The following words and phrases - wherever they appear in this regulation - shall have the meanings specified next to each of them, unless the context requires otherwise:
City: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
Regulation: City Regulation.
Council: Board of Directors of the City.
President: President of the Council.
Chief Executive Officer: Chief Executive Officer of the City.
Supreme Committee: Supreme Committee for Research, Development, and Innovation.
Authority: Research Development and Innovation Authority.
National Laboratory: A central laboratory affiliated with the City that serves as a reference house of expertise in conducting research and providing consultations and studies in various fields of science and technology for the public and private sectors, as well as the non-profit sector both within the Kingdom and abroad, in addition to its role as an intermediary institution that contributes to technology transfer and bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial and commercial applications.
Research Infrastructure: All that is used, directly or indirectly, in the production of research, development, and innovation, including laboratories, innovation facilities, and similar entities, as well as resources, devices, equipment, tools, information systems, networks, databases, and the like.
Exclusive Technology: Technology owned by its innovators and developers that is not commercially available in a manner that facilitates competitors' access to it, including materials, devices, machines, equipment, their operating systems, software, and spare parts.

The city enjoys public legal personality, financial and administrative independence, and is organizationally linked to the President of the Council of Ministers, with its main headquarters located in the city of Riyadh.

The city is considered the center of national laboratories in scientific, technical, and research fields, and a reference in exclusive technology areas, transferring, localizing, and developing it to be part of the development of local content. It works to bridge the gap between scientific research and industrial application of technology, providing related services and works in accordance with the best global practices.

For the city, in order to achieve its objectives - without prejudice to the competencies of other relevant authorities - the following applies:
1- Implementing basic, applied, and developmental scientific research programs in accordance with the national strategy for research, development, and innovation, publishing their results, and contributing to transforming their outputs into innovative products and services with added value.
2- Developing its research infrastructure according to the best practices and global specifications, and enabling others to benefit from it.
3- Collaborating and entering into agreements and partnerships with relevant entities in research, development, and innovation both within the Kingdom and abroad, including institutions, bodies, regional and international organizations, and specialized consulting firms; to exchange experiences and scientific and technical knowledge, transfer technology, facilitate the flow of information and data, purchase and own exclusive technology, and provide scientific, technical, and specialist supervision over the implementation of research programs and projects, and transforming the results of the city's research and its outputs and resources into innovations, new products, and services; thereby enhancing the quality of research, development, and innovation outputs.
4- Investment and establishing non-profit entities, contributing to achieving its targets in its areas of specialization, in accordance with the applicable legal mechanisms and procedures.
5- Attracting researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and specialists in scientific, technical, and research fields from within the Kingdom and abroad, and encouraging them to benefit from its research infrastructure.
6- Contributing to the development of national competencies and building research and scientific capacities by providing scholarships and training programs related to its objectives and areas of specialization.
7- Participating in research and development programs with other relevant entities to find solutions to national challenges in its areas of specialization.
8- Preparing studies and research, and providing consultations, services, and works related to its objectives and areas of specialization.
9- Contributing to raising awareness and promoting scientific and technical culture and facilitating its concepts to the community.
10- Establishing technology centers, innovation hubs, incubators, accelerators, and similar entities, and providing supporting enablers for them, and creating economic values from them.
11- Hosting joint research centers with the public and private sectors to implement joint scientific and developmental research.
12- Encouraging researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and specialists to invest in the outputs of their scientific research programs, develop them, and market them, including enabling them to establish and participate in companies, in coordination with relevant entities.
13- Maximizing intellectual capital, encouraging the registration and exploitation of intellectual property rights related to its objectives and areas of specialization, and participating in organizing them - in coordination with relevant entities - to maximize the return on them for the national economy.
14- Organizing and holding conferences, seminars, and exhibitions related to its objectives and areas of specialization within the Kingdom and abroad, and participating in them in accordance with legal procedures.
15- Any other tasks related to the city's objectives and competencies approved by the Council.

• 1- The city shall have a Board of Directors, whose president is appointed by a decree from the President of the Council of Ministers, and the membership shall be as follows:

  • A- A representative from the Ministry of Education.

  • B- A representative from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.

  • C- A representative from the General Authority for Military Industries.

  • D- A representative from the Research Development and Innovation Authority.

  • E- The Chief Executive Officer.

  • F- Five representatives from the scientific research sector and academic institutions.

  • G- Two representatives from the private sector.

• 2- The members referred to in paragraphs (F) and (G) shall be appointed by a decree from the President of the Council of Ministers based on a nomination from the president, and their term of membership in the council shall be three (3) years, renewable for a similar term once.

• 3- The rank of representatives of government entities in the council shall not be less than the rank of (fifteenth) or its equivalent.

The Council is the highest authority of the city, responsible for overseeing it and managing its affairs. It has the authority to make necessary decisions to achieve its objectives within the framework of the regulations. It specifically has the following powers and responsibilities:
1- Overseeing the implementation of the city's assigned tasks.
2- Approving the plans and policies related to the city's activities in light of the priorities and public policies set by the Supreme Committee, and adopting the necessary programs and projects for their implementation, as well as raising any matters that require completing procedures in this regard.
3- Approving incentives for researchers in the city, including the regulations governing the commercialization and transfer of technology and innovations resulting from research, development, and innovation activities, according to governance adopted by the Supreme Committee.
4- Determining the financial compensation for the services and works provided by the city in its areas of competence, according to regulatory procedures.
5- Accepting gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and endowments, and establishing mechanisms and controls for that in accordance with the relevant provisions.
6- Appointing an external auditor and an internal financial controller.
7- Approving the organizational structure and organizational guide of the city.
8- Approving financial regulations and provisions with financial implications in administrative regulations, in agreement with the Ministry of Finance.
9- Approving administrative regulations, in agreement with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
10- Approving the internal and technical regulations necessary for the operation of the city.
11- Approving the draft budget of the city and its final account, the report of its auditor, and its annual report; in preparation for submitting them according to regulatory procedures.
12- Approving the investment of the city's funds and establishing non-profit entities, contributing to achieving its objectives in its areas of competence, according to the mechanisms and regulatory procedures followed.
13- Approving the establishment of branches and offices of the city and supporting facilities for its activities within the Kingdom.
14- Approving the conclusion of agreements, protocols, and contracts.
15- Reviewing periodic reports submitted to it regarding the progress of work in the city and its financial position, and making necessary decisions regarding them.
The Council may form permanent or temporary committees from its members or others, assigning them tasks it deems appropriate. Each committee's formation decision will specify its president, members, secretary, and tasks, and it may seek assistance from whom it deems necessary to perform the assigned tasks.
It may delegate some of its powers to the president, or the committees subordinate to the Council, or to any of its members or the executive president, as required by the workflow in the city.

1- The meetings of the Council shall be held at the city headquarters, and may, when necessary, be held at another location within the Kingdom.
2- The Council shall meet - at the invitation of the President or a member designated by him from the representatives of government entities - at least once every (three) months, and whenever deemed necessary by the President, or at the request of at least (one-third) of its members. The invitation must be accompanied by an agenda for the meeting.
3- The meeting of the Council shall be valid with the presence of at least the majority of its members, including the President or a member designated by him from the representatives of government entities, and recommendations and decisions shall be issued by a majority of the votes of the attending members at least. In the event of a tie in votes, the side that the President of the meeting voted for shall prevail.
4- The Council may - when necessary, and as deemed appropriate by the President - hold meetings and vote on recommendations and decisions remotely using technological means. Recommendations and decisions may be made by passing them to the members, and they must be signed to indicate that all members have been informed of them, and recommendations and decisions issued in this manner shall not be considered valid unless they have been passed to all attending members of the Council, who vote on them, and they receive at least a majority of their votes.
5- The deliberations, recommendations, and decisions of the Council shall be recorded in minutes signed by the President of the meeting and the attending members. The meetings of the Council, its deliberations, agenda, recommendations, decisions, and minutes shall be kept completely confidential.
6- A member may not abstain from voting, nor delegate another member to vote on their behalf in their absence. An objecting member has the right to record their objection and the reasons for the objection in the minutes of the Council meeting.
7- The Council shall have a Secretary from among its members or others chosen by the President of the Council, who shall be responsible for the Council's secretariat, preparing for meetings, and recording the minutes, deliberations, recommendations, and decisions.
The Council may invite anyone it deems appropriate from government or private entities or from specialists and consultants to attend its meetings to benefit from their expertise, without having the right to vote.

The city shall have an Executive Director, who is appointed and dismissed by a Decision from the Council, which specifies his salary and other financial benefits. He shall be responsible for managing the city, and his responsibilities and powers shall be limited to what is stipulated in the regulations and what the Council decides or delegates to him. He shall, in particular, exercise the following powers:
1- Supervising the workflow in the city in accordance with the approved regulations, plans, and programs.
2- Proposing plans and policies related to the city's activities in light of the priorities and public policies set by the Supreme Committee, and the necessary programs and projects for their implementation, and submitting them to the Council, as well as supervising their implementation after approval.
3- Proposing the organizational structure and organizational guide for the city, its financial and administrative regulations, and other internal and technical regulations necessary for its operations; and submitting them to the Council for approval, and supervising their implementation after approval.
4- Appointing the city's staff in accordance with the regulations governing that, and supervising them.
5- Supervising the preparation of the city's budget draft, its annual report draft, and its final account draft; and submitting them to the Council.
6- Disbursing from the approved budget and taking all financial actions in accordance with the approved systems and regulations, and the powers delegated to him by the Council.
7- Supervising the preparation of periodic reports submitted on the workflow in the city, and submitting them to the Council.
8- Supervising the entities affiliated with the city in accordance with the regulations approved by the Council.
9- Signing agreements, protocols, and contracts, after obtaining the Council's approval.
10- Following up on the implementation of the decisions issued by the Council.
11- Contracting with others and seeking the assistance of specialized experts and consultants as required by the workflow in the city, in accordance with the relevant regulatory provisions.
12- Approving the plans and programs necessary for training, scholarship, and sending the city's staff in all areas of its work and following up on their implementation.
13- Organizing the city's participation in conferences, seminars, meetings, and exhibitions related to its areas of competence locally, regionally, and internationally.
14- Representing the city before judicial, governmental, administrative, and other entities inside and outside the Kingdom, and he may delegate others to do so.
15- Any other task assigned to him by the Council.
The Executive Director may delegate some of his powers to other staff members of the city.

The employees of the city are subject to the provisions of the Labor Law and the Social Insurance Law.

The city shall have an independent annual budget.