Parwinder Sandhu
Mumbai, Feb 28 (UNI) At just 16, Reeth Gupta is already turning her dreams into reality. A Class XI student in the non-medical stream in Mumbai, Reeth has been fascinated by animation since she was 10. Inspired by films like Pokemon and How to Train Your Dragon, she has transformed a childhood passion into a serious career goal.
Today, Reeth is among nearly 130 students training at the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), a rapidly emerging hub for aspiring professionals in Animation, Visual Effects (VFX), Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR).
Dubbed India’s lighthouse for AVGC-XR, IICT was made operational in July last year with the enrolment of its first batch. Established by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, FICCI and CII under a public-private partnership model, the institute was initially launched as the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for AVGC-XR with a one-time budgetary support of Rs 391.15 crore approved on September 19, 2024. It was later rechristened as IICT.
Functioning from its temporary campus at National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Mumbai, the institute currently offers 18 specialised courses, including two-year undergraduate diploma programmes, one-year diploma courses and short-term certificate programmes of three and six months.
Speaking to UNI, Gupta said enrolling at IICT felt like discovering a platform aligned perfectly with her aspirations. “It was movies like Pokémon and How to Train Your Dragon that got me hooked on animation. When IICT opened its campus, it was like I found a place to help me realise my dreams. My parents got me enrolled here and after pursuing the diploma course, I also wish to pursue B.Des in Animation,” she said.
During a recent visit to the campus, Ninad Raikar, IICT’s Chief Operating Officer, spoke at length about the institute’s vision, long-term strategy, and the focus of industry integration.
“IICT is a visionary initiative by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, designed to empower the next generation with future-ready skills,” Raikar said. “With state-of-the-art infrastructure and real-time industry exposure, the campus creates an immersive learning environment that bridges education and industry. For anyone aspiring to build a successful career in AVGC-XR, IICT is an ideal platform to upskill and unlock new opportunities.”
Beyond classroom training, IICT is also fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Eight start-ups are currently being incubated on campus, offering students exposure to real-world creative production and industry collaboration.
To further strengthen industry readiness, IICT has signed multiple MoUs with global technology and media leaders such as Google, Meta, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and WPP. These partnerships are aimed at equipping students with cutting-edge tools, global exposure and mentorship aligned with industry standards.
For students like Gupta and many others hoping to enter the rapidly expanding AVGC-XR sector, IICT is not merely an academic institution but a launchpad, blending policy support, industry collaboration and hands-on learning to turn creative ambition into professional opportunity.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) as a landmark initiative reshaping India’s media and digital content ecosystem. He called it “completely novel” and noted that IICT is modeled on premier institutions like the IITs and IIMs to become a global centre of excellence in the AVGC-XR domain.
