The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is the oldest institution in modern Bulgaria, established nine years before the restoration of Bulgarian statehood. It was founded on 29 September 1869 and began its activity as a Bulgarian Learned Society on 30 September (18 October) 1869, embodying the aspirations of many Bulgarian patriots to align their people with developed European nations.

Having gone through two world wars and several shifts in political regimes, today the Academy is the leading national research organization producing half of the scientific output in Bulgaria.

BAS is an autonomous organization governed in accordance with democratic principles. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences receives a subsidy from the state budget which accounts for about 50% of its revenues. The attracted funding from research, applied research and business contracts generates the remaining 50% of the Academy’s budget.