Planning permission has been granted for Monaghan's BioConnect Innovation Centre.
The research and innovation development will be located in the IDA Business and Technology Park at Knockaconny.
The two storey centre will cover more than 1,600 square metres in floor area, and will consist of laboratories, offices and meeting spaces.
The €5 million project was announced in December 2018, with the then Minister for Enterprise Heather Humphreys saying it would put County Monaghan on the map as "The Food Valley of Ireland".
BioConnect will allow local food producers to act as a consortium to problem solve, network and brainstorm in a non-competitive environment.
It will also work with local institutes of education give students an opportunity to work close to home in an innovative sector.
It's expected 250 direct and 1000 downstream jobs will be created as a result.
Last year 0.92 hectares of land in Monaghan town was transferred to Monaghan BioConnect CLG and a tender issued for a developer.
Monaghan County Council approved permission to construct the site in recent days, with it hoped the Centre could be operational in 2021.
