The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and Netflix have announced a scholarship initiative offering up to 80% financial support for 100 students across six professional programs in the AVGC-XR sector. The programs include two one-year diploma programs (Interactive Comics & Sequential Arts and Visual Effects Mastery) and four six-month certificate programs (Virtual Art Department Content Creation, Media Tech Workflow, Art of Character Animation, and E-Sports & Gaming Management).
This initiative follows the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on August 5, 2026, where the Prime Minister emphasized India's rich storytelling tradition and extraordinary creative talent pool. The Netflix India Storytelling Initiative was launched to invest in India's creative talent pipeline and strengthen the nation's position as a global content creation hub, serving as a key driver of India's 'Orange Economy'.
The curriculum for IICT's Visual Effects Mastery and Media Tech Workflow programs has been specifically designed to align with contemporary industry workflows and global standards, with direct inputs from Netflix. The scholarships are available to students and working professionals across India, aiming to create a stronger pipeline of industry-ready talent.
Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Chairman of IICT Board, Chanchal Kumar, stated that India's creative economy is at an inflection point and that partnerships with global players like Netflix are crucial for bringing industry knowledge into the classroom. CEO of IICT, Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, emphasized that the collaboration brings industry perspective directly into the academic framework, from curriculum design to professional workflows and standards. Chairman of FICCI AVGC-XR Forum, Munjal Shroff, noted that this collaboration marks a shift toward industry-aligned talent development to build a future-ready workforce for India's AVGC-XR sector.
IICT is India's national center of excellence for the AVGC-XR sector, established by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, FICCI, and CII. The institute currently operates from the NFDC Complex in Mumbai while its permanent 10-acre campus is being developed at Film City, Goregaon.