the annual “Innovation.bg” report.

 

 

Lyubomir Stanislavov