It has been years in the making and Monday afternoon, the University of Florida continued it's efforts to build an Innovation Hub to support and create start-up technology companies.

Workers broke ground on a 45,000 square foot facility on Southwest 2nd Avenue which is being built with an $8 million federal grant. UF is contributing $5 million for the building.

It will provide start-up companies office space, conference rooms and laboratories. The new center will be built on the grounds of the old Alachua General Hospital.