IICT, Netflix announce scholarships for 100 students across six creative technology programs

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) and Netflix will provide scholarships to 100 students and working professionals under a new initiative aimed at developing skills across India's creative and AVGC-XR sectors.

The scholarships will cover up to 80% of the program fees and will be offered across six professional programs. The initiative includes two one-year diploma courses and four six-month certificate courses.

The programs covered under the scholarship scheme are Diploma in Interactive Comics and Sequential Arts, Diploma in Visual Effects Mastery, Certificate in Virtual Art Department Content Creation, Certificate in Media Tech Workflow, Certificate in Art of Character Animation, and Certificate in E-Sports & Gaming Management.

Students and working professionals from across India will be eligible to apply for the scholarships.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the collaboration is intended to expand India's creative talent pipeline and support the country's 'Orange Economy.' The initiative is also expected to contribute to India's ambitions of becoming a global center for advanced content creation.

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on Aug 5. During the meeting, Modi highlighted India's storytelling heritage and its large creative talent pool, emphasizing the potential to develop the country as a global content creation hub.

The Netflix India Storytelling Initiative will focus on preparing emerging professionals with industry-relevant capabilities across Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC). The sector is being positioned as an important component of India's 'Orange Economy.'

The Visual Effects Mastery and Media Tech Workflow programs at IICT have been developed around current industry practices and international standards, with inputs from Netflix.

Chanchal Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Chairman of the IICT Board, said technological advances are reshaping the creative process and creating new requirements for the workforce.

"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," Kumar said.

IICT CEO Vishwas Deoskar said Netflix's involvement would bring industry expertise into areas including curriculum development, professional workflows and industry standards.

"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," Deoskar said.

Munjal Shroff, Chairman of the FICCI AVGC-XR Forum, said the partnership between FICCI, IICT and Netflix reflects a greater focus on industry-aligned training and could help create a workforce prepared for the evolving AVGC-XR sector.