The National Bank for Industrial Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (NBIMCC) is a research institute, founded in 1983. It has accepted for safe-keeping the specimens which were available at The Bulgarian Type Culture Collection (BTCC) until 1983.

NBIMCC activities as an independent jurist institution are financed by the state budget.

The NBIMCC is a member of the World Federation of Culture Collections (WFCC) (No135) http://wdcm.nig.ac.jp/wfcc and the European Culture Collections Organization (ECCO).

The NBIMCC has been recognized since October 31, 1987 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) http://www.wipo.int as an International Depository Authority under the regulations of the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedures.

The NBIMCC collects bacteria and actinomycetes, fungi and yeasts, plasmid-bearing microorganisms, animal viruses and cell lines, plant viruses.

The NBIMCC accepts and delivers microorganisms, viruses and cell lines upon consumers’ request.