This year’s installandi

Inaugural lecture

As a new professor at Halmstad University, you will hold an open inaugural lecture of about 30 minutes, including a Q&A session. The lecture will take place in the same week as the academic ceremony (3 and 4 November 2026), where the honorary doctor who will be conferred will also give his introductory lecture.

You choose whether you want to give your lecture in Swedish or English. Swedish may be preferred as the lectures are open to the public.

Academic ceremony – the day of the ceremony, 6 November

The academic ceremony day contains many programme items, see below. To give you an idea of the day and the different parts, we have summarised the most important things here. More detailed information and practical instructions will be obtained from the University’s event coordinator.

Professor’s lunch

The day of the ceremony begins with a professor’s lunch at Halmstad Castle hosted by the County Governor. You are welcome to the lunch, where the University’s management, this year’s installandi and the new honorary doctor participate together with the University’s already inaugurated professors and the President of the Student Union. No relatives are invited to the lunch. Transport by bus is offered from the University to Halmstad Castle and after lunch, from the castle to Halmstad Theater, where the ceremony takes place.

You must register for the lunch. You do this at the same time as you register for the academic ceremony (in the same registration).

You cannot participate only at the lunch. You have to be at the ceremony as well.

The ceremony

The academic ceremony will take place at Halmstad Theater. For you, it begins with mingling and a procession. Other items on the programme include the inauguration of professors, the conferment of doctoral degrees and the recognition of other academic achievements. Music and various ceremonial speeches are also part of the ceremony.

Mingle and procession

Before the ceremony, those who will participate in the procession gather for a mingle. When you arrive at Halmstad Theater, staff on site will inform you where the mingle is taking place.

The procession includes marshals, Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Chairman of the University Governing Board, guests of honour, installandi and promovendi, honorary doctors, Student Union President, professors who have already been inaugurated, visiting professors and adjunct professors. The procession goes ceremonially – to music – in formation (two rows) through the theatre’s auditorium to the stage. Staff on site will inform you where in the procession you should be.

When the procession enters the theater auditorium, the installandi and promovendi go up on stage and take their seats. These locations will be labeled. Installandi and promovendi remain on stage throughout the ceremony. Other processional participants go to designated seats in the front rows of the auditorium.

Registration, dinner and seating

Even as a formal guest, you must register yourself and your guest/s for the various programme items. Installandi is allowed to invite six guests to the dinner. You and three guests participate free of charge. You can invite three more guests to the dinner at a cost of SEK 190 per person, which you pay for yourself.

Registration is done via the link in the email invitation that you receive in September. Please note that the invitation and registration link are personal and non-transferable.

You and your guests are seated at dinner. Staff on site will inform you where to sit.

During dinner, entertainment is offered and after dinner there will be dancing.

Guests at the ceremony

You can invite several guests to the ceremony free of charge. You must register your guests. You do this by sending an email to the University’s event group. Guests who participate only during the ceremony will be instructed by staff on site on where to sit in the auditorium.

Register guests for (ceremony only): event@hh.se

Dress code

• Guests at the lunch at Halmstad Castle: formal attire or dark suit.

• In the procession and during the ceremony, the University’s already inaugurated professors wear the University’s professor’s cape. After the ceremony, the capes are collected. Other participants in the procession: formal attire or dark suit.

• Other guests at the ceremony and dinner: festive attire.

Use of doctoral hat

If you have been conferred and have a doctoral hat, you are welcome to bring it with you to the academic ceremony. Until the conferment part of the ceremony, the hat should be on your lap. You put on your hat at the same time as the promoter puts on their conferment wreath and encourages the guests who have a doctor’s hat to put on their hat. You then have your hat on your head for the rest of the ceremony. Foreign doctoral hats are allowed. A general rule for the use of doctoral hats is that it is worn when the promoter wears their wreath.