The Office of Public Works will submit plans later this week for the redevelopment of a wing of the National Concert Hall in Dublin to prepare it to house a National Children's Science Centre.
It is hoped that the new centre, which will be known as Exploration Station, will be complete by 2018.
The facility will include exhibition space, a large planetarium capable of seating 200 as well as a shop and cafe.
Exploration Station will primarily be aimed at those aged 4-16, but the board behind the project expects equal numbers of adults and children will visit.
150,000 visitors a year are expected to pass through the facility and there will be a charge for entry.
Other income will be derived from the cafe, shop and corporate events, foundations, donors and the Government.
The redevelopment of the old north wing of the venue will require significant refurbishment, including the strengthening of floors and removal of certain load-bearing walls.
The wing will also be extended to the rear and opened up into the Iveagh Gardens.
The cost of the refurbishment work will be borne by the State.
However, the €13m required to set up the exhibits will have to be raised by the board, from donors, industry and individuals.
The plan to develop an interactive science centre for children dates back to the late 1990s when the organising board was first set up.
However, a series of setbacks meant the project never managed to get off the ground.
The current plan began three years ago, when the Office of Public Works identified the wing of the National Concert Hall as a potential home for the new centre.
The board is currently chaired by Dr Danny O'Hare, the former president of Dublin City University.
