What types of live projects are available to DoMS IIT Madras students?
DoMS IIT Madras students access live projects through three channels: the IIT Madras Research Park (which hosts over 200 startups and MNCs), faculty-led research initiatives, and direct corporate partnerships. Most students complete at least one structured project during their 2-year program, running parallel to coursework and earning academic credit.
Research Park Collaborations
The Research Park is the fastest entry point. Students work on 8-12 week consulting assignments, product development sprints, and market research with early-stage ventures in fintech, healthcare, edtech, and deep tech.
These projects are portfolio-building exercises: you solve real problems (customer acquisition strategy, pricing models, MVP validation) while staying embedded on campus. A typical project runs across one semester, meeting with startup founders weekly and presenting findings to live stakeholders.
Unlike simulations, the startup founder's reaction to your recommendation happens in real time-which sharpens your thinking faster than any classroom case study.
Faculty-Led Research Projects
Professors in finance, operations, and analytics run proprietary research streams. Finance faculty collaborate with ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and NBFCs on credit risk modeling and portfolio optimization. Operations professors partner with manufacturing firms on supply chain analytics and process improvement. You join as a research assistant, co-authoring papers and presenting findings at academic conferences. This path suits candidates targeting McKinsey's Advanced Analytics division, BCG's core consulting practice, or PhD programs-the rigor is closer to academic research than to corporate consulting. Students here publish working papers, not just internal decks, which strengthens applications to top firms and doctoral programs.
Corporate Live Projects
DoMS maintains semester-long engagements with TCS, Infosys, Accenture, HUL, and Unilever. These are structured consulting assignments: student teams of 3-4 tackle defined business problems-go-to-market strategies for new product lines, digital transformation roadmaps, supply chain optimization.
Unlike summer internships (which are time-bound and isolated), these run in parallel to courses, demanding strong time management but offering a dual learning track. You're solving real problems on the company's dime while maintaining course load.
| Project Channel | Duration | Best For | Typical Sectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Park | 8-12 weeks | Portfolio building | Fintech, edtech, deep tech |
| Faculty-led research | 12-16 weeks | PhD aspirants | Finance, operations |
| Corporate engagements | 12-16 weeks | Consulting prep | Manufacturing, tech, BFSI |
Real Outcomes
Students completing Research Park projects often land startup founding roles or early-stage VC internships. Those in faculty research frequently publish or co-author conference papers-a credential that stands out when applying to McKinsey or boutique research firms.
Corporate project participants develop case interview experience and relationship capital, directly feeding into final placement offers with the same companies.
The distinguishing factor: projects here aren't classroom simulations. Founders iterate based on your insights.
Banks model their risk frameworks around your analysis. Your work compounds into real decisions.
This isn't theoretical-it's how DoMS graduates arrive at their first role already credible.
Pro Tip: Prioritize faculty research projects in your first year if you're undecided between consulting and PhD; you build strong advisor relationships and publications that unlock both paths, whereas corporate projects lock you into a faster consulting timeline.