The AVGC Center of Excellence (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics CoE), considered as a pioneering high technology digital media hub, funded by the Karnataka Department of Electronics, IT/BT, was launched on Thursday. It has been launched as an initiative of ‘Innovate Karnataka’, the department said.

Through this, the Karnataka government which owns the credit of being the first State in India to introduce an AVGC policy way back in 2012, has also become the country’s first to set up such a center of excellence which is also said to be the biggest in Asia, it said in a release."This CoE brings digital excellence to creative industries. India now commands around 10 per cent of the global AVGC market and has the potential to reach 20-25 percent by 2027. The State of Karnataka has been driving the AVGC sector in the country. Our government is proud of this CoE and this Center will take us to greater prominence in the sector," Minister for Electronics, IT/BT C N Ashwath Narayan said.

The Centre also has a 'Finishing School' which offers unique courses based on emerging technology such as virtual reality, digital compression, photogrammetry, gamification of education, real-time virtual production, and other emerging technologies, he said.?Stating that the state will come out with the new AVGC policy within one year and required land will be provided within a year to set up a dedicated ‘Digital Media Entertainment Area’, the Minister said, more Small CoEs will be set up across the state particularly on campuses of universities and collaborations will be made with more number of fine arts institutions.

E V Ramana Reddy, Assistant Chief Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT/BT, and S&T said, Karnataka accounts for a 20 per cent share of the Indian Entertainment & AVGC industry.?"A total of over 300 animation, VFX & gaming studios operate in Karnataka employing over 15,000+ professionals. With the launch of this CoE, the AVGC ecosystem will be further benefitted," he said, adding that the objective of the COE is to syndicate and make available the best facilities and technologies to start-ups, AVGC studios, and professionals who find it difficult to fund or access such a high-technology stack individually.

With inputs from PTI