There is a consensus among industry and policymakers that Europe is currently in the middle of an industrial revolution initiated by the digitisation of industrial processes. Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), the Industrial Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT) connect people, devices, machines and enterprises like never before. For many years companies and research organisations have been addressing these challenges and opportunities both at European level (through the Factories of the Future PPP and related activities) and at national level. The ConnectedFactories project will build upon these activities and consolidate their expert networks, aiming at industrial consensus building across Europe. The ConnectedFactories project will establish and maintain a structured overview of available and upcoming technological approaches and best practices that are needed for mastering this paradigm shift. Present and future needs and challenges of the manufacturing industries will be identified in order to then identify possible scenarios of how digital platforms will enable the digital integration and interoperability of manufacturing systems and processes. Developing these scenarios will require detailed work with companies and other stakeholders through a series of workshops at national and regional level, in order to reach a necessary industrial consensus on aspects such as: innovative technology proposals, business models, aspects, standardization etc… while considering the establishment of industrial eco-systems where multi-sided IT platforms create value. This work will enhance the awareness among companies of the use of digital technologies in the manufacturing sector and equip them with knowledge to make informed decisions regarding technology and business model choices. It will reinforce the European manufacturing industries’ position in the international scene.