The authors developed a collaboration between researchers and practitioners from the US, France and Australia emerging from conversations in Melbourne and Brisbane in 2023 to share ideas resulting in four key 'ingredients' for effective waterway management 1) a strategic planning framework, 2) collaborative research models, 3) innovative planning and spatial tools, and 4) engagement practices for meaningful collaboration. Research plays a fundamental role in supporting continuous improvement in waterway management, such as developing a deeper understanding of waterway ecosystems, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of interventions, and assessment of intervention success. We propose that collaborative research among public watershed managers, academia and the community significantly improves the ability to identify both problems and solutions in urban watershed management. Successful research collaborations are where research investment is directed towards the most important questions, where research outputs are timely and relevant, academic freedom is encouraged, the research agenda is flexible to emerging issues, and the research program delivers long-term value to both researchers and managers. Drawing on multiple case studies from Australia, USA, and France, we identified key themes that we believe underpin successful long-term research collaboration: 1. Having a common purpose for collaborative research, 2. Relationships built on trust and respect, 3. Balancing needs and expectations of multiple partners, 4. Shared decision-making about research priorities, 5. Co-design and co-delivery of research, 6. Dedicated roles for establishing collaborations and facilitating research adoption and 7. Building collaboration resilience.