- The award, granted by Enginyers de Catalunya, recognizes his contribution to the development and technological transfer in industrial and service robotics.
- With a career spanning nearly 40 years —15 of them at Leitat— Francesc has been one of the driving forces behind robotics and automation at the technological center, helping position it as a trusted partner for industry.
Francesc Cortés Grau, industrial engineer and scientific-technical reference in robotics and automation at Leitat, has been distinguished with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nit de la Robòtica 2025, organized by Enginyers de Catalunya. The event, held at the Sant Pau Modernist Complex, brought together leading professionals, companies and institutions linked to robotics and automation in Catalonia.
The award recognizes his nearly four-decade-long career dedicated to advancing industrial and service robotics, with an outstanding contribution to both research and innovation, as well as to technological transfer to industry.
A pioneer in industrial robotics and technological application to the productive sector
Graduated as an industrial engineer from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Francesc Cortés began his career in 1986 at ASEA (now ABB). Over the years, he has developed and implemented robotics projects for welding, assembly, handling, sensing, inspection and machining processes in highly demanding sectors such as automotive and aerospace.
Co-inventor of several patents related to the manipulation of stamped parts, his work contributed to ABB’s international expansion in countries such as Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Iran, Argentina and Turkey, among others.
A key figure in driving robotics at Leitat
Since joining Leitat in 2010, Francesc Cortés has played a key role in creating and consolidating the center’s robotics and automation area, defining its strategy, project portfolio and collaboration model with companies. Under his leadership, the team has developed R&D&I projects in collaborative robotics, intelligent inspection, and advanced automation, with strong impact in the manufacturing, automotive and aerospace industries.
In the field of industrial technology transfer, some of the most notable projects include the robotization of a new structured white light technology for body in white digitalization in automotive manufacturing, enabling the industrial validation of a disruptive solution, and the CIEN Smart Factory project, which developed and transferred new pioneering concepts for collaborative manipulation with cobots in the automotive and aeronautical sectors.
He has also contributed to training new generations of engineers and actively participated in working groups and associations such as AER, Hisparob and EURobotics, as well as in academic and postgraduate programs at the UPC.
“This award is recognition for many years of work —but above all, for the people with whom I have shared this journey. Robotics is not only about technology; it’s about collaboration, continuous learning, and the passion to make things better. It’s moving to see how what once seemed like the future is now a reality contributing directly to industrial and social progress,” said Francesc Cortés.
“This award is a recognition of a career that has combined technology, industry, and people. Francesc has been —and continues to be— a key figure in Catalan robotics and in its real-world application to the industrial sector,” remarked Jordi Cabrafiga, General Director of Leitat.
Recognition for an inspiring career
The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of two distinctions granted by Enginyers de Catalunya as part of the Nit de la Robòtica, the leading robotics event in Catalonia, now in its 11th edition. With this recognition, Francesc Cortés joins the list of professionals who have played a decisive role in positioning Catalonia as a benchmark in robotics technology and industrial automation.
