Research
SIMC's Commitment to Research and Innovation Excellence
The study of media and communication is essential in a world where the ways we connect, share, and communicate are rapidly changing.
SIMC faculty members and scholars seek to explore these transformations, providing insights into how media impacts our personal lives, societal structures, and global affairs. There are ample opportunities to present work at global conferences, collaborate with foreign universities and publish their work in reputed journals.
Symbiosis Centre for Research in Media and Creative Industries (SCRMCI)
The Symbiosis Centre for Research in Media and Creative Industries (SCRMCI) has been established under the Faculty of Media and Communication, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India.
Objectives
- Conducting high quality and collaborative research in media and creative industries.
- Creating a network of scholars and practitioners in media and creative industries research.
- Building partnerships and collaborations with academia, industry, government and other agencies and contributing to research and scholarship for the development of more diverse, equitable and inclusive media and creative industries in practice and policy.
- Disseminating research findings through publications
and seminars.
Grants & Projects
- Prof (Dr.) Ruchi Kher Jaggi, Dr Pooja Valecha & Dr. Kuldeep Brahmbhatt are jointly working on the SPARC Grant 2023 from the Ministry of Education, GoI. They are working in an exchange academic program with scholar colleagues from the University of Toronto.
- Dr. Abhishek Roy & Ms. Dhara Shah jointly won the prestigious FIAT/IFTA Media Studies Grant 2024 for their research project titled "Hide and Seek: Locating the Agency and Power of Archivists in the Neoliberalist Structures of Audio-Visual Archives in India."
- Dr. Sneha Gore Mehendale was awarded the SIU minor project grant to work on the platformization in Indian podcasting.
- SCRMCI was awarded the ICSSR Punyashlok Devi Ahilyabai Grant for Women Researchers of ₹14 lakhs for project titled ‘Narrative Biographies to Study Women in Leadership Roles in India's Media and Creative Economy: An Ethnographic Approach’. Led by Prof. Ruchi Kher Jaggi and Prof. Swapna Gopinath the project focuses on documenting narrative biographies of women leaders in India’s media and creative industries. The project is being assisted by Ms. Dhara Shah, Research Associate and Ms. Nandini Satanekar, Research Assistant. The research contributes to addressing gaps in scholarship on gender, leadership, and creative economy.
International Conference on Media & Communication (ICMAC)
The accelerating platformisation of media industries represents a critical transformation reshaping production, distribution, and consumption processes across global communication ecosystems. This shift challenges traditional media business models, editorial autonomy, and journalistic practices, while raising critical questions around algorithmic governance, labour precarity, and cultural diversity. Van Dijck, Poell, and De Waal (2018) emphasise that platformisation entails a reconfiguration of power relations where global tech firms become gatekeepers, shaping news visibility and user behaviour, often prioritising engagement and ad revenue over journalistic values. Couldry and Mejias (2019) warn of “data colonialism,” where data extraction practices by platforms replicate colonial patterns of resource exploitation in media content and user data.
By convening diverse voices engaged in the study and practice of media platformisation, the conference aims to deepen understanding of How does platformisation reshape media production, editorial autonomy, and audience engagement, and what are the implications for journalistic integrity and cultural diversity? What strategies do media institutions and practitioners employ to adapt to, resist, or leverage platform logics while maintaining professional standards and diverse content? What regulatory frameworks and policy interventions can effectively balance innovation, accountability, and sustainability in media ecosystems dominated by platforms? And how can interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars, industry professionals, and policymakers address the socio-technical challenges posed by platform dominance in the media?
ICMAC 2026, the International Conference on Media and Communication, organised by the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Symbiosis International University, aims to address these important questions on the platformisation landscape. The conference aims to facilitate knowledge exchange on best practices and innovative models for media sustainability and equitable access in an increasingly platform-mediated communication environment. Outcomes are expected to inform policy debates on digital regulation, advance critical media literacy regarding platform influence, and strengthen capacity-building initiatives that empower journals and media workers to assert agency in platform ecosystems.
Research Areas
Broad Focus Areas for Faculty of Media & Communication
- Screen Cultures and Film Studies
- Journalism and New Media Studies
- Creative Industries and Creative Economy
- Media Management
- Marketing Communication
- Technology and Innovation in Media
- Television Studies
