In a historic move that has the potential to redefine India’s digital and creative economy, the government of India has officially established the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), conceptualised as an international centre of excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR). Billed at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 by Union Minister of Railways and Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the institute is set to emerge as a top-class educational center, based on the IITs and IIMs model.
Vision for the Creative Future
The Indian Institute of Creative Technology is not only a higher educational institution. It is a strategic step taken by the Government to position India at the global forefront of the AVGC-XR industry, which is expected to expand with a very fast growth rate in the coming ten years. The institute will concentrate on creating talent in areas where creativity intersects with state-of-the-art technology such as immersive media, digital content creation, gaming innovation, and metaverse applications.
➡️ Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (#IICT) Announces Cutting-Edge Courses in #AVGC-XR for Inaugural Batch Starting in August, 2025
➡️ The inaugural academic offering includes 6⃣ specialized courses in Gaming, 4⃣ courses in Post Production and 8⃣ courses in Animation,… pic.twitter.com/zxjDrAYGd9
— PIB India (@PIB_India) July 15, 2025
IICT will provide 18 industry-relevant programs from August 2025: six in Gaming, four in Post-Production, and eight in Animation, Comics, and XR. These have been designed in consultation with international tech giants to align with international standards while developing India’s creative capability.
Campus and Infrastructure
The permanent IICT campus will be established on a 10-acre land donated by the Maharashtra state at Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) in Goregaon, Mumbai. Until the new facility is prepared, the institute will remain functional from a temporary office at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai.
IICT’s facilities will consist of immersive studios, animation and game labs, virtual production studios, editing and audio suites, and smart classrooms. Regional centres have also been planned by the government in future phases to democratize access to creative technology education throughout India.
Global Partnerships with Industry Giants
What distinguishes IICT is its strong base of industry alliances. Seven international tech leaders Google, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Apple, and JioStar have executed official Letters of Intent to partner with the institute. These collaborations will involve curriculum development, scholarships, R&D assistance, internships, startup incubation, and hiring.
On the third day of WAVES 2025 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, Microsoft, Meta, and Google entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, reaffirming their long-term pledge to the initiative. IICT also entered into a path-breaking MoU with the University of York, UK, for research association and global certification programs.
Modelled after IITs and IIMs
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while delivering his keynote at WAVES 2025, asserted that IICT will adopt the institutional architectures of IITs and IIMs. “Like how IITs transformed India’s technological scenario and IIMs gave form to its managerial prowess, IICT is set to become the hub of India’s creative economy,” he asserted.
Indian Institute of Creative Technologies Announces Cutting-Edge Courses in #AVGCXR for Inaugural Batch Starting in August, 2025
The inaugural academic offering includes 6⃣ specialized courses in #Gaming, 4⃣ courses in Post Production and 8⃣ courses in #Animation, #Comics and… pic.twitter.com/pLguQM5jMx
— PIB in Maharashtra 🇮🇳 (@PIBMumbai) July 15, 2025
The minister underscored that this is not just a skill-building venture but a national mission to empower a new generation of creators, storytellers, and technologists. “Aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat, IICT will be an engine of innovation, job creation, and cultural leadership,” he added.
Government Investment and Governance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also earmarked Rs.400 crore for IICT’s setup, reflecting the government’s commitment to the AVGC-XR ecosystem. A Governing Board and Council consisting of industry experts and policy figures like Ashish Kulkarni, Manvendra Shukul, Biren Ghose, Munjal Shroff, Chaitanya Chinchlikar, and Subhash Sapru have been constituted.
Dr. Vishwas Deoskar has been made the CEO of IICT, Ninad Raikar the COO and Shweta Verma the Marketing Lead. Dr. Deoskar highlighted the vision of developing globally competitive talent while upholding India’s rich cultural and creative heritage.
WAVES 2025: A Watershed Moment
The inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) was the ideal launchpad for this ambitious endeavour. Hosted by the Government of India, WAVES 2025 showcased India’s emerging strength in media, broadcasting, cinema, digital content, and technology. The summit included keynote speeches, investor presentations, and a digital content fair known as the WAVES Bazaar, bringing Indian creators together with global buyers and financiers.
The setup of IICT was one of the highlights of the summit and received overwhelming endorsement from industry players and education authorities.
A Centre for Creativity, Innovation, and Policy
Aside from education, IICT will also be at the center of research, innovation, incubation, and policy-making. It is seen as an open system where developers, creators, entrepreneurs, and technologists can come together and work on projects from feature films to AI-generated content and AR/VR experiences.
The second stage of development shall further consolidate these elements, and the institute shall act as a nodal agency for making policy suggestions in creative technology education and industry standards.
A Creative Superpower in the Making
With the international AVGC-XR market predicted to exceed 70 billion dollars in terms of value, IICT is looking to place India as not only a service hub but as a content creation leader, intellectual property hub, and immersive experience zone. By equipping students with state-of-the-art tools and global exposure, the institution is looking to ignite the next crop of innovators who can create games, craft virtual worlds, produce cinematic experiences, and redefine storytelling.
India’s bountiful storytelling tradition, coupled with its IT-enabled youth and robust IT infrastructure, provides the ideal fertile ground for this creative revolution.
The Indian Institute of Creative Technology is more than a government initiative. It is the national dream. As the world turns more towards immersive and digital experiences, IICT’s launch indicates that India is set to take the lead.
From its international integrated curriculum to its high-profile collaborations, IICT will be the springboard for India becoming a creative superpower.
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