Karachi: The University of Karachi (KU) and Ignite, a subsidiary of Federal Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in animation technology at KU.
The MoU was signed between Vice-Chancellor of University of Karachi, Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, and CEO of Ignite, Asim Shahryar. The centre will be established in six to eight months. The new facility will be established in the Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre of KU for which an area of 28,000 square feet has been reserved.
A total sum of Rs2 billion will be spent to establish the centre. It will house a vertical incubator, training facility, production studio and co-working space for promotion of animation, VFX (visual effects) and game development across the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal IT and Telecommunication Minister, Syed Amin ul Haq, said that the estimated size of the global animation industry is about $370 billion and is expected to double by the year 2030 to $642 billion. He emphasised that it is imperative for Pakistan to match pace with this fast-paced technology domain.
He said that Pakistan had a huge potential and could be one of the key regional players in gaming, animation and multimedia industry through training, mentorship and skill development of youth and by facilitating gaming and animations startups through incubation and acceleration programmes to transform them into successful and sustainable businesses.
