Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he hopes a €44.5 million investment in an Ulster University campus will strengthen cross-border links.
Mr Varadkar insisted that there was "no ulterior motive" to the funding to build a new teaching and student services building for the university - part of the Government's €56 million Shared Island Fund, aimed at cross-border investments.
It will also underpin teaching and research between Ulster University and Atlantic Technological University Donegal and promote cross-border education in the region.
Speaking at government buildings in Dublin Mr Varadkar said: "It is money that we committed in the past as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
"We've made previous commitments as well... which we will honour.
"So, long before there was a Shared Island Unit, we were making a contribution to infrastructure projects that benefit Northern Ireland, but also has a cross-border element as well, and Shared Island really is the development of that.
"And I'm very straightforward, very genuine about this.
"There's no ulterior motive here. We're doing this because we want there to be more north-south cooperation. We want more cross-border cooperation.
"We want for example, to have a much bigger university campus in Derry, that students from all over the island, and people from Britain and other parts of the world, come to and I hope that happens.
"We want to improve connectivity, whether it's the Dublin Belfast railway line, whether it's the A5, and these are things that benefit Northern Ireland.
"These are things that benefit people in Ireland as a whole and that's why we're doing them."
A new youth forum will also be set up as part of the Shared Island initiative, which will ask 80 young people both north and south of the border to set out their vision for the island from September.
There is also funding for other projects including a new respite and therapeutic centre in Mayo for children diagnosed with cancer and their families from across the island of Ireland.
Two new all-island bioeconomy demonstrator facilities for the agriculture and marine sectors are set to receive funds.
It is understood that finance to complete the tender process for the Narrow Water Bridge project this year will also be approved.
Separately, Minister for Equality Roderic O'Gorman was to bring a memo to Cabinet providing an update on legislation to ban conversion therapy aimed at both sexual orientation and gender identity.
It is proposed that the ban would be implemented through a new criminal law offence alongside a ban on the advertising of conversion practices.
The planned legislation follows research by the Trinity College School of Nursing. It found that the significant harm is inflicted on those who experience such practices.
With additional reporting from PA
