diff --git a/DEPENDENCIES b/DEPENDENCIES
index c89d1789d..6d360dfbc 100644
--- a/DEPENDENCIES
+++ b/DEPENDENCIES
@@ -363,6 +363,7 @@ maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/callback-static-endpoint/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPS
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/catalog-api/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/catalog-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/catalog-spi/0.7.2-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
+maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/catalog-util-lib/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/configuration-filesystem/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/connector-core/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/contract-agreement-api/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
@@ -387,6 +388,8 @@ maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/control-plane-transfer/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHO
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/control-plane-transform/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/core-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/core-spi/0.7.2-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
+maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/crawler-core/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
+maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/crawler-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/credential-query-lib/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/crypto-common-lib/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/data-address-http-data-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
@@ -434,6 +437,9 @@ maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/edr-index-sql/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/edr-store-core/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/edr-store-receiver/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/edr-store-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
+maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/federated-catalog-api/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
+maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/federated-catalog-core/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
+maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/federated-catalog-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/http-lib/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/http-spi/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
 maven/mavencentral/org.eclipse.edc/http/0.7.2-20240709-SNAPSHOT, Apache-2.0, approved, technology.edc
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/README.md b/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/README.md
index 7abd3a3e0..19d25e9e1 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/README.md
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/README.md
@@ -74,10 +74,18 @@ helm install my-release tractusx-edc/tractusx-connector-azure-vault --version 0.
 | controlplane.autoscaling.targetMemoryUtilizationPercentage | int | `80` | targetAverageUtilization of memory provided to a pod |
 | controlplane.bdrs.cache_validity_seconds | int | `600` | Time that a cached BPN/DID resolution map is valid in seconds, default is 600 seconds (10 min) |
 | controlplane.bdrs.server.url | string | `nil` | URL of the BPN/DID Resolution Service |
+| controlplane.catalog | object | `{"crawler":{"initialDelay":null,"num":null,"period":null,"targetsFile":null},"enabled":false}` | configuration for the built-in federated catalog crawler |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay | string | `nil` | Initial delay for the crawling to start. Leave blank for a random delay |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.num | string | `nil` | Number of desired crawlers. Final number might be different, based on number of crawl targets |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.period | string | `nil` | Period between two crawl runs in seconds. Default is 60 seconds. |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.targetsFile | string | `nil` | File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries |
+| controlplane.catalog.enabled | bool | `false` | Flag to globally enable/disable the FC feature |
 | controlplane.debug.enabled | bool | `false` | Enables java debugging mode. |
 | controlplane.debug.port | int | `1044` | Port where the debuggee can connect to. |
 | controlplane.debug.suspendOnStart | bool | `false` | Defines if the JVM should wait with starting the application until someone connected to the debugging port. |
-| controlplane.endpoints | object | `{"control":{"path":"/control","port":8083},"default":{"path":"/api","port":8080},"management":{"authKey":"password","path":"/management","port":8081},"metrics":{"path":"/metrics","port":9090},"protocol":{"path":"/api/v1/dsp","port":8084}}` | endpoints of the control plane |
+| controlplane.endpoints | object | `{"catalog":{"path":"/catalog","port":8085},"control":{"path":"/control","port":8083},"default":{"path":"/api","port":8080},"management":{"authKey":"password","path":"/management","port":8081},"metrics":{"path":"/metrics","port":9090},"protocol":{"path":"/api/v1/dsp","port":8084}}` | endpoints of the control plane |
+| controlplane.endpoints.catalog.path | string | `"/catalog"` | path for incoming catalog cache query requests |
+| controlplane.endpoints.catalog.port | int | `8085` | port for incoming catalog cache query requests |
 | controlplane.endpoints.control | object | `{"path":"/control","port":8083}` | control api, used for internal control calls. can be added to the internal ingress, but should probably not |
 | controlplane.endpoints.control.path | string | `"/control"` | path for incoming api calls |
 | controlplane.endpoints.control.port | int | `8083` | port for incoming api calls |
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml b/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml
index 17d3dbdec..b8a4b2efa 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml
@@ -172,6 +172,11 @@ spec:
               value: {{ .Values.controlplane.endpoints.protocol.path | quote }}
             - name: "EDC_CONTROL_ENDPOINT"
               value: {{ include "txdc.controlplane.url.control" .}}
+            - name: "WEB_HTTP_CATALOG_PORT"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.endpoints.catalog.port | quote }}
+            - name: "WEB_HTTP_CATALOG_PATH"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.endpoints.catalog.path | quote }}
+
 
             #########
             ## DSP ##
@@ -320,6 +325,30 @@ spec:
               value: {{ .Values.vault.azure.certificate | quote }}
             {{- end }}
 
+            ###############################
+            ## FEDERATED CATALOG CRAWLER ##
+            ###############################
+            {{- if .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.period }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_PERIOD_SECONDS"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.period | quote}}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            {{- if .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_DELAY_SECONDS"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay | quote }}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            {{- if .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.num }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_PARTITION_NUM_CRAWLERS"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.num }}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_ENABLED"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.enabled | quote }}
+
+            - name: "TX_EDC_CATALOG_NODE_LIST_FILE"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.targetsFile }}
+
             ######################################
             ## Additional environment variables ##
             ######################################
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/values.yaml b/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/values.yaml
index 702d448e7..2bef692b0 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector-azure-vault/values.yaml
@@ -141,6 +141,12 @@ controlplane:
       # -- path for incoming api calls
       path: /metrics
 
+    catalog:
+      # -- port for incoming catalog cache query requests
+      port: 8085
+      # -- path for incoming catalog cache query requests
+      path: /catalog
+
   bdrs:
     # -- Time that a cached BPN/DID resolution map is valid in seconds, default is 600 seconds (10 min)
     cache_validity_seconds: 600
@@ -148,6 +154,20 @@ controlplane:
       # -- URL of the BPN/DID Resolution Service
       url:
 
+  # -- configuration for the built-in federated catalog crawler
+  catalog:
+    # -- Flag to globally enable/disable the FC feature
+    enabled: false
+    crawler:
+      # -- Number of desired crawlers. Final number might be different, based on number of crawl targets
+      num:
+      # -- Period between two crawl runs in seconds. Default is 60 seconds.
+      period:
+      # -- Initial delay for the crawling to start. Leave blank for a random delay
+      initialDelay:
+      # -- File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries
+      targetsFile:
+
   service:
     # -- [Service type](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/service/#publishing-services-service-types) to expose the running application on a set of Pods as a network service.
     type: ClusterIP
@@ -592,12 +612,12 @@ networkPolicy:
   controlplane:
     # -- Specify from rule network policy for cp (defaults to all namespaces)
     from:
-    - namespaceSelector: {}
+      - namespaceSelector: {}
   # -- Configuration of the dataplane component
   dataplane:
     # -- Specify from rule network policy for dp (defaults to all namespaces)
     from:
-    - namespaceSelector: {}
+      - namespaceSelector: {}
 
 serviceAccount:
   # -- Specifies whether a service account should be created
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/README.md b/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/README.md
index adc8d79d3..99bb96c5e 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/README.md
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/README.md
@@ -74,10 +74,18 @@ helm install my-release tractusx-edc/tractusx-connector-memory --version 0.7.3 \
 | runtime.autoscaling.targetMemoryUtilizationPercentage | int | `80` | targetAverageUtilization of memory provided to a pod |
 | runtime.bdrs.cache_validity_seconds | int | `600` | Time that a cached BPN/DID resolution map is valid in seconds, default is 600 seconds (10 min) |
 | runtime.bdrs.server.url | string | `nil` | URL of the BPN/DID Resolution Service |
+| runtime.catalog | object | `{"crawler":{"initialDelay":null,"num":null,"period":null,"targetsFile":null},"enabled":false}` | configuration for the built-in federated catalog crawler |
+| runtime.catalog.crawler.initialDelay | string | `nil` | Initial delay for the crawling to start. Leave blank for a random delay |
+| runtime.catalog.crawler.num | string | `nil` | Number of desired crawlers. Final number might be different, based on number of crawl targets |
+| runtime.catalog.crawler.period | string | `nil` | Period between two crawl runs in seconds. Default is 60 seconds. |
+| runtime.catalog.crawler.targetsFile | string | `nil` | File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries |
+| runtime.catalog.enabled | bool | `false` | Flag to globally enable/disable the FC feature |
 | runtime.debug.enabled | bool | `false` | Enables java debugging mode. |
 | runtime.debug.port | int | `1044` | Port where the debuggee can connect to. |
 | runtime.debug.suspendOnStart | bool | `false` | Defines if the JVM should wait with starting the application until someone connected to the debugging port. |
-| runtime.endpoints | object | `{"control":{"path":"/control","port":8083},"default":{"path":"/api","port":8080},"management":{"authKey":"password","path":"/management","port":8081},"protocol":{"path":"/api/v1/dsp","port":8084},"proxy":{"authKey":"password","path":"/proxy","port":8186},"public":{"path":"/api/public","port":8086}}` | endpoints of the controlplane |
+| runtime.endpoints | object | `{"catalog":{"path":"/catalog","port":8085},"control":{"path":"/control","port":8083},"default":{"path":"/api","port":8080},"management":{"authKey":"password","path":"/management","port":8081},"protocol":{"path":"/api/v1/dsp","port":8084},"proxy":{"authKey":"password","path":"/proxy","port":8186},"public":{"path":"/api/public","port":8086}}` | endpoints of the controlplane |
+| runtime.endpoints.catalog.path | string | `"/catalog"` | path for incoming catalog cache query requests |
+| runtime.endpoints.catalog.port | int | `8085` | port for incoming catalog cache query requests |
 | runtime.endpoints.control | object | `{"path":"/control","port":8083}` | control api, used for internal control calls. can be added to the internal ingress, but should probably not |
 | runtime.endpoints.control.path | string | `"/control"` | path for incoming api calls |
 | runtime.endpoints.control.port | int | `8083` | port for incoming api calls |
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/templates/deployment-runtime.yaml b/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/templates/deployment-runtime.yaml
index b63a6ff80..806c3c503 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/templates/deployment-runtime.yaml
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/templates/deployment-runtime.yaml
@@ -187,6 +187,10 @@ spec:
               value: {{ .Values.runtime.endpoints.public.port | quote }}
             - name: "WEB_HTTP_PUBLIC_PATH"
               value: {{ .Values.runtime.endpoints.public.path | quote }}
+            - name: "WEB_HTTP_CATALOG_PORT"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.endpoints.catalog.port | quote }}
+            - name: "WEB_HTTP_CATALOG_PATH"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.endpoints.catalog.path | quote }}
 
             #########
             ## DSP ##
@@ -270,13 +274,30 @@ spec:
             - name: "EDC_VAULT_SECRETS"
               value: {{ .Values.vault.secrets | quote}}
 
-            ###########################
-            ## AAS WRAPPER EXTENSION ##
-            ###########################
-            - name: "EDC_CP_ADAPTER_CACHE_CATALOG_EXPIRE_AFTER"
-              value: "0"
-            - name: "EDC_CP_ADAPTER_REUSE_CONTRACT_AGREEMENT"
-              value: "0"
+
+            ###############################
+            ## FEDERATED CATALOG CRAWLER ##
+            ###############################
+            {{- if .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.period }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_PERIOD_SECONDS"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.period | quote}}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            {{- if .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.initialDelay }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_DELAY_SECONDS"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.initialDelay | quote }}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            {{- if .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.num }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_PARTITION_NUM_CRAWLERS"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.num }}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_ENABLED"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.catalog.enabled | quote }}
+
+            - name: "TX_EDC_CATALOG_NODE_LIST_FILE"
+              value: {{ .Values.runtime.catalog.crawler.targetsFile }}
 
             ######################################
             ## Additional environment variables ##
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/values.yaml b/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/values.yaml
index c7c4ad63b..595db2cb1 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector-memory/values.yaml
@@ -144,6 +144,12 @@ runtime:
       # -- authentication key, must be attached to each request as `X-Api-Key` header
       authKey: "password"
 
+    catalog:
+      # -- port for incoming catalog cache query requests
+      port: 8085
+      # -- path for incoming catalog cache query requests
+      path: /catalog
+
   token:
     refresh:
       # -- TTL in seconds for access tokens (also known as EDR token)
@@ -166,6 +172,20 @@ runtime:
       # -- URL of the BPN/DID Resolution Service
       url:
 
+  # -- configuration for the built-in federated catalog crawler
+  catalog:
+    # -- Flag to globally enable/disable the FC feature
+    enabled: false
+    crawler:
+      # -- Number of desired crawlers. Final number might be different, based on number of crawl targets
+      num:
+      # -- Period between two crawl runs in seconds. Default is 60 seconds.
+      period:
+      # -- Initial delay for the crawling to start. Leave blank for a random delay
+      initialDelay:
+      # -- File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries
+      targetsFile:
+
   service:
     # -- [Service type](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/service/#publishing-services-service-types) to expose the running application on a set of Pods as a network service.
     type: ClusterIP
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector/README.md b/charts/tractusx-connector/README.md
index 7168d2bce..019d8a74e 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector/README.md
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector/README.md
@@ -71,10 +71,18 @@ helm install my-release tractusx-edc/tractusx-connector --version 0.7.3 \
 | controlplane.autoscaling.targetMemoryUtilizationPercentage | int | `80` | targetAverageUtilization of memory provided to a pod |
 | controlplane.bdrs.cache_validity_seconds | int | `600` | Time that a cached BPN/DID resolution map is valid in seconds, default is 600 seconds (10 min) |
 | controlplane.bdrs.server.url | string | `nil` | URL of the BPN/DID Resolution Service |
+| controlplane.catalog | object | `{"crawler":{"initialDelay":null,"num":null,"period":null,"targetsFile":null},"enabled":false}` | configuration for the built-in federated catalog crawler |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay | string | `nil` | Initial delay for the crawling to start. Leave blank for a random delay |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.num | string | `nil` | Number of desired crawlers. Final number might be different, based on number of crawl targets |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.period | string | `nil` | Period between two crawl runs in seconds. Default is 60 seconds. |
+| controlplane.catalog.crawler.targetsFile | string | `nil` | File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries |
+| controlplane.catalog.enabled | bool | `false` | Flag to globally enable/disable the FC feature |
 | controlplane.debug.enabled | bool | `false` | Enables java debugging mode. |
 | controlplane.debug.port | int | `1044` | Port where the debuggee can connect to. |
 | controlplane.debug.suspendOnStart | bool | `false` | Defines if the JVM should wait with starting the application until someone connected to the debugging port. |
-| controlplane.endpoints | object | `{"control":{"path":"/control","port":8083},"default":{"path":"/api","port":8080},"management":{"authKey":"password","path":"/management","port":8081},"metrics":{"path":"/metrics","port":9090},"protocol":{"path":"/api/v1/dsp","port":8084}}` | endpoints of the control plane |
+| controlplane.endpoints | object | `{"catalog":{"path":"/catalog","port":8085},"control":{"path":"/control","port":8083},"default":{"path":"/api","port":8080},"management":{"authKey":"password","path":"/management","port":8081},"metrics":{"path":"/metrics","port":9090},"protocol":{"path":"/api/v1/dsp","port":8084}}` | endpoints of the control plane |
+| controlplane.endpoints.catalog.path | string | `"/catalog"` | path for incoming catalog cache query requests |
+| controlplane.endpoints.catalog.port | int | `8085` | port for incoming catalog cache query requests |
 | controlplane.endpoints.control | object | `{"path":"/control","port":8083}` | control api, used for internal control calls. can be added to the internal ingress, but should probably not |
 | controlplane.endpoints.control.path | string | `"/control"` | path for incoming api calls |
 | controlplane.endpoints.control.port | int | `8083` | port for incoming api calls |
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml b/charts/tractusx-connector/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml
index 9cf9e6c4b..90ebc5a64 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector/templates/deployment-controlplane.yaml
@@ -172,6 +172,10 @@ spec:
               value: {{ .Values.controlplane.endpoints.protocol.path | quote }}
             - name: "EDC_CONTROL_ENDPOINT"
               value: {{ include "txdc.controlplane.url.control" .}}
+            - name: "WEB_HTTP_CATALOG_PORT"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.endpoints.catalog.port | quote }}
+            - name: "WEB_HTTP_CATALOG_PATH"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.endpoints.catalog.path | quote }}
 
             #########
             ## DSP ##
@@ -317,6 +321,31 @@ spec:
             - name: "EDC_VAULT_HASHICORP_API_HEALTH_CHECK_PATH"
               value: {{ .Values.vault.hashicorp.paths.health | quote }}
 
+
+            ###############################
+            ## FEDERATED CATALOG CRAWLER ##
+            ###############################
+            {{- if .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.period }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_PERIOD_SECONDS"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.period | quote}}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            {{- if .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_DELAY_SECONDS"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay | quote }}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            {{- if .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.num }}
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_PARTITION_NUM_CRAWLERS"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.num }}
+            {{- end }}
+
+            - name: "EDC_CATALOG_CACHE_EXECUTION_ENABLED"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.enabled | quote }}
+
+            - name: "TX_EDC_CATALOG_NODE_LIST_FILE"
+              value: {{ .Values.controlplane.catalog.crawler.targetsFile }}
+
             ######################################
             ## Additional environment variables ##
             ######################################
diff --git a/charts/tractusx-connector/values.yaml b/charts/tractusx-connector/values.yaml
index 48e32fda8..4b1e702f6 100644
--- a/charts/tractusx-connector/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/tractusx-connector/values.yaml
@@ -142,6 +142,11 @@ controlplane:
       port: 9090
       # -- path for incoming api calls
       path: /metrics
+    catalog:
+      # -- port for incoming catalog cache query requests
+      port: 8085
+      # -- path for incoming catalog cache query requests
+      path: /catalog
 
   bdrs:
     # -- Time that a cached BPN/DID resolution map is valid in seconds, default is 600 seconds (10 min)
@@ -150,6 +155,21 @@ controlplane:
       # -- URL of the BPN/DID Resolution Service
       url:
 
+  # -- configuration for the built-in federated catalog crawler
+  catalog:
+    # -- Flag to globally enable/disable the FC feature
+    enabled: false
+    crawler:
+      # -- Number of desired crawlers. Final number might be different, based on number of crawl targets
+      num:
+      # -- Period between two crawl runs in seconds. Default is 60 seconds.
+      period:
+      # -- Initial delay for the crawling to start. Leave blank for a random delay
+      initialDelay:
+      # -- File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries
+      targetsFile:
+
+
   service:
     # -- [Service type](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/service/#publishing-services-service-types) to expose the running application on a set of Pods as a network service.
     type: ClusterIP
diff --git a/docs/development/management-domains/README.md b/docs/development/management-domains/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e6741a7b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/management-domains/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+# Management Domains Primer
+
+> Disclaimer: this is an incubating feature that comes without any guarantees of any sort. Changes and even complete
+> removal are possible without prior notice. Due to its experimental nature, this feature is disabled by default.
+
+Management Domains are a way to reflect a company's internal organizational structure in the deployment of several
+connectors. For details please refer to
+the [official documentation](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/Connector/blob/main/docs/developer/management-domains/management-domains.md).
+
+## Usage in Tractus-X
+
+There are several reasons why a company might consider the use of Management Domains:
+
+- independent management of connector instances: multiple departments within a (larger) company want to maintain
+  independence w.r.t. their data, so they operate individual EDCs
+- independent version upgrade cycles of connector instances: multiple departments may choose to upgrade their EDCs at
+  different intervals or velocities. **Note that this only refers to minor changes of APIs, SPIs, configuration etc. All
+  instances must still maintain protocol (DSP, DCP,...) compatibility!**
+
+For the purposes of Tractus-X, the usage of
+deployment [type 2b](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/Connector/blob/main/docs/developer/management-domains/management-domains.md#type-2b-edc-catalog-server-and-controldata-plane-runtimes)
+or [type 2c](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/Connector/blob/main/docs/developer/management-domains/management-domains.md#type-2c-catalog-servercontrol-plane-with-data-plane-runtime)
+is assumed:
+
+![type 2b](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/Connector/blob/main/docs/developer/management-domains/distributed.type2.b.svg)
+
+Note that is possible to use a conventional Tractus-X EDC runtime as catalog server.
+
+### Limitations and Caveats
+
+All runtimes within one company share the same `participantId`, thus they are one single logical entity. They must share
+the same set of VerifiableCredentials. In practice, they could either share one credential wallet instance, or have
+multiple identical instances.
+
+## The Federated Catalog crawler
+
+The Federated Catalog crawler subsystem periodically scrapes target nodes (i.e. catalog servers or EDC runtimes) by
+executing a catalog request. If it encounters an `Asset`, that points to another `Asset`, it will automatically recurse
+down by following the link, thus building a hierarchical catalog. In other words, there can "Catalogs of Catalogs". A
+special [asset type](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/Connector/blob/main/docs/developer/management-domains/management-domains.md#31-asset-and-dataset-specialization)
+was introduced for this purpose.
+
+Every target node produces one `Catalog`, so in the end there is a `List<Catalog>` which contains all the assets that
+are available in a particular dataspace.
+
+## The Federated Catalog QueryApi
+
+After some time, when all crawlers have returned, this list of catalogs can be queried using a new REST endpoint:
+
+```shell
+POST /v1alpha/catalog/query 
+{
+    "@context": {
+        "edc": "https://w3id.org/edc/v0.0.1/ns/"
+    },
+    "@type": "QuerySpec"
+}
+```
+
+the response body contains a list of catalogs as JSON-LD array (`hasPolicy` omitted for legibility). Notice
+the `@type: "dcat:Catalog`
+of the first `dataset` entry. This indicates that the "outer" Catalog actually contains another Catalog:
+
+```json
+[
+  {
+    "@id": "a6574324-8dd2-4169-adf1-f94423c5d213",
+    "@type": "dcat:Catalog",
+    "dcat:dataset": [
+      {
+        "@id": "1af92996-0bb7-4bdd-b04e-938fe54fb27f",
+        "@type": "dcat:Catalog",
+        "dcat:dataset": [
+          {
+            "@id": "asset-2",
+            "@type": "dcat:Dataset",
+            "odrl:hasPolicy": {
+            },
+            "dcat:distribution": [],
+            "id": "asset-2"
+          },
+          {
+            "@id": "asset-1",
+            "@type": "dcat:Dataset",
+            "odrl:hasPolicy": {
+            },
+            "dcat:distribution": [],
+            "id": "asset-1"
+          }
+        ],
+        "dcat:distribution": [],
+        "dcat:service": {
+          "@id": "684635d3-acc8-4ff5-ba71-d1e968be5e3b",
+          "@type": "dcat:DataService",
+          "dcat:endpointDescription": "dspace:connector",
+          "dcat:endpointUrl": "http://localhost:8192/api/dsp",
+          "dct:terms": "dspace:connector",
+          "dct:endpointUrl": "http://localhost:8192/api/dsp"
+        },
+        "dspace:participantId": "did:web:localhost%3A7093",
+        "participantId": "did:web:localhost%3A7093"
+      }
+    ],
+    "dcat:distribution": [],
+    "dcat:service": {
+      "@id": "8c99b5d6-0c46-455e-97b1-7b31f32a714b",
+      "@type": "dcat:DataService",
+      "dcat:endpointDescription": "dspace:connector",
+      "dcat:endpointUrl": "http://localhost:8092/api/dsp",
+      "dct:terms": "dspace:connector",
+      "dct:endpointUrl": "http://localhost:8092/api/dsp"
+    },
+    "dspace:participantId": "did:web:localhost%3A7093",
+    "originator": "http://localhost:8092/api/dsp",
+    "participantId": "did:web:localhost%3A7093"
+  }
+]
+```
+
+There is an additional optional query param `?flatten=true` that puts all `dataset` objects in a flat list for
+linear consumption. Note that the hierarchy and provenance of a single `dataset` can't be restored anymore.
+
+## Implementation guidance
+
+Under the hood, a Tractus-X EDC connector leverages
+the [Federated Catalog](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/FederatedCatalog/) and its crawler mechanism to periodically
+scrape the dataspace. Note that without additional and explicit configuration, this feature is **disabled**
+out-of-the-box!
+
+There are several steps a consumer EDC needs to take before being able to use it:
+
+### Create `CatalogAssets`
+
+`CatalogAssets` are assets that point to another catalog using hyperlinks. They can be thought of as pointers to another
+catalog. A catalog server (on the provider side) creates `CatalogAsset` via the Management API by using the following
+request body:
+
+```json
+{
+  "@id": "linked-asset-1",
+  "@type": "CatalogAsset",
+  "properties": {
+    "description": "This is a linked asset that points to another EDC's catalog."
+  },
+  "dataAddress": {
+    "@type": "DataAddress",
+    "type": "HttpData",
+    "baseUrl": "https://another-edc.com/api/dsp"
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Enable and configure the crawler subsystem
+
+The following config values are used to configure the crawlers:
+
+| Configuration property                       | Helm value                                  | default value | description                                                        |
+|----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `edc.catalog.cache.execution.enabled`        | `controlplane.catalog.enabled`              | false         | enables/disables periodic crawling                                 |
+| `edc.catalog.cache.execution.period.seconds` | `controlplane.catalog.crawler.period`       | 60            | period between two crawl runs                                      |
+| `edc.catalog.cache.execution.delay.seconds`  | `controlplane.catalog.crawler.initialDelay` | random        | initial delay before the first crawl run                           |
+| `edc.catalog.cache.partition.num.crawlers`   | `controlplane.catalog.crawler.num`          | 2             | desired number of crawlers                                         |
+| `web.http.catalog.port`                      | `controlplane.endpoints.catalog.port`       | 8085          | port of the catalog QueryApi's web context                         |
+| `web.http.catalog.path`                      | `controlplane.endpoints.catalog.path`       | /catalog      | URL path of the catalog QueryApi's web context                     |
+| `tx.edc.catalog.node.list.file`              | `controlplane.catalog.crawler.targetsFile ` |               | path to a JSON file that contains an array of `TargetNode` objects |
+
+all of these config values are optional and come preconfigured with defaults.
+
+### Configure the target nodes
+
+The crawler subsystem needs a list of `TargetNode` objects, which it obtains from the `TargetNodeDirectory`. Currently,
+for testing purposes, there is a file-based implementation. To use it, a JSON file is needed that contains an array
+of `TargetNode` objects:
+
+```json
+[
+  {
+    "name": "test-1",
+    "url": "https://nodes.com/test-1/api/dsp",
+    "id": "1",
+    "supportedProtocols": "dataspace-protocol-http"
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "test-2",
+    "url": "https://nodes.com/test-2/api/dsp",
+    "id": "2",
+    "supportedProtocols": "dataspace-protocol-http"
+  }
+]
+```
+
+On Kubernetes, a common way to achieve this is using ConfigMaps.
+
+## References
+
+- [Management Domains
+  documentation](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/Connector/blob/main/docs/developer/management-domains/management-domains.md)
+- [Federated Catalog
+  documentation](https://github.com/eclipse-edc/FederatedCatalog/tree/main/docs/developer/architecture)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/edc-controlplane/edc-controlplane-base/build.gradle.kts b/edc-controlplane/edc-controlplane-base/build.gradle.kts
index 72451290f..b5a0074b9 100644
--- a/edc-controlplane/edc-controlplane-base/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/edc-controlplane/edc-controlplane-base/build.gradle.kts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ dependencies {
     // Credentials CX policies
     runtimeOnly(project(":edc-extensions:cx-policy"))
 
-    // needed for IATP integration
+    // needed for DCP integration
     runtimeOnly(project(":core:json-ld-core"))
     runtimeOnly(libs.edc.core.did)
     runtimeOnly(libs.edc.identity.did.web)
@@ -76,4 +76,9 @@ dependencies {
     runtimeOnly(libs.edc.controlplane.callback.dispatcher.event)
     runtimeOnly(libs.edc.controlplane.callback.dispatcher.http)
 
+    // Federated Catalog Crawler + Query API
+    runtimeOnly(project(":edc-extensions:federated-catalog"))
+    runtimeOnly(libs.edc.fc.core)
+    runtimeOnly(libs.edc.fc.api)
+
 }
diff --git a/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/build.gradle.kts b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/build.gradle.kts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4d7e0fe5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/build.gradle.kts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
+ *
+ * See the NOTICE file(s) distributed with this work for additional
+ * information regarding copyright ownership.
+ *
+ * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+ * terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 which is available at
+ * https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+plugins {
+    `maven-publish`
+    `java-library`
+}
+
+dependencies {
+    implementation(libs.edc.spi.core)
+    implementation(libs.edc.fc.spi.crawler)
+
+    testImplementation(libs.edc.junit)
+}
diff --git a/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FederatedCatalogExtension.java b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FederatedCatalogExtension.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2768b739f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FederatedCatalogExtension.java
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
+ *
+ * See the NOTICE file(s) distributed with this work for additional
+ * information regarding copyright ownership.
+ *
+ * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+ * terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 which is available at
+ * https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package org.eclipse.tractusx.edc.federatedcatalog;
+
+import org.eclipse.edc.crawler.spi.TargetNode;
+import org.eclipse.edc.crawler.spi.TargetNodeDirectory;
+import org.eclipse.edc.runtime.metamodel.annotation.Extension;
+import org.eclipse.edc.runtime.metamodel.annotation.Inject;
+import org.eclipse.edc.runtime.metamodel.annotation.Provider;
+import org.eclipse.edc.runtime.metamodel.annotation.Setting;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.system.ServiceExtension;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.system.ServiceExtensionContext;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.types.TypeManager;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import static java.util.Optional.ofNullable;
+import static org.eclipse.tractusx.edc.federatedcatalog.FederatedCatalogExtension.NAME;
+
+
+@Extension(value = NAME)
+public class FederatedCatalogExtension implements ServiceExtension {
+
+    public static final String NAME = "Tractus-X Federated Catalog Extension";
+
+    @Setting(value = "File path to a JSON file containing TargetNode entries for the Federated Catalog Crawler")
+    public static final String NODE_LIST_FILE = "tx.edc.catalog.node.list.file";
+
+    @Inject
+    private TypeManager typeManager;
+
+
+    @Override
+    public String name() {
+        return NAME;
+    }
+
+    @Provider
+    public TargetNodeDirectory createFileBasedNodeDirectory(ServiceExtensionContext context) {
+        return ofNullable(context.getConfig().getString(NODE_LIST_FILE, null))
+                .map(File::new)
+                .map(f -> (TargetNodeDirectory) new FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory(f, context.getMonitor(), typeManager.getMapper()))
+                .orElseGet(() -> {
+                    context.getMonitor().warning("TargetNode file is not configured ('%s'). Federated Catalog Crawler will be inactive.".formatted(NODE_LIST_FILE));
+                    return new NoopNodeDirectory();
+                });
+
+    }
+
+    private static class NoopNodeDirectory implements TargetNodeDirectory {
+        @Override
+        public List<TargetNode> getAll() {
+            return Collections.emptyList();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void insert(TargetNode targetNode) {
+
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory.java b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a136399f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
+ *
+ * See the NOTICE file(s) distributed with this work for additional
+ * information regarding copyright ownership.
+ *
+ * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+ * terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 which is available at
+ * https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package org.eclipse.tractusx.edc.federatedcatalog;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.type.TypeReference;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.DeserializationFeature;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import org.eclipse.edc.crawler.spi.TargetNode;
+import org.eclipse.edc.crawler.spi.TargetNodeDirectory;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.EdcException;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.monitor.Monitor;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * File-based implementation of the {@link TargetNodeDirectory} that returns a static {@code List<TargetNode>} that are
+ * serialized as JSON and stored in a file.
+ */
+class FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory implements TargetNodeDirectory {
+
+    private static final TypeReference<List<TargetNode>> LIST_TYPE = new TypeReference<>() {
+    };
+    private final File nodeFile;
+    private final Monitor monitor;
+    private final ObjectMapper objectMapper;
+    private List<TargetNode> nodes;
+
+    FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory(File nodeFile, Monitor monitor, ObjectMapper objectMapper) {
+
+        this.nodeFile = nodeFile;
+        this.monitor = monitor;
+        this.objectMapper = objectMapper.enable(DeserializationFeature.ACCEPT_SINGLE_VALUE_AS_ARRAY);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public List<TargetNode> getAll() {
+
+        if (nodes == null) {
+            try {
+                nodes = objectMapper.readValue(nodeFile, LIST_TYPE);
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                throw new EdcException(e);
+            }
+        }
+        return nodes;
+
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void insert(TargetNode targetNode) {
+        monitor.warning("Inserting nodes into the file-based TargetNodeDirectory is not supported.");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/resources/META-INF/services/org.eclipse.edc.spi.system.ServiceExtension b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/resources/META-INF/services/org.eclipse.edc.spi.system.ServiceExtension
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..72bc8734d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/main/resources/META-INF/services/org.eclipse.edc.spi.system.ServiceExtension
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#################################################################################
+#  Copyright (c) 2023 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW AG)
+#  Copyright (c) 2021,2023 Contributors to the Eclipse Foundation
+#
+#  See the NOTICE file(s) distributed with this work for additional
+#  information regarding copyright ownership.
+#
+#  This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+#  terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 which is available at
+#  https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+#
+#  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+#  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+#  WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+#  License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+#  under the License.
+#
+#  SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#################################################################################
+
+org.eclipse.tractusx.edc.federatedcatalog.FederatedCatalogExtension
diff --git a/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FileBasedTargetNodeDirectoryTest.java b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FileBasedTargetNodeDirectoryTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e491de8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/federatedcatalog/FileBasedTargetNodeDirectoryTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
+ *
+ * See the NOTICE file(s) distributed with this work for additional
+ * information regarding copyright ownership.
+ *
+ * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+ * terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 which is available at
+ * https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package org.eclipse.tractusx.edc.federatedcatalog;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import org.eclipse.edc.crawler.spi.TargetNode;
+import org.eclipse.edc.junit.testfixtures.TestUtils;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.EdcException;
+import org.eclipse.edc.spi.monitor.Monitor;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatNoException;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
+
+class FileBasedTargetNodeDirectoryTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void getAll_hasEntries() {
+        var nodeDir = new FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory(TestUtils.getFileFromResourceName("nodes.json"), mock(), new ObjectMapper());
+        assertThat(nodeDir.getAll()).hasSize(2);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void getAll_fileNotExist() {
+        var nodeDir = new FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory(new File("not-exist.json"), mock(), new ObjectMapper());
+        assertThatThrownBy(nodeDir::getAll)
+                .isInstanceOf(EdcException.class)
+                .hasRootCauseInstanceOf(FileNotFoundException.class);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void insert() {
+        var monitor = mock(Monitor.class);
+        var nodeDir = new FileBasedTargetNodeDirectory(new File("not-exist.json"), monitor, new ObjectMapper());
+
+        assertThatNoException().isThrownBy(() -> nodeDir.insert(new TargetNode("foo", "bar", "https://foobar.com", List.of())));
+        verify(monitor).warning("Inserting nodes into the file-based TargetNodeDirectory is not supported.");
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/test/resources/nodes.json b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/test/resources/nodes.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..895b6d59a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/edc-extensions/federated-catalog/src/test/resources/nodes.json
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[
+  {
+    "name": "test-1",
+    "url": "http://nodes.com/test-1",
+    "id": "1",
+    "supportedProtocols": "test-protocol"
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "test-2",
+    "url": "http://nodes.com/test-2",
+    "id": "2",
+    "supportedProtocols": "another-test-protocol"
+  }
+]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/edc-tests/deployment/src/main/resources/helm/tractusx-connector-test.yaml b/edc-tests/deployment/src/main/resources/helm/tractusx-connector-test.yaml
index 410a656f4..7598c1809 100644
--- a/edc-tests/deployment/src/main/resources/helm/tractusx-connector-test.yaml
+++ b/edc-tests/deployment/src/main/resources/helm/tractusx-connector-test.yaml
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ iatp:
         id: "test-client-id"
         secret_alias: "test-alias"
 controlplane:
+  debug:
+    enabled: true
+    port: 1044
+    suspendOnStart: false
   service:
     type: NodePort
   endpoints:
@@ -54,7 +58,7 @@ controlplane:
 dataplane:
   debug:
     enabled: true
-    port: 1044
+    port: 1045
     suspendOnStart: false
   endpoints:
     proxy:
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/catalog-tests/build.gradle.kts b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/catalog-tests/build.gradle.kts
index eb3345c80..34613d0c2 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/catalog-tests/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/catalog-tests/build.gradle.kts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ dependencies {
     testImplementation(libs.edc.junit)
     testImplementation(libs.restAssured)
     testImplementation(libs.awaitility)
+    testRuntimeOnly(libs.edc.transaction.local)
 
     testCompileOnly(project(":edc-tests:runtime:runtime-memory"))
     testCompileOnly(project(":edc-tests:runtime:runtime-postgresql"))
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/edr-api-tests/build.gradle.kts b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/edr-api-tests/build.gradle.kts
index 42771ae1d..d3d9d8ba4 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/edr-api-tests/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/edr-api-tests/build.gradle.kts
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ dependencies {
     testImplementation(libs.edc.junit)
     testImplementation(libs.restAssured)
     testImplementation(libs.awaitility)
+    testRuntimeOnly(libs.edc.transaction.local)
+
 }
 
 // do not publish
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/participant/TractusxParticipantBase.java b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/participant/TractusxParticipantBase.java
index 0d260e475..60bba45f5 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/participant/TractusxParticipantBase.java
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/participant/TractusxParticipantBase.java
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ public Map<String, String> getConfiguration() {
                 put("web.http.management.path", managementEndpoint.getUrl().getPath());
                 put("web.http.control.port", String.valueOf(controlPlaneControl.getPort()));
                 put("web.http.control.path", controlPlaneControl.getPath());
+                put("web.http.catalog.port", String.valueOf(getFreePort()));
+                put("web.http.catalog.path", "/api/catalog");
                 put("edc.dsp.callback.address", protocolEndpoint.getUrl().toString());
                 put("edc.api.auth.key", MANAGEMENT_API_KEY);
                 put("web.http.public.path", "/api/public");
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/runtimes/PgParticipantRuntime.java b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/runtimes/PgParticipantRuntime.java
index 88855d876..7c1b465f5 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/runtimes/PgParticipantRuntime.java
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/fixtures/src/testFixtures/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/tests/runtimes/PgParticipantRuntime.java
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 
 class PgParticipantRuntime extends ParticipantRuntime {
 
-    public PgParticipantRuntime(String moduleName, String runtimeName, String bpn, Map<String, String> properties) {
+    PgParticipantRuntime(String moduleName, String runtimeName, String bpn, Map<String, String> properties) {
         super(moduleName, runtimeName, bpn, properties);
         mockVault();
     }
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/iatp-tests/build.gradle.kts b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/iatp-tests/build.gradle.kts
index bd42ed85a..a2e3f5c65 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/iatp-tests/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/iatp-tests/build.gradle.kts
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ dependencies {
     testImplementation(libs.edc.core.token)
     testImplementation(libs.edc.identity.vc.ldp)
     testImplementation(libs.edc.lib.jws2020)
+    testRuntimeOnly(libs.edc.transaction.local)
+
     // 3rd party libs
     testImplementation(libs.netty.mockserver)
     testImplementation(libs.restAssured)
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/policy-tests/build.gradle.kts b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/policy-tests/build.gradle.kts
index 42771ae1d..f8f1ae8b0 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/policy-tests/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/policy-tests/build.gradle.kts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ dependencies {
     testImplementation(libs.edc.junit)
     testImplementation(libs.restAssured)
     testImplementation(libs.awaitility)
+    testRuntimeOnly(libs.edc.transaction.local)
 }
 
 // do not publish
diff --git a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/transfer-tests/build.gradle.kts b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/transfer-tests/build.gradle.kts
index ddb7e022c..7574ab320 100644
--- a/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/transfer-tests/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/edc-tests/edc-controlplane/transfer-tests/build.gradle.kts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ dependencies {
     testImplementation(libs.edc.junit)
     testImplementation(libs.restAssured)
     testImplementation(libs.awaitility)
+    testRuntimeOnly(libs.edc.transaction.local)
 }
 
 // do not publish
diff --git a/gradle/libs.versions.toml b/gradle/libs.versions.toml
index 2093b841d..4d2b4e3b5 100644
--- a/gradle/libs.versions.toml
+++ b/gradle/libs.versions.toml
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ edc-aws-validator-data-address-s3 = { module = "org.eclipse.edc.aws:validator-da
 edc-controlplane-callback-dispatcher-event = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:callback-event-dispatcher", version.ref = "edc" }
 edc-controlplane-callback-dispatcher-http = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:callback-http-dispatcher", version.ref = "edc" }
 
-# IATP Modules
+# DCP Modules
 edc-spi-identitytrust = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-spi", version.ref = "edc" }
 edc-core-identitytrust = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-core", version.ref = "edc" }
 edc-core-did = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-did-core", version.ref = "edc" }
@@ -145,8 +145,7 @@ edc-identity-trust-service = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-service"
 edc-identity-trust-transform = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-transform", version.ref = "edc" }
 edc-identity-trust-issuers-configuration = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-issuers-configuration", version.ref = "edc" }
 
-
-# IATP for Testing
+# DCP for Testing
 
 edc-identity-trust-sts-remote-client = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-sts-remote-client", version.ref = "edc" }
 edc-identity-trust-sts-remote-lib = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-sts-remote-lib", version.ref = "edc" }
@@ -155,6 +154,11 @@ edc-identity-trust-sts-core = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-sts-cor
 edc-identity-trust-sts-api = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-sts-api", version.ref = "edc" }
 edc-identity-trust-sts-client-configuration = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:identity-trust-sts-client-configuration", version.ref = "edc" }
 
+# Federated Catalog modules
+edc-fc-spi-crawler = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:crawler-spi", version.ref = "edc" }
+edc-fc-core = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:federated-catalog-core", version.ref = "edc" }
+edc-fc-api = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:federated-catalog-api", version.ref = "edc" }
+
 ## IH for testing
 
 edc-ih-api-presentation = { module = "org.eclipse.edc:presentation-api", version.ref = "edc" }
@@ -227,6 +231,6 @@ titaniumJsonLd = { module = "com.apicatalog:titanium-json-ld", version.ref = "ti
 [bundles]
 edc-connector = ["edc.boot", "edc.core-connector", "edc.core-controlplane", "edc.api-observability"]
 edc-dpf = ["edc.dpf-transfer-signaling", "edc.dpf-selector-core", "edc.spi-dataplane-selector"]
-edc-sqlstores = ["edc.sql-assetindex", "edc.sql-contract-definition", "edc.sql-contract-negotiation", "edc.sql-transferprocess", "edc.sql-policydef", "edc.sql-policy-monitor", "edc.sql-edrindex"]
+edc-sqlstores = ["edc.sql-assetindex", "edc.sql-contract-definition", "edc.sql-contract-negotiation", "edc.sql-transferprocess", "edc.sql-policydef", "edc.sql-policy-monitor", "edc.sql-edrindex", "edc-transaction-local"]
 edc-monitoring = ["edc.micrometer-core", "edc.micrometer-jersey", "edc.micrometer-jetty"]
 edc-sts = ["edc-identity-trust-sts-core", "edc-identity-trust-sts-api", "edc-identity-trust-sts-client-configuration"]
diff --git a/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/samples/multitenancy/MultiTenantRuntimeTest.java b/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/samples/multitenancy/MultiTenantRuntimeTest.java
index 8b4272de6..4ec53ffab 100644
--- a/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/samples/multitenancy/MultiTenantRuntimeTest.java
+++ b/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/java/org/eclipse/tractusx/edc/samples/multitenancy/MultiTenantRuntimeTest.java
@@ -26,11 +26,13 @@
 import org.mockito.ArgumentMatcher;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.argThat;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.times;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
 class MultiTenantRuntimeTest {
 
@@ -60,7 +62,7 @@ void throwsExceptionIfTenantsFileDoesNotExist() {
     @Test
     void threadForEveryTenant() {
         System.setProperty("edc.tenants.path", "./src/test/resources/tenants.properties");
-
+        when(monitor.withPrefix(anyString())).thenReturn(monitor);
         runtime.boot(false);
 
         verify(monitor, times(2)).info(argThat(connectorIsReady()));
diff --git a/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/resources/tenants.properties b/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/resources/tenants.properties
index edaece1d6..eb655247c 100644
--- a/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/resources/tenants.properties
+++ b/samples/multi-tenancy/src/test/resources/tenants.properties
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ edc.tenants.one.web.http.control.port=18283
 edc.tenants.one.web.http.control.path=/control
 edc.tenants.one.web.http.management.port=18284
 edc.tenants.one.web.http.management.path=/management
+edc.tenants.one.web.http.catalog.port=18285
+edc.tenants.one.web.http.catalog.path=/catalog
 edc.tenants.one.tx.edc.iam.iatp.bdrs.server.url=http://bdrs.test.com
 edc.tenants.one.edc.iam.issuer.id=did:web:tenant1
 edc.tenants.two.edc.any=any
@@ -37,5 +39,7 @@ edc.tenants.two.web.http.control.port=28283
 edc.tenants.two.web.http.control.path=/control
 edc.tenants.two.web.http.management.port=28284
 edc.tenants.two.web.http.management.path=/management
+edc.tenants.two.web.http.catalog.port=28285
+edc.tenants.two.web.http.catalog.path=/catalog
 edc.tenants.two.tx.edc.iam.iatp.bdrs.server.url=http://bdrs.test.com
 edc.tenants.two.edc.iam.issuer.id=did:web:tenant2
diff --git a/settings.gradle.kts b/settings.gradle.kts
index 75583ca88..e1d6ecc1b 100644
--- a/settings.gradle.kts
+++ b/settings.gradle.kts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ include(":edc-extensions:migrations:data-plane-migration")
 include(":edc-extensions:tokenrefresh-handler")
 include(":edc-extensions:bdrs-client")
 include(":edc-extensions:provision-additional-headers")
+include(":edc-extensions:federated-catalog")
 include(":edc-extensions:edr:edr-api-v2")
 include(":edc-extensions:edr:edr-callback")
 include(":edc-extensions:cx-policy")