Resumo. Abstract Aim To report possible academic experiences as strategic contributions to help manage reservoirs ensuring multipurpose uses. Methods In this opinion article, we point out and discuss academic activities that are usually developed to assess environmental studies in reservoirs. Results Experience shows that various contributions can be highlighted in reservoir management, as well as direct contributions for decision-making of the environmental authorities involved, such as: i) development of experimental procedures to solve specific problems; ii) sampling planning activities; iii) analysis, integration and synthesis of data; iv) qualification of human resources, etc. It is important to mention that all academic activities reported in this article are potentially publishable in scientific journals (knowledge areas: environmental management, limnology, sanitation, public health and aquatic ecology). Conclusions According to the related activities, we identified strong academic orientation (water quality determination, greenhouse gas inventories and water quality simulation using mathematical models, aquatic macrophyte decomposition and growth experiments) for reservoir management.