**Executive Summary**
On March 18, 2026, Union I&B Secretary Shri Sanjay Jaju visited the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) in Mumbai to review its expansion plans and strategic roadmap. Key objectives include increasing student enrollment to 400 by July 2026, developing a new campus at Film City by 2028, and establishing content creators' labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges. The visit focused on strengthening India's "Orange Economy" and nurturing the media and entertainment (M&E) startup ecosystem.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Institutional Expansion and Infrastructure**
* **Enrollment Targets:** IICT currently has 150 students, with a formal target to reach 400 students by July 2026.
* **Startup Incubation:** The institute currently incubates 11 startups, with plans to expand to 20 physical startups and additional virtual participants.
* **New Campus:** A larger campus is under development at Film City, Goregaon, with classes expected to begin in 2028.
* **Facilities:** The institute provides state-of-the-art infrastructure for production, post-production, and innovation hubs.
**National Creative Initiatives**
* **Content Creator Labs:** A proposal is underway to establish creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges to promote digital literacy and production skills.
* **Orange Economy Goals:** The government aims to connect 2 million people with content creation and creative fields, following targets set at the WAVES Summit.
* **Budgetary Alignment:** Discussions emphasized the implementation of visual gaming, VFX, and content creation labs as announced in the Union Budget.
**Academic Programs**
* **Specialized Curriculum:** IICT offers 18 courses, including six in gaming, four in post-production, and eight in animation, comics, and extended reality (XR).
* **Diploma Programs:** Key offerings include 24-month undergraduate diplomas in Animation Film Design, Interactive Video Game Design, and Post Production/Visual Effects.
* **Short-term Courses:** Certificate programs of three to six months are available in niche areas such as AI in filmmaking, e-sports management, and 3D character design.
**Impact Analysis**
**Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT)**
**Impact**
The institute is being positioned as a central hub for India’s creative talent ecosystem and a primary incubator for M&E startups.
**Action Required**
The leadership must scale academic programs and infrastructure to meet the July 2026 enrollment targets and prepare for the 2028 campus transition.
**Students and Aspiring Content Creators**
**Impact**
Students gain access to specialized training in emerging fields like VFX, XR, and AI-driven filmmaking, aligning their skills with the digital economy.
**Action Required**
Prospective students should engage with the 18 specialized courses or the upcoming content creator labs in schools and colleges.
**Secondary Schools and Colleges**
**Impact**
15,000 schools and 500 colleges are slated to receive content creator labs, integrating media literacy and production skills into the national education framework.
**Action Required**
Educational institutions will need to prepare for the implementation of these labs to equip students with skills for the creator economy.
**Media & Entertainment (M&E) Startups**
**Impact**
Startups benefit from expanded incubation opportunities in both physical and virtual modes, providing them with high-quality production resources.
**Action Required**
Startups in the gaming, VFX, and content creation sectors should seek incubation opportunities at IICT to leverage its production and post-production infrastructure.
Key Entities Referenced
Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT): A premier institute focused on animation, gaming, VFX, and XR, serving as a hub for incubating startups and nurturing creative talent in the media and entertainment sector.
Shri Sanjay Jaju: Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting who reviewed IICT's expansion plans and its role in strengthening the creative economy.
Content Creators’ Labs: A proposed initiative to establish specialized labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges to promote digital creativity and content production skills.
“Orange Economy” initiative: A policy framework aimed at connecting 2 million people with content creation and creative fields to boost the digital economy.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: The primary government body overseeing the development of institutional frameworks for India's media, entertainment, and digital creativity sectors.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Union I & B Secretary Visits IICT, Reviews
Expansion Plans and Content-Creator Lab
planning
I & B Secretary urges IICT to play a leading role in nurturing
India’s creative talent ecosystem
Shri Jaju exhorts IICT to be a vibrant hub for incubating
startups in the M&E sector
Posted On: 18 MAR 2026 6:13PM by PIB Mumbai
Mumbai, 18 March 2026
Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, visited the
Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) at NFDC Complex, Mumbai, today,
to review the institute’s growth trajectory and expansion plans.
The review meeting chaired by Shri Jaju was attended by all the board members
and industry representatives. Shri Jaju held detailed discussions with the institute’s
leadership team on its strategic roadmap. The discussions focused on scaling IICT’s
academic programmes and infrastructure to meet the evolving demands of the
creative and digital economy. He also reviewed ongoing initiatives aimed at
strengthening industry-academia collaboration.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Jaju said, “the infrastructure is ready, and around
150 students have already started their study programs at IICT. The target is to
have 400 students by July, along with 20 startups in physical mode and many more
in virtual mode. The institute offers top-quality infrastructure for production and
post-production work”. Currently, 11 startups are being incubated at IICT, he further
informed. Shri Jaju also said that the larger campus will soon be developed in Film
City, Goregaon, and classes over there are expected to begin in 2028.
Referring to the deliberations in the meeting, I & B Secretary informed that there
were also discussions with the industry regarding visual gaming, VFX, and content
creation labs that were announced in the Union Budget. The focus was on how to
further strengthen the creative economy, said Shri Jaju. Last year, at the WAVES
Summit, a target was set under the “Orange Economy” initiative to connect 2 million
people with content creation and creative fields. Today’s discussions also focussed
on the steps needed to achieve this goal, stated Shri Jaju.A key highlight of the visit was deliberation on the proposal to establish content
creators’ labs across 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges across the country.
The initiative aims to promote digital creativity, enhance media literacy, and equip
students with content production skills aligned with emerging opportunities in the
creator economy.
Shri Jaju toured the institute’s state-of-the-art facilities, including its training
programmes, production infrastructure, and innovation hubs. He also interacted
with members of the Board and exchanged views on IICT’s role in nurturing India’s
creative talent ecosystem.The institute currently offers 18 specialized courses across animation, gaming, post-
production, and extended reality. These include six courses in gaming, four in post-
production, and eight in animation, comics, and XR. Key programmes include 24-
month undergraduate diplomas in Animation Film Design, Interactive Video Game
Design and Development, and Art and Science of Post Production and Visual Effects.
In addition, IICT offers short-term diploma and certificate courses of three to six
months in areas such as 3D character design, visual effects, cinematic virtual reality
filmmaking, e-sports management, and artificial intelligence in filmmaking.The visit underscores Union I & B Ministry’s continued emphasis on promoting
digital creativity and strengthening institutional frameworks to support India’s
rapidly growing media and entertainment sector.
On the sidelines of his visit to IICT at the NFDC Complex, the Union I&B Secretary
also visited the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC), where Shri Jaju
interacted with a visiting delegation of school children.PIB Mumbai | Sriyanka Chatterjee/Robin Singh/Priti Malandkar
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