Kerala Government partners with Unity Technologies to launch its start-up CoE

Kerala Start-up Mission, the nodal agency of the Government of Kerala for technical entrepreneurship in the state, has partnered with Unity Technologies to launch a Centre of Excellence for AR/VR and gaming. Through this Centre of Excellence, Unity will extend support to start-ups developing products, services, and games on platforms, including mobile, PC, and various AR/VR hardware. This Centre of Excellence will also have a special focus 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 5-6 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 IAS, Secretary, Department of IT & Electronics, Government of Kerala. Sivasankar also said that ICT Academy of Kerala and CDIT have an important role to play in the creation of this ecosystem in Kerala.

“Unity is at the centre of the AR/VR ecosystem, powering 60%+ of all content and we see this industry growing significantly over the next few years,” said Hubert Larenaudie, Vice- President of Asia-Pacific, Unity Technologies. “This Centre of Excellence for AR/VR developer tools is a step taken by the Government of Kerala to create an ecosystem for these new businesses to grow and thrive."

"Kerala Start-up Mission is committed towards creating an enabling ecosystem for young ventures working on various emerging technologies. With its rich pool of creative talent, Kerala has the opportunity to become a hub for this extended reality disruption, which is a combination of content and solutions powered by hardware and distribution platforms. This emerging industry will, in turn, 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," said Saji Gopinath, CEO, Kerala Start-up Mission.

In line with the Knowledge City initiative of the Government of Kerala, KSUM has a special emphasis in promoting start-ups working in various emerging technologies like AI, Cybersecurity, AR/VR, etc. Over the past one year, KSUM has touched bases with more than one hundred ( to be precise) start-ups in these emerging technologies and has provided these start-ups with various support mechanisms including technology access through Future Technologies Lab, Innovation Grants, seed loans, exposure programs, and market connects. Future Technologies Lab also runs evangelization drives across the State to attract more professionals and students to take up research, learning and development programs in these newer technologies.

“In the Industry 4.0 world, AR/VR is a vital technology that has applications in multiple domains, hence youth with skills and competencies in AR/VR will have a unique advantage in the future jobs market. ICTAK is delighted to be skilling interested students and professionals on these design and development tools,” said Santhosh Kurup, CEO, ICT Academy of Kerala.