With the launch of the L.I.S.A. interactive and multimedia science portal the Gerda Henkel Foundation offers an online platform for the exchange of ideas, collaboration, and networking in the Historical Humanities. The L.I.S.A. acronym derives from the portal's main capabilities – to read, inform, write, and exchange, or in German: Lesen, Informieren, Schreiben and Austauschen. L.I.S.A. also evokes the name of the founder of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, Lisa Maskell, who in 1976 set the Foundation up in memory of her mother, Gerda Henkel.
The initiative aims to make available contributions from all areas of the historical sciences, archaeology, and art history, so addressing the demand for interdisciplinary information on the historical humanities. L.I.S.A. - the Gerda Henkel Foundation's science portal is publicly accessible since spring 2010. Gerda Henkel Foundation scholarship holders and project partners, as well as anyone else that has an interest in the historical humanities, are invited to share their knowledge on the portal. Internationally renowned academics and young researchers will be able to take part via conference reporting, literary reviews, event announcements, pod casts, dossiers, expert chats and online lectures. The portal contains text, image, and video elements.