The internationalization of research and technology is one key component of the globalization of trade and business, with potentially major impacts on patterns of economic development and public policies worldwide. Particularly in the already highly globalized pharmaceutical industry, innovation processes have changed considerably in the last 15 - 20 years. One-dimensional, linear single-actor type processes are being replaced by multi-dimensional, complex, multi-actor schemes. As a consequence, new players are becoming more important, with biotechnology firms playing a key role. This study analyzes these new ways in drug development in pharmaceuticals within the concept of national systems of innovations as well as from the perspectives of different actors, and collects a lot of empirical evidence for the assumed type of changes, its repercussion on significant input measures and on the differing performance of national pharmaceutical industries.