A leading scientist has slated the Government's 10 science challenges for failing "to throw up anything that is really new or innovative".

The challenges were announced yesterday, with the Government saying it hoped they would provide a focus for research and lead to more value from its spending in the sector.

The challenges deal mostly with health, environmental and economic issues, and natural disasters. They include reducing the burden of major health problems and developing high-value foods with validated health benefits.

They were chosen after suggestions from the public, science sector and science users were analysed by an expert panel.

But Professor Shaun Hendy, from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at Victoria University, was left disappointed.

"Of the 10 science challenges selected, only one really addresses one of the key economic challenges our country faces: namely the over-dependence of our economy on the primary sector," he said.

"Our government invests far less in physical sciences and engineering than those of other small advanced economies, leaving our economy perilously exposed to volatile commodity markets."

Having one of the challenges "simply aimed at making better use of physical science and engineering research is disappointing, given that we have just created a new organisation, Callaghan Innovation, to do exactly this", Prof Hendy said.

He is deputy director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Victoria.

"I would have preferred to see New Zealand set itself the challenge of investing more in science in this sector, rather than just look to rearrange the deckchairs once more."

The challenges would "look like business as usual to many, albeit with a stronger focus on health sciences". That perhaps reflected the expert panel's interest in the sector, Prof Hendy said.

The panel was chaired by the Prime Minister's chief science adviser, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman.

It warned the success of the challenges was threatened by deficiencies in the standards of science education, communication and literacy, and in the application of knowledge in public-sector decision-making at all levels.

It proposed a separate special challenge to the country's leadership to deal with those deficits.

"The deficits we are addressing here are longstanding and distinguish us in a disadvantageous way from most other countries to which we would wish to compare ourselves," the panel said.

"We see this challenge as the most important and of the highest priority, and implementation of this challenge should be regarded as critical."

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced yesterday a further $73.5 million over four years would be provided to support the challenges.

That was on top of new funding of $60m over four years allocated to the challenges programme in last year's Budget.

In a Cabinet paper, Mr Joyce said the challenges would ensure the Government's investment in science had greater impact.

Greater clarity in the direction of long-term science funding would enable researchers, end-users and organisations to embark on new research programmes with greater certainty, he said.

The challenges programme will be overseen by an enhanced Science Board.

Mr Joyce emphasised the challenges were "not the be-all and end-all of the science budget".

"Very, very significant sums are allocated through other mechanisms, such as the Marsden (Fund), Health Research Council, the various contestable funds, through the CRIs, through the universities and so on," he said.