Apart from choosing to do a project in their final year, undergraduate students can opt for an undergraduate research project and experience research by working under a professor. Aerospace and Electrical Engineering departments also offer mini-projects which also give exposure to research. IITM also has a Young Research Fellowship (YRF) program, which is a two-semester program open to all B.Tech and Dual Degree students in their fifth semester. Students can apply to professor-led research projects and awardees are provided with a monthly stipend and the program covers research-related expenses during the fellowship year. It also includes funding for travel to high-quality international conferences relevant to the research area. To know more about the YRF program, check this article.
IIT Madras B.Tech. and Dual degree students also participate in international research internships such as Mitacs, Charpak, and DAAD WISE. Some students also publish research papers and present their results at national and international conferences.
Students can also participate in Centre for Innovation (CFI) clubs, including the programming club, AI club, and IBot club, and competition teams such as Avishkar Hyperloop, which participated in the European Hyperloop Week in 2022, and Anveshak, which focuses on building a Mars rover.