The lack of formal education in research ethics is a significant issue for the ethical conduct of research and a limitation on the ethical review of research in Serbia and other low-and middle-income countries in the Balkan region. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a sample of researchers and ethics committee members from the three academic healthcare institutions in Serbia to evaluate their educational needs for training in research ethics. Our study revealed that previous research ethics education had a significant effect on respondents' perception of their own competence to resolve dilemmas related to informed consent, authorship and publishing. Respondents expressed a high level of motivation to participate in further research ethics education. In addition, the study revealed that researchers from different specializations and with different research experience have different education needs. These findings should be taken into account when tailoring research ethics education to meet the needs of learners.