New Delhi: The central government on Wednesday approved the establishment of a special National Center of Excellence (NCoE) for the purpose of promoting animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality (AVGC-XR) sector. The government aims to develop an ecosystem of AVGC-XR in the country through this NCoE, so that India can become a global hub in this field by keeping pace with the growing technology.

This Center of Excellence will train both amateurs and professionals in the latest skill sets in cutting-edge AVGC-XR technology and will also promote research and development. The center will bring together experts from various fields such as computer science, engineering, design and art who can achieve major breakthroughs in the field of AVGC-XR.

It will be set up in Mumbai

According to the information given by PIB, this NCOE will be set up in Mumbai. The establishment of this AVGC task force was also announced in the budget. The central government has approved the establishment of NCOE as a Section 8 company under the Companies Act, 2013 in India, with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) representing industry bodies as partners with the government.

Apart from this, this center will act as an incubation center by providing resources for startups and early-stage companies in the AVGC-XR sector. Let us tell you that the AVGC-XR sector includes many other sectors including film production, over-the-top (OTT) platforms, gaming, advertising and health, education and other social sectors.

India is the second largest market

The contribution of the online gaming sector to the AVGC industry is projected to grow from 41 per cent in 2019 to 68 per cent by 2026. With over 455 million gamers, India is the second-largest gaming market globally after China. The NCOE for AVGC-XR will establish India as a content hub providing cutting-edge content, thereby enhancing India's soft power globally and attracting foreign investments in the media and entertainment sector.