Bord Bia is to open a Centre for Consumer Insight as part of its Dublin head office.
CEO of Bord Bia Aidan Cotter said the new centre would be in operation from March 2016 and will help build on the existing expertise in consumer and market insight.
Showing the drawings for the new centre, he said that the investment is in a physical space that is creative and inspirational, is accessible to international visitors and consumers who will be involved in the consumer research.
The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney welcomed the announcement and said the move to located the new centre alongside the existing Bord Bia HQ made complete sense.
The new centre will provide consumer insights which, Bord Bia says, will support brand owners develop and grow their brands on the domestic and international markets.
He also said that opening a dedicated Bord Bia office in Singapore, to support the Bord Bia China office was on the cards.
In its Export Performance and Prospects report is says that it would also open an office in Warsaw, Poland, this year.
Irish food and drink exports increased by 3% to reach a record of €10.8 billion last year, according to new figures from Bord Bia.
The strongest categories in terms of export growth were beverages (+10%), beef (+6%) and seafood (+4%).