ESRs, PIs, associated partners and invited international experts came together in November 2018 for the 1^st Annual SLATE Workshop, which took place at MARUM, University of Bremen, Germany. The kick-off workshop introduced and discussed research and training aims within the SLATE project, while providing the novice ESRs with a state-of-the-art review of submarine landslide research as well as technical workshops and expert courses to create a common working base. Further emphasis was put on the establishment of contacts between the partners and the development of strong research synergies that will continue throughout (and hopefully beyond) the life cycle of the SLATE project.

The workshop started with a warm welcome by the director of the MARUM (Michael Schulz) and an introductory talk by the project manager (Katrin Huhn) outlining the general SLATE structure and research aims. Three key-note lectures delivered the current state of research on submarine landslides along continental margins in terms of (I) pre-failure processes, (II) post-failure processes, and (III) associated hazards – all of which was picked up in the public lecture by Christian Berndt (GEOMAR, Kiel) on tsunamogenic ocean island collapse at Ritter Island.

During the workshop, ESR students presented and discussed their preliminary research ideas and held their first Personal Training and Career Development Committee (PDPC) meeting with their main and co-supervisors to plan secondments and major milestones for the upcoming months. Technical workshops focussed on geophysical mapping techniques and the visualization of data, while an expert course was designed to improve scientific writing skills.

To promote network coherence, we arranged for a social evening with a joint dinner and arranged a fieldtrip on the last workshop day to visit the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) as well as the Climate House in Bremerhaven.