Birmingham Brain Tumour Network | The Remote Assistant

Case Study: Supporting the Birmingham Brain Tumour Network - From Project Launch to Seamless Delivery

At The Remote Assistant, we specialise in providing flexible, skilled support to higher education teams and research projects that need to deliver results without the overhead of employed project support. Our collaboration with the Birmingham Brain Tumour Network is a perfect example of how we help academics to operate more efficiently and effectively in delivering complex events and key deliverables.

Challenge: A New Grant Awarded with No Dedicated Project Support

In May 2025, the Birmingham Brain Tumour Network had just been awarded a year’s funding to help launch their network. With a major 90-person symposium, their first key deliverable, set to take place in June. With no project support in place, they needed someone who could step in quickly and take the lead on coordinating the project team, planning the symposium logistics, and launching the project across the various networks at the University of Birmingham.

That’s where we came in.

Our Approach: Immediate, Impactful Support

From the outset, our virtual Project Officer, Thandi, became fully embedded in the project and took ownership of the conference delivery. With limited time and numerous moving parts, she coordinated the event end-to-end, from advertising and delegate communications to finances, venue logistics, speaker coordination, and on-site support.

The result? A well-run, well-received symposium that earned positive feedback from both the internal team and attendees. But our support didn’t stop there.

Ongoing Support Across the Project Lifecycle

Following the success of the symposium, Thandi continued to provide project-wide support, helping the team keep up momentum and stay on track with delivery. Over the following months, she:

Started planning a second major symposium (scheduled for November 2025) while continuing to coordinate stakeholder meetings and workshops.
Launched the project newsletter, keeping key stakeholders and collaborators up to date with progress.
Oversaw operational finance – managing the project budget, onboarding and paying suppliers, and liaising with the Finance department to ensure financial records were accurate and up-to-date.
Booked venues and meeting rooms, freeing up valuable time for the Principal Investigator to focus on content and collaboration.
Created a Microsoft Teams group to support communication between key stakeholders and the project team, to build a stronger sense of community across the Network.
Began developing a new website for the Network – a more challenging, longer-term project designed to showcase their research findings and resources.

Impact: Professionalism, Structure and Peace of Mind

Our involvement gave the Birmingham Brain Tumour Network structure, clarity, and a reliable point of contact during a busy and high-pressure time. From administrative coordination to community-building and communications, our work helped transform a stretched team into one that felt supported and able to focus on high-impact work.

As Thandi put it:

“This has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career. It’s pushed me to grow professionally, given me the chance to work closely with a dedicated research team, and shown me just how much impact the right support can have on a project’s success”

Why It Matters for Higher Education Institutions

Many academic and research teams are operating under tight timelines and budget constraints. They need flexible, high-quality support that can provide a quick turnaround -without the worry of costs or extensive recruitment processes for hiring employed team members.

At The Remote Assistant, we provide:

Skilled professionals who understand the demands of research teams and projects
Immediate capacity when it's most needed
Confidence that projects will be delivered professionally
A proactive approach to problem-solving and collaboration

Whether it’s support for a new project or managing an event, we’re here to help research teams work more efficiently.