The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has joined hands with the United States (US)- based Unity Technologies to launch a Centre of Excellence for augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR)and gaming.

The partnership is said to give an impetus to developing an augmented reality AR/VR ecosystem in Kerala.

The Centre will come up in the newly-inaugurated Integrated Startup Complexat Kalamassery.

AMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed by Saji Gopinath, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), KSUM, and Anumukonda Ramesh, Asia Pacific (APAC) Head, Unity Education and Centre of Excellence Initiatives.

Through this Centre, Unity Technologies will extend support to startups developing products, services, and games on platforms including mobile, Personal Computer (PC), and various AR/VR hardware. This Centre of Excellence will also emphasise on providing different levels of training on AR/VR developer tools to students and professionals in the state. The partnership is a significant step forward for developing an AR/VR ecosystem in Kerala.

“The AR/VR market is expected to witness huge growth globally in the next five to six years. This growth in demand for AR/VR content and solutions will be accompanied by the sprouting up of a new set of businesses. This Centre of Excellence for AR/VR Developer tools with Unity Technologies is a step taken by the Government of Kerala towards creating an ecosystem for new businesses to grow and cater to the global demand,” said M Sivasankar, Secretary, Department of IT and Electronics, Kerala Government.

Talking about the tie-up, Saji Gopinath said KSUM is committed to creating an enabling ecosystem for young ventures working on various emerging technologies. “This emerging industry will create new jobs that require new sets of skills. We will be working with ICT Academy of Kerala for skilling interested students and professionals on these design and development tools," he pointed out.

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