CSIRO has avoided major cuts in the new budget, and a Senate Select Committee says job cuts should be delayed as well.

CSIRO plans to shed 275 jobs and set up a new climate research centre in Hobart, with about 40 new staff.

But a Senate Committee reviewing the plans has called on the Government to direct the organisation to hold off on the proposed restructure until after the next election.

It also recommended that a suitable independent agency should be tasked with a review of the economic value of CSIRO climate measurement and research.

Australia’s top science body is planning to cut 75 positions from its Oceans and Atmosphere division.

Some Government senators have issued a dissenting report that slams the inquiry as a waste of resources.

“The inquiry process on this issue has been a blatantly wasteful use of scarce Senate resources,” it reads.

“Government senators question the validity of the inquiry given the CSIRO restructure has nothing to do with Government budget measures, but is the result of a strategic shift following the development of the CSIRO Strategy 2020: Australia's Innovation Catalyst.”

Meanwhile, the Co-operative Research Centres (CRCs) scheme and the CSIRO have escaped the razor gang.

Their funding has been maintained after two years of successive budget cuts, but no new money is on the table.

CRCs lost almost 20 per cent of their overall budget in 2014, while another $26 million was slashed in following years.

Despite providing no new money, federal Treasurer Scott Morrison says the Government is committed to “backing co-investment in start-ups and spin-offs”, spurred by the organisation.

Defence is a strong winner in this week’s budget papers , with the defence spending target of 2 per cent of GDP (by 2020-21) kept in place.

That drive to spend more on the military has been boosted by the ‘decoupling’ of the link between Australian Defence Force (ADF) funding and the health of the economy.

It could mean good things for local engineering and tech research.

The government has committed to spending around $1.6 billion over the period to 2025-26 on ‘innovation’, bankrolling a Next Generation Technologies Fund ($730 million), a Defence Innovation Hub ($640 million) and a Centre for Defence Industry Capability to help Australian industry support defence ($230 million).