National Innovation Fund — Eurostars-3 (Bulgaria)

Eurostars-3 Session 9 — Bulgarian NIF Co-funding

Funds Bulgarian companies to join international consortia for commercialization-ready technology.

The Bulgarian National Innovation Fund (NIF), operating under the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, provides national co-funding for Bulgarian entities participating in Eurostars-3 — the joint EUREKA / Horizon Europe programme for collaborative R&D projects across EUREKA member countries. NIF is the designated Bulgarian contact point and national funder for Eurostars-3, disbursing national funds to Bulgarian participants whose international consortium projects are selected through the Eurostars evaluation process. Session 9, the most recently listed open round, carried a submission deadline of 24 April 2026 at 17:30 CET via the international Eurostars platform.

Bulgarian participants in a successful Eurostars-3 consortium can receive up to €100,000 in national co-funding at up to 80% aid intensity, meaning the applicant must cover at least 20% of eligible costs. Projects run for up to 36 months. Eligible Bulgarian applicants include enterprises (legal entities or traders registered in Bulgaria), research organisations, and knowledge-dissemination organisations. Consortia must include partners from at least two different EUREKA member countries — a Bulgarian-only team cannot apply. All project submissions go through the international Eurostars platform; NIF handles the national evaluation and disbursement to the Bulgarian side.

The next confirmed future session is Session 11, opening 9 July 2026 with a deadline of 10 September 2026 at 14:00 CET. Applicants should identify their EUREKA-country partners and agree on the project scope and budget split before the international submission deadline, as the Eurostars process evaluates the full multinational consortium. NIF can be contacted at info@nif.government.bg and is located at Prince Alexander I Street No. 12, Sofia.