RIYADH: A newly appointed board of directors of Saudi Arabia’s Architecture and Design Authority will help develop the Kingdom’s architecture and design industry. The Culture Ministry announced the formation of the board, with Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Farhan as chairman of the board and Deputy Culture Minister Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez as vice chairman and member. The board will have a number of responsibilities and missions, including issuing decisions to achieve the authority’s goals. Moreover, the board will supervise implementation of the authority’s strategies and approve policies related to its activities, rules, regulations, internal and technical procedures, and all ongoing plans and programs. Membership of the board will extend for three years and is renewable. The board must hold its meetings four times yearly or whenever needed. It will also promote funding and investment in areas related to the authority’s jurisdiction, propose industry standards and present them to the ministry, and encouraging individuals, institutions and companies to produce and develop content in the architecture and design sector. The authority will hold training sessions, adopt professional training programs, build up educational programs and provide scholarships for talented people in coordination with relevant entities. It will also work to support protection of intellectual property rights, licensing activities, and creating a database for the sector.