National Centre of Excellence for Animation Approved: India Aims to Be Global Content Hub

New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to set up the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) on lines of the IITs and IIMs to anchor the animation ecosystem in the country.

Aimed at positioning India as a content hub for providing state-of-the-art content thereby enhancing India's soft power globally and attracting foreign investments into the media and entertainment sector, the centre will be set up in Mumbai as a Section 8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) representing the industry bodies will be partners with the government in setting up the proposed institute of immersive creators.

"AVGC-XR sector today plays an indispensable role in the entire realm of Media and Entertainment, including filmmaking, OTT platforms, gaming, advertisements and several other areas, including health, education and other social sectors, thereby encompassing the overall structure of the country's growth story," Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during a press conference.

"With rapidly evolving technology and increasing internet penetration all across the country, coupled with one of the cheapest data rates, the usage of AVGC-XR globally is poised to grow at an exponential pace. To keep up with this brisk pace, the National Centre of Excellence is being established to act as the pinnacle institution to anchor the AVGC-XR ecosystem in the country," he added.

Along with offering specialized training-cum-learning programs to equip both amateurs and professionals with the latest skill sets in cutting-edge AVGC-XR technologies, the NCoE will also foster research and development and will bring together experts from various fields like computer science, engineering, design and art that can lead to major breakthroughs in the field of AVGC-XR.

"The centre will also extensively focus on creation of India's IP for both domestic consumption and global outreach, overall leading to creation of content based on India's rich historical and cultural heritage. Further, the NCoE will function as an incubation centre by providing resources for nurturing startups and early-stage companies in the AVGC-XR field. It will serve not only as an academic accelerator but also a production or industry accelerator," Vaishnaw said.

"By positioning this NCoE as the driving force for the growth of AVGC-XR industry, it will serve as one of the biggest sources of employment for the youth from all parts of the country. This will give an enormous push to the creative arts and design sector and make India the hub for AVGC-XR activities furthering the goals of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative," he added.