S-MultiStor is a three years initiative to investigate and demonstrate improved approaches to sustainable multi-purpose storage, aiming to make a measurable impact on sustainable development. The initiative is global in scope but includes concentrated activates in the Zambezi Basin of southern Africa, the Magdalena Basin of Colombia, and the Irrawaddy Basin of Myanmar. It creates a common research and innovation platform where researchers, planners, resource managers, and other decision-makers collaborate in the co-design and co-development of research and innovation activities.