After months of turmoil at the CSIRO, Science Minister Greg Hunt has stepped in with a new statement of expectations for the organisation. Mr Hunt hopes it will set the the body on the path to being the world's premier public research institution.

The statement sets a clear focus on pure science and climate research alongside the "innovation catalyst" role championed by chief executive Larry Marshall.

One leading CSIRO environmental scientist Fairfax Media spoke to described it as a "clear repudiation" of the direction Dr Marshall had been taking the organisation.

There is no new funding associated with the statement, prompting the scientist to ask: "Who is going to fund our long-term research? That's the sticker."