MAKASSAR – Hasanuddin University (Unhas) is supporting the National Outstanding Talent Program (TUNAS) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) by providing facilities as the venue for the TUNAS IQ test for the Sulawesi region.
Unhas Director of Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Suhasman, S.Hut., M.Si., IPM., explained that in the program Unhas serves as the host of the test. Meanwhile, the process of selecting and summoning alumni is carried out entirely by Kemdiktisaintek.
“Unhas has not prepared any special procedure to determine which alumni take part in this program. We do not design or recommend particular alumni. The selection and summoning process is carried out entirely by Kemdiktisaintek, while Unhas’s role is to facilitate the test,” Prof. Suhasman explained in an interview on Monday (21 September).
The TUNAS organizers use graduate data from the Higher Education Database (PDDikti) for curation. The selected alumni are then contacted directly via the email addresses available in the database.
For the Sulawesi region, the program targets alumni of Unhas and Sam Ratulangi University. Nationally, the Outstanding Talent Database compiles 51,128 top graduates from the past five years across 50 priority study programs at designated universities.
Prof. Suhasman urged alumni who receive an invitation to make use of the opportunity. Prof. Suhasman considers the TUNAS program in line with universities’ efforts to prepare outstanding and competitive graduates.
“When an opportunity like TUNAS comes along, it is certainly very good for alumni because it opens a path to reputable companies that need outstanding talent,” said Prof. Suhasman.
TUNAS is designed as a talent-mapping mechanism to form a talent pool of strategic national human resources. The process begins with a personal invitation and a questionnaire mapping interests and track record, followed by an IQ test and the Spirit & Grit Test.
The mapped talent is then matched with human resource needs in eight national strategic fields: food, health, energy, downstreaming and industrialization, AI and semiconductors, advanced materials and manufacturing, defense, and maritime.
The program runs throughout September–October 2026. After the database curation and personal invitations, participants are currently completing the mapping questionnaire. The next stages include cluster mapping, the IQ test, the Spirit & Grit Test, and entry into the National Outstanding Talent Database.
For the tests, TUNAS divides participants into 15 regional clusters. Unhas is the venue for the Sulawesi cluster. Participants are not required to return to their home universities but can take the test at the nearest cluster venue based on their actual place of residence.
For Unhas, involvement in TUNAS is part of its support for developing graduate talent while opening opportunities for alumni to connect with the needs of the workforce and strategic national sectors. (*/mir)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
Frequently Asked Questions about TUNAS
The following summary was added on 5 October 2026 and drawn from the official website of the TUNAS Program, talentaunggul.id.
What is the Kemdiktisaintek TUNAS Program?
The National Outstanding Talent Program (TUNAS) is an official program of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) to compile the best undergraduate graduates into the National Outstanding Talent Database. The mapped talent is matched with the needs of National Strategic Programs in eight fields: food, health, energy, downstreaming and industrialization, AI and semiconductors, advanced materials and manufacturing, defense, and maritime.
Who can take part, and how do I register?
There is no self-registration. Kemdiktisaintek curates PDDikti data centrally, namely the 20 graduates with the highest GPA per cohort over the past 5–6 years from 50 priority study programs. This yields 51,128 graduates. Selected participants receive an official invitation by email containing a 12-digit token to be activated at talentaunggul.id. Graduates who are already employed may still take part.
What is the Spirit & Grit Test?
The Spirit & Grit Test measures participants’ resilience, motivation, and fighting spirit. The term grit refers to perseverance and passion for achieving long-term goals. The test is taken together with the IQ Test. The IQ test is eliminatory: participants who do not pass the IQ test are dropped from the selection.
What is the TUNAS test like?
The exam is a web-based, in-person (offline) test lasting 2 hours, and participants must bring their own laptops. The test is held simultaneously in 15 regional clusters. Participants may choose the cluster nearest to their current residence, not necessarily at their home campus.
Where is the TUNAS test venue for the Sulawesi region?
Unhas in Makassar is the test venue for the Sulawesi cluster. The target participants in this region are alumni of Unhas and Sam Ratulangi University. Unhas serves as host, while the selection and summoning of participants is carried out entirely by Kemdiktisaintek.
What is the TUNAS 2026 selection schedule?
- 1–17 September: Talent Database curation
- 18–25 September: personal invitations and completion of the mapping questionnaire
- 24–27 September: test cluster mapping
- 28–30 September: IQ Test and Spirit & Grit Test
- 1–3 October: successful participants enter the National Outstanding Talent Database
Do participants who pass get a job immediately?
Not automatically. Participants who pass enter the National Outstanding Talent Database. Their profiles then go through talent matching and are called in stages according to vacancies at state-owned enterprises (BUMN), state-owned banks (Himbara), ministries and agencies, and strategic industry partners.
My invitation has not arrived or my token has expired. What should I do?
First check the Spam or Promotions folder in your email. If the token has expired or has a problem, request token recovery through a help ticket at talentaunggul.id/bantuan or contact the Career Development Center (CDC) at your home campus.
Is there a fee for the TUNAS selection?
No. All selection stages are free of charge. Beware of scams claiming to represent the committee or the ministry. Official information is available only through talentaunggul.id, the email helpdesk@talentaunggul.id, and Call Center 126 (Monday–Friday, 08:00–16:00 WIB).
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.