In a five day visit to Sweden, Serageldin held several fruitful meetings with the heads of major cultural institutions in Gothenburg and Stockholm, such as the National Library of Sweden, the National Museums of World Culture, the Tällberg Foundation, the Swedish Institute, and the Stockholm International Water Institute. Serageldin also met with the Minister for Culture and Democracy and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and State Secretary to the Minister of Higher Education.
At the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg and the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm, Serageldin gave a talk entitled "The Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Rebirth and Revolution", a lecture which has captivated audiences in many parts of the world. During Serageldin’s visit to The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, a showing of the Egypt Exhibition was held by Egyptologist Sofia Häggman.
It is worth mentioning that in 2010, The Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg, whose mission is to promote scientific research and support higher education, elected Ismail Serageldin to be a Foreign Member of the Society.