The £3.7m five-year programme, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, will begin in May 2026. It aims to investigate the effectiveness and implementation of ‘workplace health and wellbeing initiatives that are free at the point of use to workplaces’, known as WHISPAs. These are offered freely to employers and funded by local government or voluntary and community organisations. The research will focus on small and medium-sized organisations with less th

When a new research project starts to gather momentum, the pressure to deliver can build quickly. Timelines move fast, and there’s often a long list of deliverables - events to organise, budgets to track, team members to coordinate, stakeholders and advisory board members to keep updated – with the responsibility often falling to the Principal Investigator, unless additional research support is in place. That’s where a great Project Officer makes all the difference.

As the year draws to a close and things start to slow down (at least a little), it feels like a good moment to pause and reflect. Not just on what’s been achieved, but on what’s been learned along the way — about the business, about growth, and about how we want to work.

If you’ve ever started researching productivity tools, you’ll know how overwhelming the choice can be — hundreds of platforms claiming to save you time, automate your day, or “transform” the way you work. But in reality, most teams stick to just a handful of tools that genuinely make life easier. Here’s a look at the tools our clients actually rely on — and the ones we’ve quietly stopped recommending.

If you’re running your own consultancy, you’ll know the tension between wanting to grow and not wanting to lose control. You’ve built a business around your expertise, relationships and personal reputation, so how do you decide what to outsource, and what to keep close?

At The Remote Assistant, we work with Principal Investigators and research support teams to provide structured, flexible support across the full project lifecycle. From resourcing and finance admin to marketing and event delivery, we help keep everything moving, without adding pressure to the team.

Four years ago, The Remote Assistant was just me — working from my spare bedroom with my laptop, two clients, and a dream that one day I’d turn my passion for supporting others would become my future. Fast-forward to today and we’re an aspiring six-figure business, now running as an agency, with a brilliant team of multi-skilled Virtual Assistants.

Four years ago, The Remote Assistant was just me — working from my spare bedroom with my laptop, two clients, and a dream that one day I’d turn my passion for supporting others would become my future. Fast-forward to today and we’re an aspiring six-figure business, now running as an agency, with a brilliant team of multi-skilled Virtual Assistants.

There are multiple areas to consider when budgeting for an academic research project: employing research staff, purchasing equipment and materials, data collection costs, and organising dissemination activities, just to name a few! ather than attempting to manage everything yourself, working with a Virtual Assistant offers a flexible, cost-effective alternative.

When you first start out as a solo consultant, you wear all the hats: marketing, admin, bookkeeping, operations — and somewhere in there, actually delivering your service. But as your client base grows, something’s got to give.

It’s been a whirlwind of work since getting back from the Midlands VA Conference — and what a day it was. The energy was electric from the start.

Remote work in the UK continues to evolve through 2025, influenced by employee preferences and organisational strategies.

The jump from running a steady operation to scaling towards six figures (and beyond) isn’t about working harder — it’s about working smarter

Delegating just 10 hours a month can have a profound impact on your business, freeing you to focus on the strategic aspects of your business

As we start 2025, there’s no better time to take control of your schedule and design your ideal week by structuring your time effectively

I initially joined Entrepreneurs Circle looking for regular networking opportunities. What I found was far more valuable.

Outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant has become an essential strategy for businesses looking to maximise efficiency and minimise costs

Here are five key tasks that you can delegate to a virtual assistant to help streamline your workload and focus on growing your business.

With new trends, tools, and platforms emerging regularly, it’s essential to implement the right digital marketing strategies to stay ahead

Some practical strategies to help you scale your consultancy business without burning out