UNESCO has a long record of support for innovative activities in different countries. In India, UNESCO provides assistance for several activities in the field of technical and higher education. This paper describes the effort made in India to render higher education more relevant to the needs of the country and the extent to which the different innovations have succeeded or failed. Specifically, the paper provides a historical perspective and conceptual framework for the innovations. The innovations described include recapturing the spirit of ancient universities; experiments in rural higher education; the democratization of educational opportunity, and the modernization of the higher education system in both agriculture and technology. (JMF)