The Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) and Netflix have announced a new scholarship scheme for 100 students. Under this initiative, financial assistance of up to 80 percent of the fees will be provided for six professional programs. These include one-year diploma courses in Interactive Comics and Sequential Arts and Visual Effects Mastery, as well as six-month certificate courses in Virtual Art Department Content Creativity, Media Tech Workflow, Art of Character Animation, and E-sports and Gaming Management.
This initiative follows a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on August 5, 2026. During the meeting, the ‘Netflix India Storytelling Initiative’ was promoted, aiming to equip new talent in India’s AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) sector with industry-focused skills. This move by the government and Netflix is considered significant in leveraging India’s rich storytelling tradition and creative talent to develop the country into a global content hub.
The curriculum for IICT’s Visual Effects Mastery and Media Tech Workflow course has been designed based on global industry standards and in alignment with Netflix’s recommendations.
Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, IICT, said the collaboration with Netflix will bring industry insights into education, aligning curriculum and professional standards while improving students’ access to skills, opportunities, and financial support.
Chanchal Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Chairman of the IICT Board, stated that IICT aims to build a strong bridge between India’s creative talent and the global AVGC-XR industry. He added that partnerships with companies like Netflix would bring industry expertise into the classroom and help prepare students for the future.
Munjal Shroff, Chairman of the FICCI AVGC-XR Forum, stated that the FICCI-IICT-Netflix collaboration marks a shift towards industry-aligned talent development, aimed at creating a future-ready workforce for India’s AVGC-XR sector.
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 and Broadcasting in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, FICCI, and CII. The collaboration between IICT and Netflix marks a significant step towards talent development aligned with industry needs, aiming to build a future-ready workforce for India’s AVGC-XR sector.
The institute is currently located at the NFDC Complex on Pedder Road, Mumbai, and a new 10-acre campus is being built at Film City in Goregaon. Information regarding scholarships and programs is available at iict.org.
