India has never lacked stories. From mythology and folklore to Bollywood blockbusters, the country has spent decades exporting culture to the world. What it hasn’t exported at scale, however, is the technology and talent behind those stories.
That is the gap the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) wants to bridge. Backed by the Maharashtra’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and industry bodies Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), IICT is positioning itself as India’s flagship institution for animation, visual effects (VFX), gaming, comics and extended reality (AVGC-XR). The institute aims to train the workforce needed to help India become a global creator of intellectual property rather than just a service provider.
“The storytelling to merge with technology is what was missing,” says Vishwas Deoskar, CEO of IICT.
From Outsourcing Hub to Creator Economy
India’s media and entertainment industry accounts for only a small share of the global creative economy despite its rich cultural heritage.
According to Deoskar, India’s revenue share in the global media and entertainment market remains around 1.3%, despite being home to over 1.4 billion people and thousands of years of storytelling traditions.
“We have 5,000 years of history. We have stories from every corner of the country, but we haven’t been able to tell them properly because technology moved much faster than storytelling,” he says.
For years, India largely functioned as a destination for services for global companies, much as it did during the early growth of the IT industry. IICT hopes to change that by helping creators build original intellectual property, startups and globally competitive creative products.
“We can’t wait 30 years as the IT industry did. We have to do it now so the next generation benefits,” he added.
Building Industry-Ready Creators Instead of Classroom Graduates
Unlike traditional universities, IICT has adopted a curriculum that prioritises practical learning. The institute follows a 70:30 model, where 70% of learning happens through projects, assignments and industry work, while only 30% focuses on classroom theory.
It has also adopted a 90:10 faculty model with nearly 90% of instructors coming directly from industry rather than academia.
“The student should be industry-ready the day after convocation,” Deoskar tells.
Students work on live production projects with studios instead of simulated classroom exercises. According to Deoskar, production houses including those led by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, are collaborating with IICT, allowing students to contribute to ongoing film projects under the supervision of industry professionals.
The institute is also working with companies including Netflix and YouTube to align parts of its curriculum with industry requirements, giving students exposure to real production workflows before they graduate.
AI is Becoming Central to Creative Education
Artificial intelligence serves as a common layer across every programme at IICT, whether in animation, VFX, gaming, or extended reality. Instead of teaching AI as a standalone subject, the institute integrates it into each creative discipline to help students understand where and how to apply it.
Deoskar believes AI should be treated as an enabling technology rather than a replacement for creativity. “AI is here to stay. The important thing is understanding how it should be used, when it should be used and why it should be used.”
He cautioned against relying entirely on AI-generated content, arguing that creativity still depends on human emotion and storytelling. “If you simply copy what AI gives you, it becomes duplication. It loses the emotional nuance that only people can bring.”
Startup Incubation & Global Partnerships
Beyond education, IICT is also building an ecosystem for creative startups.
The institute currently hosts 18 startup incubations, helping founders with mentorship, intellectual property protection, seed funding and industry connections. One startup has already secured a patent, while another was shortlisted by SoftBank.
IICT is also expanding international collaborations with universities in Australia, the UK, Japan and South Korea to expose students to global production standards and emerging technologies.
Its ambition extends beyond Mumbai. Deoskar envisions a hub-and-spoke model with regional centres across India, allowing students from smaller towns and cities to access creative technology education without relocating to major metropolitan hubs.
Making Creative Education More Accessible
Creative education has traditionally been expensive, with private programmes often costing between ₹16 lakh and ₹18 lakh.
IICT has reduced its two-year programme fee to around ₹6.5 lakh, making it more affordable for middle-class students.
The institute is also working with Google and YouTube on AI skilling initiatives. Around 15,000 scholarships have already been announced, with over 59,000 learners registering for the programme.
“If students complete their certifications quickly, we’ll be in a stronger position to negotiate another 30,000 scholarships,” he noted.
One of IICT’s biggest challenges isn’t technology but perception. Many parents continue to view careers in gaming, animation or filmmaking as unstable compared to engineering or medicine. He argued that the future economy will increasingly reward specialised creative skills alongside traditional education.
For Deoskar, IICT’s success won’t simply be measured by export revenue.
“It’s not the money. Money is only a number. What matters is creating intellectual property in India,” he explained.
He believes the country’s future lies in building original animation franchises, games, films and AI-powered creative technologies that can compete globally.
If that vision succeeds, IICT could become more than another educational institution. It could become the foundation of India’s next creative technology ecosystem, one where stories are not only told in India but also built, owned and exported from India.
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