diff --git a/app_runner/src/app_runner/cli/validate.py b/app_runner/src/app_runner/cli/validate.py
index 3f855fda..0c7a0cc2 100644
--- a/app_runner/src/app_runner/cli/validate.py
+++ b/app_runner/src/app_runner/cli/validate.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 from app_runner.specs.app.app_spec import AppSpecTemplate, AppSpec
 from app_runner.specs.inputs_spec import InputsSpec
 from app_runner.specs.outputs_spec import OutputsSpec
+from app_runner.specs.submitter_spec import SubmittersSpec
 
 app_validate = cyclopts.App("validate", help="Validate yaml files.")
 
@@ -39,3 +40,10 @@ def outputs_spec(yaml_file: Path) -> None:
     """Validate an outputs spec file."""
     outputs_spec = OutputsSpec.model_validate(yaml.safe_load(yaml_file.read_text()))
     pprint(outputs_spec)
+
+
+@app_validate.command()
+def submitters_spec(yaml_file: Path) -> None:
+    """Validate a submitters spec file."""
+    submitters_spec = SubmittersSpec.model_validate(yaml.safe_load(yaml_file.read_text()))
+    pprint(submitters_spec)
diff --git a/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_ref.py b/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_ref.py
index e5f3f8d6..357489b1 100644
--- a/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_ref.py
+++ b/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_ref.py
@@ -2,9 +2,18 @@
 
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
+from app_runner.specs.submitter_spec import SubmitterSpec
+
 
 class SubmitterRef(BaseModel):
     """Reference of a submitter and potential configuration overrides."""
 
     name: str
     config: dict[str, Any] = {}
+
+    def resolve(self, specs: dict[str, SubmitterSpec]) -> SubmitterSpec:
+        # TODO move this into a function
+        base_spec = specs[self.name]
+        base = base_spec.model_dump(mode="json")
+        base.update(self.config)
+        return type(base_spec).model_validate(base)
diff --git a/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_spec.py b/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_spec.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..277bf781
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app_runner/src/app_runner/specs/submitter_spec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Literal
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+
+
+class SubmitterSlurmSpec(BaseModel):
+    type: Literal["slurm22"] = "slurm22"
+    n_nodes: int | tuple[int, int] = 1
+    n_tasks: int = 1
+    n_cpus: int
+    n_cpus_scope: Literal["task", "gpu"] = "task"
+    partition: str
+    memory: str
+    memory_scope: Literal["node", "cpu", "gpu"] = "node"
+    nodelist: str | None = None
+    time: str | None = None
+    disk: int | None = None
+    log_stdout: str | None = None
+    log_stderr: str | None = None
+    custom_args: dict[str, str | None] = {}
+    local_script_dir: Path
+    worker_scratch_dir: Path
+
+    def get_slurm_parameters(self) -> dict[str, str | None]:
+        params = {}
+        if isinstance(self.n_nodes, int):
+            params["nodes"] = str(self.n_nodes)
+        else:
+            params["nodes"] = f"{self.n_nodes[0]}-{self.n_nodes[1]}"
+
+        if self.n_cpus_scope == "task":
+            params["cpus-per-task"] = str(self.n_cpus)
+        elif self.n_cpus_scope == "gpu":
+            params["cpus-per-gpu"] = str(self.n_cpus)
+
+        if self.memory_scope == "node":
+            params["mem"] = self.memory
+        elif self.memory_scope == "cpu":
+            params["mem-per-cpu"] = self.memory
+        elif self.memory_scope == "gpu":
+            params["mem-per-gpu"] = self.memory
+
+        if self.nodelist:
+            params["nodelist"] = self.nodelist
+        if self.time:
+            params["time"] = self.time
+        if self.disk:
+            params["disk"] = str(self.disk)
+        if self.log_stdout:
+            params["output"] = self.log_stdout
+        if self.log_stderr:
+            params["error"] = self.log_stderr
+        return params
+
+    def to_slurm_cli_arguments(self) -> list[str]:
+        args = []
+        params = self.get_slurm_parameters()
+        for name, value in params.items():
+            if value is None:
+                args.append(f"--{name}")
+            else:
+                args.append(f"--{name}={value}")
+        # TODO reintroduce this
+        # args.extend(self.custom_args)
+        return args
+
+
+SubmitterSpec = SubmitterSlurmSpec
+
+
+class SubmittersSpec(BaseModel):
+    submitters: dict[str, SubmitterSpec]
diff --git a/app_runner/src/app_runner/submitter/__init__.py b/app_runner/src/app_runner/submitter/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/app_runner/src/app_runner/submitter/slurm_submitter.py b/app_runner/src/app_runner/submitter/slurm_submitter.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..71841613
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app_runner/src/app_runner/submitter/slurm_submitter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+from typing import TextIO
+
+from app_runner.specs.submitter_spec import SubmitterSlurmSpec
+
+
+class SubmitterSlurm:
+    def __init__(self, spec: SubmitterSlurmSpec) -> None:
+        self._spec = spec
+
+    def submit(self) -> None:
+        # TODO this should receive basically the main command, create the slurm script and then submit it...
+        #      -> specific configuration is needed
+        pass
+
+    def compose_script(self, out: TextIO) -> None:
+        print("#!/bin/bash", file=out)
+        for arg in self._spec.to_slurm_args():
+            print(f"#SBATCH {arg}", file=out)
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 100ecb51..fad8b2a2 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ dev = [
     "licensecheck",
     "nox",
     "uv",
+    "ipython",
 ]
 doc = ["mkdocs", "mkdocs-material", "mkdocstrings[python]"]
 test = ["pytest", "pytest-mock", "logot"]
diff --git a/tests/app_runner/specs/app/test_submitters.yml b/tests/app_runner/specs/app/test_submitters.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3723ad11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/app_runner/specs/app/test_submitters.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+submitters:
+  submitter:
+    type: "slurm22"
+    n_cpus: 1
+    partition: xyz
+    memory: 1G
+    local_script_dir: "/tmp/local_script_dir"
+    worker_scratch_dir: "/tmp/worker_scratch_dir"
diff --git a/tests/app_runner/specs/test_submitter_spec.py b/tests/app_runner/specs/test_submitter_spec.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c99b5e8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/app_runner/specs/test_submitter_spec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import pytest
+
+from app_runner.specs.submitter_spec import SubmitterSlurmSpec
+from app_runner.specs.submitter_ref import SubmitterRef
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def spec_base_data() -> dict[str, str | int]:
+    return {
+        "partition": "prx",
+        "nodelist": "fgcz-r-033",
+        "n_nodes": 1,
+        "n_tasks": 1,
+        "n_cpus": 1,
+        "memory": "1G",
+        "custom_args": {},
+        "local_script_dir": "/home/bfabric/prx",
+        "worker_scratch_dir": "/scratch",
+    }
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def spec_base(spec_base_data) -> SubmitterSlurmSpec:
+    return SubmitterSlurmSpec.model_validate(spec_base_data)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def specs_base(spec_base) -> dict[str, SubmitterSlurmSpec]:
+    return {"slurm": spec_base}
+
+
+# TODO
+# def test_ban_extra_arg_in_main_spec(spec_base_data):
+#    spec_base_data["custom_args"]["cpus-per-task"] = "5"
+#    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+#        SubmitterSlurmSpec.model_validate(spec_base_data)
+
+
+def test_resolve(specs_base):
+    ref = SubmitterRef(name="slurm", config={"n_nodes": 2})
+    resolved = ref.resolve(specs_base)
+    assert resolved.memory == "1G"
+    assert resolved.n_nodes == 2