The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, visited the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) campus at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Mumbai, on January 15, to explore avenues for institutional collaboration and student exchange between IICT and the Government of Jammu & Kashmir.
The visit was hosted by Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, Chief Executive Officer, IICT, along with Munjal Shroff, Governing Council Member, IICT, at the IICT–NFDC Campus.
During the visit, the Chief Minister was taken through a structured walkthrough of IICT’s academic and technology infrastructure. The programme included a curated audiovisual presentation at the Rangayan Preview Theatre, highlighting IICT’s vision, academic framework, and creative technology capabilities. This was followed by a live showcase at the Anubhuti Drishya Immersive Studio Lab, featuring demonstrations of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) applications, along with hands-on experiential interactions.
The visit also featured a Digital Twin demonstration at the Photogrammetry Studio, where a live 3D photogrammetry scan was conducted to create a digital avatar, showcasing the practical applications of immersive and emerging technologies.
A strategic discussion session followed, focusing on potential collaboration between IICT and the Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Key areas explored included student exchange and institutional cooperation, skill development and capacity building in AVGC and emerging creative technologies, digital heritage and cultural preservation through immersive tools, and the development of a collaborative startup incubation and innovation ecosystem aimed at empowering youth from the region.
Speaking during the interaction, the Chief Minister said,
“If we want Jammu and Kashmir to become an attractive destination for filmmaking, then human talent and post-production capability must be created locally, and that is where a relationship with an institution like IICT becomes important for us.”
Commenting on the visit, Dr. Vishwas Deoskar, CEO, IICT, said,
“We are grateful to the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir for visiting the IICT campus. The interaction was valuable, and we look forward to exploring meaningful collaborations that can benefit students and young talent from Jammu & Kashmir by enabling skill development, fostering innovation, and creating sustainable employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.”
Following the discussions, the Chief Minister visited the NFDC Bharat Pavilion and Museum, which chronicles India’s cinematic and creative heritage. The visit underscored the museum’s role as a national cultural repository and a platform for preserving, presenting, and celebrating India’s film and creative legacy, before he proceeded to onward engagements at the NFDC campus.