The Bernd Steinacher Fellowship was established in 2010 to sustain the values and interests brought to METREX by the late Bernd Steinacher, who was Director of Verband Region Stuttgart and President of METREX from 2004 until 2008. Funded by METREX and Verband Region Stuttgart, the Fellowship seeks to promote the metropolitan dimensions and is awarded every two years with candidates drawn from METREX member regions or areas.
The 2024-25 Fellowship has been awarded to Ioana Ivanov, an expert in urban and territorial development based in Romania. Ms. Ivanov will focus the two year project on funding mechanisms operating and available to metropolitan regions and areas across Europe.
Metropolitan areas in Europe provide various services and guide the development of the territories they encompass based on integrated development strategies and plans. Considering their increased roles and popularity in recent years, funding mechanisms must catch up, to be able to provide suitable and sustainable funding.
This is particularly important to reduce the dependence on European funds and achieve self-financing, and to build trust in cooperation and joint metropolitan projects. Some examples and approaches used by European countries and metropolitan areas include dedicated national funding, governmental support, metropolitan (revolving) funds, or membership fees.
While existing and potential financing mechanisms depend to a large extent on governance and administrative models, common aspects can be identified. For example, a combination of fiscal autonomy, equitable cost-sharing, and grant financing can support the self-financing of metropolitan areas.
The project will include interviews and surveys with METREX Members about the different governance models they use, the competences they cover, the funding mechanisms available to them, and what added-value derives from these different mechanisms.
The project updates and results will be shared at forthcoming METREX bi-annual conferences.
About Ioana Ivanov
Ioana Ivanov is a senior urban and regional development expert, with a specialization in urban management, and strategic planning. Her expertise includes territorial and socio-economic analysis, public administration, stakeholder management and engagement, urban and metropolitan development and planning, and territorial cooperation.
Throughout her career, Ioana has been deeply engaged in projects spanning local, regional, national, and European levels, gaining extensive experience in territorial and urban development and cooperation. Her portfolio includes coordination and participation in various technical assistance, planning and capacity building projects, encompassing integrated and sectoral strategies, plans, studies and policy recommendations in the field of territorial, urban, and metropolitan development.
Ioana’s international experience includes expert roles in European projects focused on territorial development, functional approaches, and cross-border interactions. She has facilitated knowledge transfer between European cities and regions, contributing to the exchange of best practices and innovative solutions.
Having worked with organizations such as Brașov Metropolitan Agency for Sustainable Development (AMB), the Romanian Centre for European Policy, CIVITTA consulting group, the World Bank, and Urban 2020 Association, Ioana has honed her skills in providing advisory services and capacity building across sectors and policy scales. She is currently coordinating the development of the Territorial Development Plan for Brasov Metropolitan Area, and the participation of AMB in the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Food.
Ioana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urbanism and Territorial Planning and a Master’s degree in Urban Management for Competitive Cities from the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism Bucharest. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics, her research focuses on reducing regional disparities through public policies, with an emphasis on urban functional areas and metropolitan areas.
