IICT to open in August with global industry backing and Rs 400 cr investment

Three months after it was announced, the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) is all set to open its door for the first batch of students in August, this year. A 400 crore project, the IICT aims to boost the creative industry along with the entertainment and digital sectors of the country.

It was announced by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, during the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES-2025) held in May at Mumbai.

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Vaishnaw had said that while the central government has funded project, the land for the same is being given by the Maharashtra government.

Aimed to become a national center of excellence, the IICT is established by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on the lines of the Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management.

Come August, the institute will offer a robust portfolio of industry-driven courses in the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector. The inaugural academic offering includes six specialized courses in Gaming, four courses in Post Production and eight courses in Animation, Comics and XR. These programmes have been meticulously designed in collaboration with top industry players to ensure students are equipped with the skills required to thrive in the ever-evolving creative technology landscape.

A statement from the Ministry stated that IICT recently signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of York, United Kingdom, for collaborative research, faculty exchange and global certification pathways.

Global companies such as Google, YouTube, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and JioStar have committed to long-term collaborations with IICT.

IICT, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Vishwas Deoskar, stated that the vision is to make India a global powerhouse in the AVGC-XR sector by nurturing world-class talent. “The courses are designed to meet global standards while being rooted in India’s dynamic creative potential. The detailed curriculum is expected to be announced later this month,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Governing Board of IICT consists of Sanjay Jaju, Vikas Kharge, Swati Mhase, Chandrajit Banerjee, Ashish Kulkarni, Manvendra Shukul, and Rajan Navani. The Governing Council members include Munjal Shroff, Chaitanya Chichlikar, Biren Ghose, Bhupendra Kainthola, and Gaurav Banerjee.