The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of a National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) as a Section 8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013, with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry and Confederation of Indian Industry, representing the industry bodies, as partners with the government.

The NCoE will be set up in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in pursuance of the announcement in the General Budget 2022-23 for setting up of an AVGC Task Force in the country.

AVGC-XR sector today plays an indispensable role in the entire realm of Media and Entertainment, including filmmaking, Over The Top (OTT) platforms, gaming, advertisements, and several other areas such as health, education, and other social sectors, thereby encompassing the overall structure of the country’s growth story. 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. Along with offering specialised training-cum-learning programmes 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.

It will also extensively focus on creating India’s IP for both domestic consumption and global outreach, leading to creation of content based on India’s rich historical and cultural heritage. Furthermore, the NCoE will function as an incubation centre by providing resources to nurture startups and early-stage companies in the AVGC-XR field. Also, the NCoE will serve as both an academic and a production/industry accelerator.