Honorary Doctorate Award to Dr Reinfried MANSBERGER

Debre Markos University has awarded the first honorary doctorate of Science, HONORIS CAUSA, to Dr Reinfried MANSBERGER as recognition of his unreserved efforts towards academics (teaching-learning, research and community service) and designing and successfully implementing of grant projects. The university, being the main project area of the grants, we feel honored when we award the degree to Dr Reinfried MANSBERGER.

Reinfried MANSBERGER is an Assistant Professor of photogrammetry/Land Administration, at the Institute of Geomatics at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna. He got his Master’s degree in surveying from Vienna University of Technology. In 1993, he obtained his PhD degree at BOKU, Vienna. His research work is focusing on Land Information, Land Administration Systems, and Photogrammetry. Within the last decades, he has been involved in several international projects focused on developing as well as improving land administration systems and land use monitoring. Reinfried MANSBERGER has a lot of experience in teaching using modern teaching and learning technologies (e.g. e-Learning, project-based learning). Reinfried Mansberger is the Austrian delegate and vice-head of a Working Group (Learning and Teaching Methodology of Commission 2 of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG). Reinfried MANSBERGER has published more than 125 articles in reputable Journals, in Conference Proceedings and in Book Chapters. He is editor of two book series and in the editorial board of two journals.

We are very much privileged when we award the first honorary doctorate to Dr Reinfried MANSBERGER, for the indispensable contribution to our university with respect to grant projects and academics. He is awarded the first honorary doctorate since the EduLAND2 project was the first grant project in the history of Debre Markos University. Dr. Reinfried has Known Debre Markos University since 2011 when Dr Sayeh Kassaw was admitted for his PhD studies at BOKU. Cognizant of our pitfalls towards partnership and networking to international organizations, Dr Sayeh was eager to create partnership and he used effectively the opportunity. It was on the third date of arrival that he requested his advisors Professor Helmut FUCHS and Dr Reinfried MANSBERGER, on how to upgrade the private PhD scholarship to institutional partnership. Dr Reinfried was motivated to work together with Debre Markos University as partner and Sister University to BOKU. Immediately, with the facilitation role of Dr Reinfried, the partnership between the three universities (BOKU, TUW and DMU), later incorporating BDU was launched as the initiative of the three academic staff of the three universities (Dr Reinfried from BOKU, Dr Gerhard from TUW and Dr Sayeh from DMU). Then, the partnership was launched and the following achievements have been recorded by Reinfried MANSBERGER hard work and coaching role. The main projects under his coordination and membership are:

1. Implementation and Enhancement of Academic Land Administration Education and Training in Ethiopia

• This was six months project fund in APPEAR preparatory funding program with 15 000 Euros grant (March 01 – August 31/2014). The funding agency for this preparatory funding was Austrian Development Cooperation via Austrian Partnership Program in Higher Education and Research for Development (APPEAR). This preparatory fund was really very foundational to establish the partnership at institutional level and to understand each partner universities working environment

2. Implementation of Academic Land Administration Education in Ethiopia for Supporting Sustainable Development (EduLAND2)

• This was four years grant project fund in APPEAR Academic Partnership Program with a grant of 490 000 Euros. Just like the preparatory project, the funding agency for this grant project was Austrian Development Cooperation via Austrian Partnership Program in Higher Education and Research for Development (APPEAR). With the support of this fund, the institute of land administration has been established at Debre Markos University. To mention some achievements of this project, precise survey equipment with proportionate national price of 8.5 million Birr are bought from abroad and donated to Institute of Land Administration at DMU; two lecturers attended their PhD and reinstated in the institute of land administration completing their studies; two computer labs have been furnished and well organized; joint researches had been conducted and more than 12 articles are published in reputable journals; trainings on skill courses are delivered to land administration professionals from federal to kebele levels. The training had also addressed land administration committees/farmers at kebele level. The project activities and achievements are communicated to the international scientific community in an international conference organized by World Bank, Washington DC, in 2019.

3. Implementation of Academic Geomatics Education in Ethiopia for Supporting Sustainable Development (Edu4Geo2 Project)

• This is three years grant project which is in the component of APPEAR Advanced Academic Partnership Program with a grant of 390 000Euros. It has been started first of March 2023. It focuses on opening master program in geomatics and fulfillment of teaching and learning materials. In this project, besides other work packages, state of the art technologies like collecting geo-data by using UAVs and establishing Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) at Debre Markos University main campus are planned to be executed.

4. Land Information for Land Management (Li4LaM) Project:

• This is again three years grant project with a grant fund of 709 000 Euros which is planned to be executed by the consortium effort of eight universities (DMU, BDU, WU and AAU) from Ethiopia Universities, others from northern partners (BOKU, TUW, University of Ljubljana and Agricultural University in Krakow). The funding agency for this project is the European Union and it has started its main mandates 01 January 2023. The main focus of the project is modernization of the curriculum as well as incorporating state of the art teaching and learning technologies in the Ethiopian education system. It is also planned to conduct case studies by using new technologies in land management practices

5. Rural Women’s Right to Access to Land in North-West Ethiopia: Challenges and Limits (WA2Land)

• This is two years research project with 35 000 Euros and it is ongoing. The funding agency of this project is again Austria Development Cooperation via Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalization (OEAD)

6. Africa UniNet Founding member

• Due to our strengthened partnership, Debre Markos University has become the founding member of Africa UniNet alliances. This focuses on partnership towards academics between Austrian and African Universities. Different programs in the university are working towards academics with Austrian partner universities as a result of this alliance.

Besides, Dr Reinfried had substantially participated in advising three DMU PhD students who are on duty at DMU, currently. He is also advising one PhD student currently and three others from the institute of land administration will be admitted at TUW and BOKU the next academic year. Thus, for his astonishing achievements, Debre Markos University has awarded the first honorary doctorate to Dr Reinfried Mansberger, on July 20/2023. We are also very much thankful to all funding agencies with special gratitude to APPEAR which is strongly supporting DMU by strengthening the basic asset of the economy, land, in Ethiopia.