Santa Eulària des Riu has launched a new €50,000 programme designed to encourage young professionals who left Ibiza to study or work to return to the municipality.

The fourth edition of the municipality's young-talent return scheme offers grants of between €1,000 and €5,000, depending on whether applicants return to take up employment or establish their own professional or business project.

The initiative is aimed at young people with previous ties to Santa Eulària who want to rebuild their professional life on the island.

Who can apply?

The programme is open to people under 35 who are registered in Santa Eulària des Riu and who can demonstrate a previous connection with the municipality.

One of the main requirements is that applicants must have been registered in Santa Eulària for at least five consecutive years, or for eight of the ten years immediately before moving away.

Applicants must also generally hold a university degree completed outside Ibiza.

There is an additional route for people who studied on the island: they can also qualify if they can demonstrate that they worked outside Ibiza for at least one year before the application deadline.

Up to €1,500 for returning to a local job

The first grant category is aimed at young professionals returning to Santa Eulària to take a salaried position with a company based in the municipality.

The maximum grant is €1,500.

Applicants must be employed and paying into the social security system during the period covered by the scheme, from September 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027, with a minimum of eight months of employment.

The position must also have a professional category connected to the applicant's university qualification.

Up to €1,000 for jobs elsewhere on Ibiza

A second category applies to people who return to Santa Eulària but take a salaried job with a company whose workplace is located in another municipality on Ibiza.

The maximum grant in this case is €1,000.

The same minimum eight-month employment requirement applies, and the work performed must be related to the applicant's university qualification.

Up to €5,000 to start a business in Santa Eulària

The largest grant is available to applicants who return and create their own professional or business project in Santa Eulària.

The maximum payment is €5,000.

Applicants must register as self-employed or through the mutual insurance scheme of the relevant professional college, where applicable.

The main professional activity or registered office must be located in Santa Eulària. For self-employed applicants who do not require a professional qualification to carry out their activity, the rules use their tax address for this purpose.

Up to €3,000 for projects elsewhere on Ibiza

The fourth category is designed for applicants who return to Santa Eulària but establish a business or professional project in another municipality on the island.

The maximum grant is €3,000.

The applicant must still maintain the required connection with Santa Eulària under the conditions of the programme.

The programme is about more than employment

The municipality says the aim is not simply to attract workers back.

The scheme is intended to encourage qualified young people to return to Santa Eulària and contribute to the local economy, either by joining existing businesses or creating new professional activities and companies.

The programme therefore combines employment support with entrepreneurship assistance.

46 grants awarded in previous editions

The new call continues a programme that has already supported young people returning to Santa Eulària.

According to the Town Hall, the first three editions awarded 46 grants in total.

Five were awarded in the first edition, followed by 20 in the second and 21 in the third.

The fourth edition now adds another €50,000 in available funding.

Linked to Santa Eulària Crea Futur

The return programme forms part of the municipality's wider Santa Eulària Crea Futur strategy.

That strategy addresses several issues affecting the municipality's future, including employment, entrepreneurship and access to housing.

The Town Hall is also working on the future construction of around 110 limited-price homes in Es Puig d'en Valls and Santa Eulària.

It has additionally allocated €119,000 to first-home purchase assistance and says it has invested more than €2.33 million in rental assistance since 2020.

Why attracting young professionals matters

The programme is designed around a simple challenge facing many island communities: people who leave to study or build their careers may not always return.

By offering financial support for employment and entrepreneurship, Santa Eulària is attempting to create another route back for qualified residents with existing ties to the municipality.

The grants are intended to help cover part of the transition involved in returning while also encouraging people to establish longer-term professional activity on Ibiza.

Applications must be submitted online

Applications for the 2026 programme must be submitted exclusively through the Santa Eulària des Riu electronic office.

The application period is 20 working days, beginning on the day after publication of the extract of the call in the Butlletí Oficial de les Illes Balears.

The municipality says the call will remain open into October.

What returning applicants need to consider

Potential applicants should check the conditions of the specific grant category carefully before applying.

The requirements differ depending on whether someone is returning for salaried employment or self-employment, and whether their workplace or business is located in Santa Eulària or elsewhere on Ibiza.

The eight-month employment requirement is particularly important for the two salaried categories.

Those planning to establish a business must also meet the relevant self-employment or professional-registration requirements.

A programme aimed at bringing talent back

The initiative is part of a broader effort by Santa Eulària to make it easier for young people with local ties to build their future on the island.

For some applicants, the grant could support a return to an existing job. For others, it could provide financial assistance during the first stage of establishing a business or professional activity.

The municipality says the ultimate goal is to help young people develop their professional and personal lives in Santa Eulària.

Four ways to receive support

The 2026 programme can provide:

Up to €1,500 for returning to work for a company in Santa Eulària.

Up to €1,000 for returning to Santa Eulària while working for a company elsewhere on Ibiza.

Up to €5,000 for creating a professional or business project in Santa Eulària.

Up to €3,000 for creating a project elsewhere on Ibiza while maintaining the required connection with Santa Eulària.

Santa Eulària tries to make returning home easier

For young Ibicencans who left the island for university or work, returning can involve finding suitable employment, establishing a business and rebuilding a long-term base on Ibiza.

Santa Eulària's latest programme addresses part of that challenge through direct financial support.

The €50,000 allocation is limited, and grants are subject to the eligibility conditions and procedures set out in the official call.

A fourth edition for 2026

The launch of the fourth edition shows that the municipality intends to continue the programme rather than treat it as a one-off initiative.

With 46 grants already awarded during the first three editions, the Town Hall is now expanding the programme for another year.

The focus remains on attracting qualified young residents back to Santa Eulària and strengthening the municipality's employment and business base.

Helping young people build their future on Ibiza

The new grants do not guarantee employment or business success, and they are not available to every person who has previously lived on the island.

They are targeted at a specific group of young professionals who meet the residency, education and employment conditions established in the call.

For those who qualify, however, the programme offers financial support of up to €5,000 towards returning and establishing a professional future in Santa Eulària.

With applications now open following publication of the call, the municipality is once again inviting qualified young people with ties to Santa Eulària to consider bringing their careers back to Ibiza.