The article analyzes the instruments of government support for innovation activities in foreign countries and Kazakhstan. The innovation policy of any country is based on government support. In Kazakhstan, factors such as the insignificant effectiveness of reforms, a low level of innovation in the basic sectors of the economy, and weak positions in international innovation rankings make the issue of revising existing government support instruments very relevant. The article summarizes and analyzes the most common instruments of government support from the point of view of effectiveness. A comparative analysis of international and domestic experience in implementing these tools was carried out. An analysis of international experience in the implementation of government support instruments shows that the active role of the government plays a key role in building an effective state innovation policy. The article identified gaps and attempted to identify problems of low efficiency of existing instruments of government support for innovation in Kazakhstan. Based on the research, have been proposed measures to improve existing instruments of government support for innovation.