- The “EKINN Residency” programme for young people in Donostia enables young local talent to set up enterprise/innovation projects in the city.
- As many as 16 young local people have access to temporary rotational accommodation over 6 months up to 2 years at the EKINN or TALENT HOUSE buildings, with 30%-60% rental discounts.
San Sebastián Town Hall has again introduced the “EKINN Residency” programme through its Fomento de San Sebastián vehicle. The scheme sets out to provide accommodation for young talent in Donostia, those working on an innovative enterprise project, and also those engaged to carry out a project for a local innovative company.
This means a stay of between 6 months and 2 years for young natives of Donostia developing their professional career in our city. Fomento de San Sebastián will be allocating a total of 16 apartments in the EKINN and TALENT HOUSE buildings.
According to Local Economy and Employment Councillor Ane Oyarbide, “this is just one of the many programmes launched by the Town Hall through Fomento de San Sebastián, as part of a clear, solid undertaking to attract young talent to our city and keep it there. Because there is no point having a powerful science and innovation ecosystem if we fail to provide resources to enable our young entrepreneurs to carry out their professional life projects there, and all the more so in a context in which they are finding it so difficult to secure accommodation. This is an important measure to ensure that all their work and knowledge will create added value and will be put back into the city”.
The presentation of the programme was also attended by young people such as Ander, 33, a native of Donostia who has been living at the Talent House for a year, and who claims that “Talent House was a unique opportunity to come back to my native city from overseas and start off with guarantees, with proper living standards, comparable or even better to the conditions I experienced in countries such as Germany or the United Kingdom”. He added: “it is a privilege to get into Talent House and find all I need to live and work comfortably and easily from day one”.
Sugoi, whose stay has now come to an end, felt that “the chance of living at Talent House was a considerable boost to my career, because it enabled me to develop my skills in a creative, collaborative environment, and also make valuable professional connections. The experience opened up a door to new opportunities and helped me bolster my professional perspective, which was essential to help me expand in the sector."
Anyone wishing to go on the programme must submit a motivational letter, be under 35 years old, and have links to San Sebastián through one of the following options:
- born in San Sebastián.
- registered as resident in the city for the last 15 years.
- official qualifications from San Sebastián’s university faculties and/or schools, and registered as resident in the city for the last 10 years.
Applicants must also be on one of the innovative enterprise programmes launched by Fomento de San Sebastián within the last two years or, in the case of young employees, they must have been doing so on one of the schemes for the engagement of qualified young people offered to Donostia companies by the Municipal Company.
This makes young entrepreneurs eligible for accommodation over 1-2 years, and 6 months to 2 years for any young people engaged by local businesses. Rental discounts vary between 30% and 60%.
The “EKINN Residency” programme forms part of the Fomento de San Sebastián’s strategy to generate development opportunities for young people in Donostia and roll out measures for training, employment and housing to attract and maintain young local talent. The strategy includes, for example, overseas accommodation and grants or initiatives to encourage entrepreneurial activities, on the EKINN+ programme.
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