It's aimed at preparing for and addressing issues including future pandemics, climate change, droughts, floods and bushfires, antibiotic resistance and safeguarding the health of water resources.
The missions will also target scientific opportunities for Australia such as transitioning the economy to net zero emissions, developing a plant-based protein and food manufacturing generally, creating local minerals processing and metals manufacturing, building a commercial hydrogen industry, and ending plastic waste with new processing technologies.
CSIRO has also identified national security as a priority and called for more collaboration on safeguarding Australia from war, terrorism, cyber attacks and regional instability.
Science Minister Karen Andrews said science and technology were Australia's "greatest tools … at this time of great upheaval".
"We need to make sure that our scientists and researchers are working collaboratively with industry to solve real world challenges for the benefit of everyday Australians," Ms Andrews said.
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Dr Marshall said it had "never been clearer or more important" than during the coronavirus pandemic that science was needed but the challenges are "larger than any one group and larger than any one organisation".
In the 1990s CSIRO brought Wi-Fi to the world with groundbreaking research, helping pave the way for a revolution in mobile technology.
And in 1968 CSIRO first introduced African dung beetles to Australia to deal with livestock poo, which was the springtime breeding ground for the swarms of flies that plagued towns and cities.
"When I was a kid there was the great Australian salute," Dr Marshall said, referring to the Australian habitual hand wave to brush flies away from your face.
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"As I was growing up, flies were in your face all the time - even at ..
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