IICT and Netflix announce scholarships for 100 students across six programmes
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The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and Netflix have announced scholarships for 100 students, covering up to 80% of the cost across six professional programmes. The scholarships include two one-year diploma programmes and four six-month certificate programmes.
The programmes include diplomas in Interactive Comics & Sequential Arts and Visual Effects Mastery, and certificates in Virtual Art Department Content Creation, Media Tech Workflow, Art of Character Animation, and E-Sports & Gaming Management.
The announcement follows Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his India visit, when Netflix launched the Netflix India Storytelling Initiative. The initiative aims to invest in India’s creative talent by giving the next generation of storytellers, industry-relevant skills across the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) ecosystem, which is a key part of India’s ‘Orange Economy’.
Supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, the scholarships will be open to students and working professionals across India. Netflix has also helped shape the curriculum for IICT’s Visual Effects Mastery and Media Tech Workflow programmes to bring them closer to current industry workflows and practices.
Chanchal Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Chairman, IICT Board, said, “India’s creative economy is at an inflection point. As technology transforms the way stories are created, the institutions shaping the next generation of talent must evolve with it. IICT was envisioned as a bridge between India’s enormous creative talent pool and the rapidly changing needs of the global AVGC-XR industry. Partnerships with leading global players are an important part of building that bridge. Such collaborations will bring industry knowledge into the classroom and help develop India’s talent into the creative workforce of tomorrow.”
Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India, said, “We’ve seen Indian stories travel further than ever before, and that’s just the beginning of what’s possible. India has an incredible depth of creative talent, and the most exciting stories of the future will come from people who are finding their voice today. Our role is to help unlock that talent. This partnership with IICT gives the next generation of storytellers real tools to tell the stories only they can tell - training in animation, VFX, gaming and comics, backed by people who know the industry. We are nurturing the next generation of India’s storytellers and are excited to step into the new worlds they create.”
Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, IICT, said, “The purpose of an institution like IICT is not only to impart skills, but to ensure that those skills remain relevant to the way the industry is evolving. This collaboration with Netflix brings that industry perspective directly into our academic framework, from curriculum design and professional workflows to the standards students will be expected to meet. By combining structured education with direct industry inputs and financial access, we aim to create a stronger pipeline of talent that is ready to contribute to India’s growing creative economy.”
Munjal Shroff, Chairman, FICCI AVGC-XR Forum and Co-Founder and COO, Graphiti Studios, said, “The FICCI- IICT- Netflix collaboration marks an important shift towards making industry aligned talent development a cornerstone of India’s AVGC - XR growth. By connecting education with real world creative workflows and global industry standards, this partnership can help turn India’s vast talent pool into a future ready creative workforce equipped to create for the world.”
What is IICT?
IICT is India’s national centre of excellence for the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector. It was 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 on Pedder Road in Mumbai. Its permanent 10-acre campus is being developed at Film City, Goregaon.