The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) in Mumbai signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on 30 September 2026 on the second day of FICCI FRAMES 2026 at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. The partners are the Motion Picture Association (MPA) India, the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) Kerala, the E-Sports Games Federation (ESGF), RioWood and Warm Up Ventures. The pacts link training, technology and investment to strengthen India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector, the core engine of the orange economy.
What Is AVGC-XR?
The AVGC-XR sector covers Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality. Animation creates moving images, Visual Effects add realistic imagery to film, Gaming covers video and mobile games, Comics include print and digital stories, and Extended Reality covers immersive tools like virtual and augmented reality.
AVGC-XR sits inside the larger Media and Entertainment sector. The government treats it as a sunrise sector, which means a new and fast growing field with high job potential. Global demand is rising because films, streaming shows, advertising, mobile games and virtual production all need the same skills. These skills mix art with computing, such as real time rendering, 3D design, game engines and immersive studios.
India’s policy push started with the Union Budget 2022-23. The Finance Minister announced an AVGC Promotion Task Force to build domestic capacity for Indian and global markets. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting set up the Task Force in April 2022 under the Secretary of the Ministry. The Task Force submitted its report in December 2022. It recommended a National AVGC-XR Mission with a budget outlay, a Create in India campaign for content creation, a National Centre of Excellence and regional centres with states. The report projected around 20 lakh direct and indirect jobs in the coming ten years and called for stronger intellectual property creation, co production treaties and foreign investment.
What Is the Orange Economy in India?
The orange economy is the creative economy where ideas, culture and intellectual property create income and jobs. It includes film, television, music, animation, gaming, design, fashion, publishing, software and live events. In India, it links heritage and talent to exports, tourism and digital platforms.
The term was first popularised in Colombia in 2013 through the book The Orange Economy by Ivan Duque Marquez and Felipe Buitrago. Orange was chosen as a colour linked to creativity, culture and identity. In India, the phrase entered budget policy in a big way in Budget 2026-27. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the AVGC sector would need around two million professionals by 2030 and proposed that IICT Mumbai help set up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges.
The Economic Survey 2025-26 backed this push. It described creativity led sectors as drivers of employment, urban services and tourism. It noted that India’s creative industry is valued at around $30 billion and supports a large share of workers. Live entertainment crossed ₹10,000 crore in 2024. The Survey also flagged gaps such as shortage of large venues and the need for single window clearances for shows. In this frame, AVGC-XR is the technology heavy core of the orange economy, while film, music and live events form its cultural core.
What Is FICCI FRAMES?
FICCI FRAMES is India’s flagship convention for the business of media and entertainment. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry organises it every year in Mumbai. It brings together filmmakers, broadcasters, streamers, gamers, policymakers, investors and creators to discuss deals, policy and technology.
The 26th edition, FICCI FRAMES 2026, took place on 29 and 30 September 2026 at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. The theme was India’s Media Moment: Creating Value in an Age of Infinite Content. The programme covered film, television, streaming, animation, gaming, esports and the creator economy. Senior ministers, studio heads, actors and startup founders joined panels and deal rooms. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, set up in 1927 and headquartered in New Delhi, uses FRAMES as its main market place for ideas and partnerships. The IICT signings on the second day, 30 September, formed one of the key institutional outcomes of the 2026 edition. Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar, who holds charge of Electronics, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cultural Affairs (as of October 2026), attended the signing with senior industry representatives.
IICT Mumbai: Institutional Framework for Creative Technology
The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, is the National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting set it up with the Government of Maharashtra, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The model is often described as an IIT or IIM for the creative sector, which means a premier public backed institute with strong industry links.
The institute was formalised as a Section 8 not for profit company in May 2025. A Section 8 company reinvests its income into its mission instead of paying dividends. The Ministry signed a pact with the Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation in April 2025 to build the institute. The central government approved a one time grant of ₹391.15 crore for infrastructure and early operations. The Maharashtra corporation leased 10 acres at Dadasaheb Phalke Film City in Goregaon for 30 years for a permanent campus. IICT started work from a temporary Phase 1 campus at the National Film Development Corporation premises on Pedder Road, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai, with gaming labs, animation labs, edit and sound suites, virtual production setups and immersive studios.
IICT works on four fronts. These are future ready courses in animation, visual effects, gaming and extended reality, startup incubation with mentorship and funding links, research on tools and intellectual property, and policy support for the AVGC-XR mission. Global firms including JioStar, Adobe, Google, YouTube, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple and Wacom agreed in 2025 to help with curriculum, internships, scholarships and placements. IICT also signed a pact with FICCI and Netflix for curricula and masterclasses. By late September 2026, the institute reported more than 380 students across 13 courses, with a long term aim to create over 500 original Indian intellectual properties, train more than 10,000 domain experts and enable over 100 industry partnerships.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) |
| Status | National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR, Section 8 company |
| Location | Temporary campus at NFDC, Pedder Road, Mumbai, permanent campus planned at Film City, Goregaon |
| Nodal ministry | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting with Government of Maharashtra, FICCI and CII |
| Key mandate | Education, skilling, incubation, research and AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges |
Five MoUs Signed at FICCI FRAMES 2026
IICT signed all five pacts on one stage to connect students to studios, labs and markets. The table below gives a quick view. The subsections explain what each partner will do.
| Partner | Sector | Main focus |
|---|---|---|
| Motion Picture Association (MPA) India | Film, television and streaming | Industry exposure and global practices |
| Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT), Kerala | Imaging technology and public tech support | Kerala State Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR in Thiruvananthapuram |
| E-Sports Games Federation (ESGF) | Esports | Policy, standards, training and events |
| RioWood, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Creative tech and AI media | Education, AI tools, scholarships and co innovation |
| Warm Up Ventures | Investment and incubation | Mentorship, funding and market access for startups |
Pact with MPA India for Global Screen Exposure
The Motion Picture Association is the global industry body for film, television and streaming studios. Its India arm will work with IICT on knowledge exchange and industry exposure. Students and new creators will get guest sessions, studio interaction and learning on how global productions work. The aim is to add global views on storytelling, rights and distribution to classroom training. The MPA leadership said the future of creativity lies at the meeting point of story, technology and talent.
Pact with C-DIT for Kerala Centre of Excellence
The Centre for Development of Imaging Technology is an autonomous institution of the Government of Kerala. It works in imaging technology, information and communication technology and digital services. IICT will advise on technology and infrastructure for the proposed Kerala State Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR in Thiruvananthapuram. Work will cover curriculum design, faculty training, studio internships, startup incubation, intellectual property support and links with foreign studios. The Centre will follow a hub and spoke model under Kerala’s AVGC-XR policy, which means one main hub in Thiruvananthapuram linked to smaller training and production nodes.
Pact with ESGF for the Esports Vertical
The E-Sports Games Federation works on competitive video gaming in India. Esports refers to organised tournaments where players and teams compete in video games for prizes and ranks. The pact sets a broad frame for policy and governance, industry standards, technology and infrastructure, skilled manpower, training, events, research, investment outreach and foreign partnerships. This is the only pact of the five that deals directly with esports. It responds to fast growth in mobile gaming. India ranks among the top five mobile gaming markets in the world, and the Task Force had flagged the need for ethical play and clear standards.
Pact with RioWood for AI and Media Technology
RioWood is a creative technology initiative based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will work with IICT on education, Artificial Intelligence and media technology. Planned work includes scholarships, workshops, masterclasses and startup support. The two sides will test AI tools in production and distribution, along with content discovery, localisation into Indian languages, and digital rights management. Digital rights management means technical and legal tools that track ownership and stop misuse of digital content. RioWood described the goal as Entertainment 3.0, which points to a new phase where AI, immersive media and global co creation shape films and games.
Pact with Warm Up Ventures for Startup Growth
Warm Up Ventures is an investment and incubation partner. It will help IICT linked startups grow from idea to market. Support will include founder mentoring, business readiness, investor meetings, market access and dedicated funding models. The pact also aims to link Indian creative tech startups to foreign markets, including the Global South, which means developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This startup track ties classroom skills to company creation, a core goal of the orange economy push.
Why These Partnerships Matter for India’s Orange Economy
India faces a clear skill gap. The AVGC sector needs close to two million trained people by 2030. Colleges alone cannot meet this number. The five pacts attack the gap from five sides. MPA brings global studio practice. C-DIT brings public tech capacity and a state hub. ESGF brings structure to esports. RioWood brings AI tools and a foreign creative market. Warm Up Ventures brings capital and mentoring. Together they cover the full chain from learning to earning.
The Kerala link matters for balanced growth. Most studios and jobs cluster in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. A Centre of Excellence in Thiruvananthapuram can keep talent in the state and serve southern production clusters. Shared labs, common facilities and jury support lower costs for small studios and colleges. Faculty training ensures that new courses do not run on old syllabi.
The global links matter for standards and income. Indian artists already do outsourced work for foreign studios. The next step is original Indian intellectual property that earns royalties abroad. Exposure to MPA workflows and Brazil co innovation can lift quality and teach rights management. The esports and startup tracks matter for new jobs. Esports creates roles for players, coaches, referees, casters, event managers and tech support. Incubation turns student films and games into registered firms that hire.
The Way Forward
The test now is execution. IICT will need to publish course modules, internship calendars and selection rules for scholarships and incubation. The Kerala Centre of Excellence will need clear timelines for building, equipment purchase and faculty hiring. ESGF and IICT will need to lay down training levels, safety norms for young players and fair play codes. RioWood projects will need data rules for AI use in content. Warm Up Ventures will need to show funding outcomes and market deals.
Policy tailwinds help. Karnataka runs a dedicated AVGC-XR Policy 2024-2029 focused on skilling and incubation. Maharashtra approved its AVGC-XR Policy 2025 in September 2025 with a financial plan of ₹3,268 crore and a roadmap to 2050. The Budget 2026 plan for creator labs in schools and colleges gives IICT a national delivery role. If IICT, states and private partners align curricula, labs and funds, the FRAMES 2026 pacts can move from paper to jobs, firms and Indian owned stories for world screens.
Key Takeaways
- IICT signed five MoUs on 30 September 2026 at FICCI FRAMES 2026 in the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai.
- The five partners are MPA India, C-DIT Kerala, ESGF, RioWood and Warm Up Ventures.
- The C-DIT pact supports the proposed Kerala State Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR in Thiruvananthapuram.
- AVGC-XR stands for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality.
- IICT is the National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR, set up as a Section 8 company in May 2025 in Mumbai.
- Budget 2026-27 targets AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges to meet demand for two million professionals by 2030.
