Hydrology faces critical challenges in reproducibility, accessibility and collaboration, limiting progress and innovation. This article introduces 'moving research down the academic career scale' (MRDTACS): the idea that work should be reproducible by someone at an earlier career stage and in less time than the original work. We advocate for research tools and methods to be accessible to students and early career researchers. By embedding open and findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR) principles, modular tool design and user-friendly interfaces, we can lower barriers to reproducibility and foster equitable participation in hydrological research. Herein, we highlight practical strategies to empower researchers at all levels to build on existing work, reducing time spent overcoming technical challenges and enabling a deeper focus on innovation. When existing technologies and tools do not meet hydrology's advancing needs and innovation is needed, we use eWaterCycle to illustrate how we have practically implemented open and FAIR principles to support MRDTACS. This approach advances equity and inclusivity while strengthening collaboration across academic and professional communities. By prioritizing reproducibility and transparency, we can create a more resilient and effective hydrological science field equipped to tackle urgent global challenges. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Hydrology in the 21st century: challenges in science, to policy and practice'.