IICT and Netflix offer scholarships to 100 AVGC-XR students

MUMBAI: The next big creative break may come with a little less financial breaking. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and Netflix have announced scholarships for 100 students and working professionals, covering up to 80 per cent of the cost of six professional programmes across India’s growing Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC-XR) ecosystem.

The scholarship initiative covers two one-year diploma programmes and four six-month certificate programmes, spanning areas ranging from interactive comics and visual effects to virtual art departments, character animation and esports.

The six programmes are the Diploma in Interactive Comics & Sequential Arts, Diploma in Visual Effects Mastery, and certificates in Virtual Art Department Content Creation, Media Tech Workflow, Art of Character Animation, and E-Sports & Gaming Management.

Supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, the scholarships are part of the Netflix India Storytelling Initiative, which was launched following Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India. The initiative is focused on strengthening India’s creative talent pipeline and building industry-ready skills across the AVGC ecosystem, a key component of the country’s so-called Orange Economy.

Netflix has also contributed to the academic side of the programme, helping shape the curriculum for IICT’s Visual Effects Mastery and Media Tech Workflow courses. The focus is on aligning training with contemporary industry workflows and professional practices.

Chanchal Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Chairman, IICT Board, said the creative economy was at an inflection point as technology reshapes how stories are produced. He said partnerships with global industry players could help connect India’s talent pool with the evolving requirements of the international AVGC-XR sector.

For Netflix India, the focus is on finding and developing creators who can bring new voices and stories to the screen. Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India, said the partnership would give emerging storytellers access to practical training in animation, VFX, gaming and comics, supported by industry expertise.

The programme also brings industry participation into the classroom. Dr Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, IICT, said the collaboration would combine structured education, industry inputs and financial access to create a talent pipeline equipped for changing creative workflows.

Munjal Shroff, Chairman, FICCI AVGC-XR Forum and Co-Founder and COO, Graphiti Studios, described the collaboration between FICCI, IICT and Netflix as a step towards making industry-aligned talent development a central part of India’s AVGC-XR ambitions.

Established by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, FICCI and CII, IICT serves as India’s national centre of excellence for the AVGC-XR sector. It currently operates from the NFDC Complex on Pedder Road, Mumbai, while its permanent 10-acre campus is being developed at Film City, Goregaon.

Applications and further details on the scholarships and programmes are available through iict.org.