IIT Madras’s virtual reality centre will launch the ‘XTIC-APP’ (Academic Partnership Program) to drive the growth of the ‘eXtended Reality’ (XR) sector in India. Experiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC) aims to drive the growth of XR developers and designers in India for the global market.

Moreover, this initiative aims to boost the XR field and bridge the gap between applied R&D and core R&D. The institute claims that it will also support the start-up ecosystem and will be a stepping stone for expanding XR courses globally.

Vice chancellors and principals of leading academic institutions will sign the MoU during the XR Summit scheduled to be held on November 16 and 17 at IIT Madras campus.

‘eXtended Reality’ (XR) refers to Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

Prof M Manivannan, faculty head, XTIC, IIT Madras, said, “As we published in the Whitepaper on XR In India earlier this year, in order to realise the goal of India establishing an XR Corridor by 2047, we must get academia on board to produce manpower resources of high quality XR system designers and developers, both hardware and software, both applied R&D and core R&D. This XR Summit focussing on Innovations in XR is a critical step towards this Vikshit Bharat 2047.”

The XR Summit will also witness the launch of the first ever ‘Game Jam’ on XR Readiness, which will showcase the evolution of XR technology through the display of XR devices and gamified parameters that influence the adoption of this technology across multiple industries

The Summit will also feature innovations in XR Hardware, XR Software, Embodiment, XR Immersive Designers and will see the participation of Gamification experts. This summit will drive the growth of this sector at IIT Madras as well as create a corridor for high quality XR content and design startups in India

XR Startup Awards will be given out at the XR Summit by the American Computer Scientist Steve LaValle, the co-inventor of Oculus VR Set.

XR Startup Awards will recognise and empower startups who are pushing boundaries and paving the way for a brighter future. Awards would be given in the following categories:

· Awards for International XR Startups

· XR for Social Impact Award

· Best XR Collaboration Award

· XR Startup of the Year

· Best Enterprise XR Solution Award

· XR Design Excellence Award

· XR Education & Training Award

· Best Use of AR in Marketing Award

· XR Sustainability Award