IICT: India’s Big Leap Into the Future of AVGC-XR
India is making a serious play for the future of creative technology with the launch of the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), now positioned as the country’s National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR — Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality. Based in Mumbai, IICT is expected to become the driving force behind India’s next generation of digital storytelling, immersive media, and entertainment innovation.
Backed by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the Government of Maharashtra, FICCI, and CII, IICT has been designed as far more than a traditional institute. The vision is to create a national ecosystem that connects industry, academia, startups, creators, and global technology companies through a hub-and-spoke model operating across India.
The ambitions are massive. By 2035, IICT aims to build 500+ original Indian IPs, develop 10,000+ industry experts and leaders, enable 100+ industry-academia partnerships, and skill more than 1 million learners. The institute plans to focus on key areas including animation, gaming, VFX, XR, virtual production, AI-powered content creation, and immersive storytelling.
Mumbai was strategically chosen because of its strong entertainment and media ecosystem, giving IICT direct access to film studios, gaming companies, VFX houses, OTT platforms, and advertising networks. A permanent campus is currently being developed at Film City, Goregaon, with reports suggesting government investment of nearly ₹400 crore into the project.
What makes IICT especially important is its focus on original Indian intellectual property. For years, India has been known globally as an outsourcing destination for animation and VFX services. IICT aims to change that by helping India create globally recognized gaming franchises, animation universes, XR experiences, and digital entertainment brands rooted in Indian storytelling.
The institute is also expected to collaborate with major global technology companies including Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Apple, Meta, Adobe, YouTube, and JioStar. These partnerships are expected to support research, infrastructure, curriculum development, certifications, mentorship, and real-world production training.
As AI, gaming, immersive media, and virtual production continue reshaping the global entertainment industry, IICT represents India’s larger ambition to move from being a back-end service provider to becoming a global creator economy powerhouse.